The Kings town

Glosette Girl and I decided to take advantage of a big blank space on our calendar this weekend to jet off for a one night getaway to Kingston, which is about 2-hours away from Ottawa. What made this trip extra unusual is that we did it sans Margot!

It's pretty crazy but we haven't spent a night away from Margot was just over..3 years -  in March 2018! Before that, it was April 2017, and before that.. perhaps a few years before when we did a trip to New York City without her. 

In sum: we were well overdue for a parent vacation and Kingston fit the bill.

Kingston is a small city near the same thousand island region where we went last year (with Margot). However, unlike the town we visited last year (Gananoque), which is much smaller, sleepier and tourist-focused, Kingston is a mix of university students, retirees, and aging rockers. Actually, if there is one word I would use to describe this town its "Rock" - the place definitely is a bit rough around the edges. It also has plenty of history, including plenty of 19th century manor houses and military fortifications. 

Don't interpret this as a sign I'm jumping for joy for being parentless for 24-hours

This electic mix of history and rock made for a fun short trip. In 24-hours we hit up a couple of patios, stumbled upon (from a distance) an Anti-vaccine protest/concert of some sort, and generally meandered amongst the downtown core wandering into stores and restaurants as we felt like. 

Ahh meandering. If there's one thing I love about not walking around with a kid is the ability to meander. We even found time for a quick jog along the shorefront, which was very healthy of us. But don't worry, we counteracted the healthiness with some beers and wine later.

Taking care of the body...

...and the mind!

I wouldn't move to Kingston (a bit small for my tastes), but for an overnight day-trip from Ottawa, you can't go wrong!

p.s: little trivia for you: Kingston really was called Kings Town (after King George III) until 1788, when the name was shortened.