I'm on the road to Ottawa this week for a little getaway. It's going to be an adventure! Check my Instagram feed for pictures from the road.

In the meantime, here are a few articles and links that are inspiring me this week:

First, I'm brushing up on "How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip" via Lifehacker. I'm wishing Roadtrippers would expand into Canada already so I could test it out already.

The colors and flavors of Ottawa's ByWard Market from Megan Leader on Vimeo.

It's been a long time since I've been to Ottawa, but I remember loving the ByWard Market. It's one of the oldest public markets in Canada and is full of interesting food vendors, shops, and restaurants. I can't wait to get back and see what it's like now.

I'm tucking this list of restaurants near the ByWard Market in my notes so we can keep our bellies full when we need a break from shopping.

Paradise Lost by Gustave Doré | via Wikimedia Commons, uploaded by Holger Thölking

Keeping my fingers crossed that we will see the Gustave Doré (ends 14 September 2014) exhibition at the beautiful National Gallery of Canada. Doré (1832-1883) was and artist, sculptor, and printmaker, but he especially well-known for his illustrations and engravings.

Since a tour of Parliament may be in order, here are the CBC's 5 secrets from Parliament Hill and a bonus 4 to follow-up. Who doesn't love knowing there are secret stairwells, special scotch, and that each year $4000 to $5000 is collected from the fountain around the Centennial Flame to fund disabilities research?

Travel = new books for me. I'm using NPR's "Book Your Trip" feature to find some recommendations. Just choose your mode of transportation and you'll get a list of books inspired by that kind of journey. Perfect! I was also recommended The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt twice this week, so that might have to be first on my list.

Now that my Whole30 is over, I'm sticking with Paleo eating for awhile and finding advice on healthy travel snacks from Nom Nom Paleo.

Condé Nast Traveler's 2014 list of friendliest and unfriendliest cities in the US is out. I can't say I'm surprised by most of it, but when we were in Detroit for the Winter Classic, everyone we met was lovely. We didn't venture too far off the beaten path, though.

These photos of Italy's most beautiful beaches make me long to book a trip right now. It's been a cold Canadian summer up here and I can't imagine how glorious one or all of these would be.

A French hospital opened a wine bar to help "restore longing, taste, desire, and even pleasure" to terminally ill patients, once again reminding us how important it is to take time and enjoy life.

Falling in love with the Chesapeake Bay all over again through Tim Neville's beautiful story of a father-son fishing trip in the New York Times.

That's it for this week! Are you off to anywhere fun? Have any great road trip advice? Let me know!

One of our go-to things to do on any given weekend is antiquing. It's a chance to get out of the city (usually) and look at oodles of interesting stuff. We don't really go to buy anymore--a city apartment can only hold so much and neither of us want to become hoarders--as much as we go to look, spend time together, and see if anything wonderful jumps out at us.

Since it's prime lazy-summer-roadtrip season in Ontario, I figured it was also high time to share a list of our favorite places to go antiquing. Most of them are places you can stop into if you're on the way somewhere and need a break from the road, or you make them the whole purpose of your trip.

Antique Malls

These are huge buildings/warehouses with many different vendors selling everything from vintage toys to fine china to rustic farm tools. Perfect for those who like to dig for treasures.

1. St. Jacob's Antique Market

St. Jacobs Antique Market is a good place to stop on a day-trip to the tiny, picturesque town of St. Jacobs. It's located right next to the town's famed farmer's market and has over 110 vendors.

805 King N, Waterloo, ON

2. Market Road Antiques

Another large antique mall in St. Jacobs with over 100 vendors and a little restaurant in the back called the Crazy Canuck. I find this market to be very similar to the St. Jacob's Antique Market in terms of what you will find there, but I think it's a little more neatly curated (read: you don't have to dig quite as much).

845 Weber Street, Waterloo, ON

3. Freelton Antique Mall

There are over 200 vendors in this huge barn/warehouse between Hamilton and Guelph. It's open 7 days a week, year round (except Christmas and Boxing Day). Make sure to dress warmly in the winter!

248 Freelton Road, Freelton, ON

4. Barrie Antiques Centre

The Barrie Antiques Centre wowed me the first time we visited. When you first walk into the store, it feels like you're entering an old general store. There's a huge antique cash desk, old signage, and walls filled with household products from the past. It feels a little like a museum you can shop in. Open 7 days a week except Christmas and New Year's Day.

272 Innisfil Street, Barrie, Ontario

5. Roadshow Antiques North

Located in Innisfil next to a huge flea market (open only on the weekends) and right off of the 400, this market is a really easy place to stop when you're on your way up to cottage country. With 32,000 square feet and more than 200 dealers, you can spend as much or as little time here as you want. For pyrex lovers like me, there are a few booths with some nice pyrex here. Open everyday except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Note: there is a parking fee of $1.

2207 Industrial Park Road, Innisfil, ON

6. Southworks Antiques

Southworks is located in Cambridge, Ontario next to a big outlet mall and has over 30,000 square feet of antiques. Open every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

64 Grand Avenue, Cambridge ON

7. St. Lawrence Market

If you're looking for a place to go in Toronto on a Sunday, the St. Lawrence Market is the spot. It's great for smaller items like jewelry, books, bags, prints, and knick-knacks. Unlike most of the antique malls, you'll be able talk to the vendors directly, so your chances of getting a deal or doing some haggling are good. Open Sundays from dawn to 5 pm.

92 Front Street East, Toronto, ON

An Auction

8. Mrs. Huizenga's

A lovely store in the Roncesvalles neighborhood of Toronto. I like the welcoming atmosphere here and there's always something new and interesting to oogle. Open Monday to Friday from 11 am to 8 pm. Saturdays and Sundays open from 11 am to 6 pm.

Mrs. H also holds fun, relaxed auctions on the 1st Sunday and 3rd Thursday of the month. If you're ever around that part of the city when there's an auction, it's a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. Check out the previews on Facebook. Get there early enough to take a look and grab a snack or drink before the madness starts. We haven't been back in awhile because we always get caught up in the energy and, let's be honest, competition of it all and buy something. My favorite score was a lot of pyrex that S had to talk me into. I use it almost daily now!

28 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON

Outdoor Markets

9. Christie Classic Antique Show

The Christie show is special because it only comes around twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. It takes place on 10 acres of the sprawling Christie Lake Conservation Area near Hamilton. It's extremely popular, so vendors tend to bring their best stuff. Get there early if you want the pick of the litter (and parking) and make sure wear comfy shoes because it's going to be a lot of walking!

Christie holds a special place in my heart because we bought our first big purchase there a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful, rustic drop leaf table with painted green legs. We almost missed out on it because it was the end of the day and I hemmed and hawed for far too long. When we decided to go for it, the dealer had just sold it to his friend, who was also a dealer. Thankfully the new dealer was kind enough to honor his buddy's price but he nearly choked when he realized how little he was going to make on it. Now we have a great story to go along with a piece we really love.

The great thing about Christie is that you never know what you're going to see. This year I fell in love with some old apple picking ladders.

Parking is free but admission is $10 per person.

1000 Highway 5 West, Dundas, ON

10. Aberfoyle Antique Market

Aberfoyle is our favorite seasonal outdoor market. It's open every Sunday--rain or shine--from 8 am to 4 pm between April and October. For a $2 entrance fee, you'll have over 90 vendors to explore. Thirty of those vendors are visitors and can change from week to week, but there are over 60 permanent vendors with little sheds and outbuildings throughout the property. One of my favorite booths is full of vintage toys. Tt's fun just to walk in and hear everyone ooh and ahh over the nostalgia.

Aberfoyle also does two special Saturday shows, one in spring and one fall. The entrance fee goes up to $5 per person for these, but there are around 60 more dealers on those days.

57 Wellington Road 46 S, Guelph, ON

So that's the list for now. I haven't included every antiquing spot we've been to or enjoyed, but this is a list of places we return to fairly regularly and know well.

Since we are going down to the Niagara region more often, I'm hoping we discover some new favorites soon. There may be a new list in the future!