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What a night! I had fun walking around Ottawa in the sleet and snow. Even with wet feet and cold fingers and cheeks, it was awesome!

I was going to write: One take-away of the night was… but so many jumped out at me that I can’t write about just one, so I’ll list them all!

Rounding the corner of the National Arts Centre (Albert/Elgin Streets) and seeing the Oscar Peterson statue, hearing his music playing from the piano, was a “stop and step into the moment”. My first time seeing the statue. It’s awe inspiring. And there’s an empty spot on the bench next to Oscar. A great place to sit and enjoy his music!

Standing alone on Parliament hill. Being on the hill, in front of the Parliament buildings never gets old. It gets me, every single time. I’m not a frequent visitor, perhaps that’s why, but I feel it has more to do with the history and what it stands for. Democracy at it’s best. It’s humbling to stand in front of the centennial flame, looking up at the peace tower, light up in the dark, overcast night, hearing the bells toll. Even the freezing drizzle stinging your face can’t dampen the mood. It was something special.

I’ll stop there with my descriptions of my fabulous night!

That brings me to today. I woke up at 4 am, got out of bed to check the weather, thinking I might head out to take more photos. All I could see was white. I don’t know if it was fog or freezing drizzle, but it was white! I also had a headache so decided to get back into bed and enjoy a sleep-in instead. Peppermint essential oil applied to my neck, a couple of motrin and I was back to sleep in no time.

I had a leisurely breakfast at Wilfrid’s restaurant in the hotel. Classy spot with delicious food!

I chose to stay in and paint instead of walking around taking more photos. Which was quite handy as I was painting the peace tower and all I had to do was look out my window to check for details. I really enjoyed the moment. Initially, the perfectionist – deep down inside me, as I’ve been working on keeping it there – arose and didn’t want me to post it, but I ignored it, continued to add details until I was happy with it, then I posted it to Instagram.

For the photo of the day: On my way to breakfast this morning, I took my time, taking photos with my iPhone, of the décor. My favourite floor (that I’ve seen) is the mezzanine. The colours – light blues – strike me as calming and peaceful. I took several photos and one of them made photo of the day.

All in all, I’ve had an exceptional night in Ottawa at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and I highly recommend staying here some time. It’s conveniently located, the canal, Rideau Centre, By Ward Market, Sparks Street Mall, NAC, and Parliament Hill are all a short walk. The hotel is comfortable with modern conveniences yet has kept the antique look. I love it!