Let's Hit the Road!

 

It can do wonders for your winter blahs (for a few days, anyway) and the change of scenery will make it feel like a mini-getaway. This can undoubtedly rejuvenate your senses, and re-spark your joie de vivre, which, if you’re like me, has probably gone dormant after the Christmas holidays (or after the Christmas bills arrived in the mail, in my case).

Best of all, you won’t break the bank by doing it, you don’t have stress about getting to the airport on time, or other pesky things like tracking arrival and departure times. Daytripping is synonymous with relaxation, something to do on a lazy, Sunday afternoon. No pressure or fussing about getting there on time; the attitude is more like, "We’ll get there when we get there." Also, unlike cross-border shopping, you don’t need a passport (mine, incidentally has expired). Renewing it would cost money, which is tight with me these days, therefore going on a road trip to a village or town outside of Ottawa comes with less hassles, as well as having economical and mental-health benefits. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to learn a bit about the history of these places while you're there.

I got the idea a few years back when one of my closest friends was planning her wedding. She had tried on a wedding dress in a small boutique in Carleton Place and she wanted my opinion on it. We ended up spending an afternoon there and I was thoroughly enchanted by the old-world, colonial charm it had. There was something alluring about the quaint little town which seemed to be stuck in time. It seemed  as if I were surrounded by historic architecture everywhere I turned. I remember walking over a bridge in the heart of downtown and being captivated by the scenery; the area was dotted with majestic looking Victorian houses that had big, wrap-around verandas. We ended our day by dining at a restaurant: a large, grey stone structure, formerly a lumber mill that was nestled by the water’s edge, in the heart of the downtown. Charming, indeed.

I thought about how I would come back in my spare time--which I never did--so I would like to set out on what I once contemplated doing. It shouldn’t take a wedding dress to get me to visit these out-of-the-way places, adorable as they are.  I’ve decided that every second weekend, I will take a day trip to a nearby village or town and write about my experiences, i.e. what it has to offer, and the overall vibe I get from the place, (basically, if it’s worth a visit or not). If I’m lucky, I might even be able to post a few pictures--that’s if my brother lends me his camera.