Niagara Falls!
Blog #2: Niagara!
Hello everyone! The last few days have been spent touring the Niagara Peninsula! This includes the charming Niagara-on-the-Lake, as well as Niagara Falls itself!
Niagara-on-the-Lake: This small town is lovely! It reminds me of many of the small towns found in either the Willamette Valley or in South Africa’s wine country. It sits on the shores of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Niagara River. The flower-filled, tree-lined old town features 19th-century buildings, mainly along Queen Street. Near the river, 19th-century Fort George was built by the British to defend against American attacks.
We stayed at the Prince of Wales Hotel, a combination of older different buildings with lovely rooms full of antiques! The service was wonderful – we enjoyed dinner there on our first
evening in the lounge!
We spent a lovely morning having breakfast and walking Queen Street, looking through the lovely shops, and making a few contributions to the local economy!
Our afternoon involved visiting four of the local wineries, on the Wine Trolley! We visited wineries of different sizes, including a large, modern operation, as well as several boutiques. All of our tastings included whites and reds and were paired with different meats and vegetables. Probably our favorite was the chocolate pairing, where our wines were paired with handmade candies – lovely!
We visited the area, prior to making our way to Niagara Falls. I had heard that the Canadian side of the Falls was better – and so right! We drove over to the American side, only to find a drab, and not very nice area. Niagara Falls State Park was great! Our hotel also held up to its reputation for being on the edge of the Falls – here are a few pictures from my room!
We had an entire day devoted to touring the Falls! We began on the Maiden of the Mist, the famous boat which takes you literally up to the Falls! They have a trademark poncho which they give you to protect you from getting wet (well, that’s the idea anyway!).
With our boat ride finished, we undertook a driving tour around the town, with a break at an Italian bakery established in 1905 – yum! Our next stop was the Cave of the Winds – designed to give you an up-close and personal feel for the power of the Falls – and another poncho! Our final stops were the American Falls, and the Skylon Tower – which provides a wonderful birds-eye view of the entire Falls!
We are now headed out to enjoy Toronto for a few days! More soon!
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