Niagara Falls

Every day so far Wayne has envisaged sleeping in. Every day I set the alarm 1 hr earlier than he thinks he will want to wake up and every day we don’t need an alarm.

We woke from our Hamilton stay with a slight headache but not enough to squash the excitement of it being the day that we would reach Niagara Falls. First thing on the agenda was a better breakfast than microwaved croissants. Somewhere with a view. Our intention was to again skirt the coast of the lake to Niagara on the Lake (the mouth of Niagara River) and find somewhere along the way for breakfast.

We pulled off the highway at Grimsby on a Google’s recommendation for breakfast but didn’t like that it had no view of the lake so kept driving. We stumbled upon the oldest golf course in North America which had a restaurant overlooking the mouth of Niagara River.

From here we could see a fort built on USA side of the river. Historically, this was a battleground in 1812. America was not able to secure this side and in retaliation burnt the town to the ground. Only few buildings were left standing but the British held the ground. What has been built here is just so pretty. Pretty is the perfect word for this town. The flowers are just something else. We parked up behind the main street and strolled through the shops and took it all in.

As we were thinking we were done here along trotted a horse and cart. I couldn’t resist so off we went like good little tourists where our guide gave us half hour tour of the town explaining the history along the way.

Our driver told us not to use Google Maps to get to the falls because we would miss a very pretty drive along the river. We, of course, took his advice and headed in the direction he indicated. Along the way was farms, fancy houses and wineries on the right and the river on our left. We stopped at a roadside stall for some freshly picked strawberries and cherries. Yummo!

From a distance on a hill we could see a rather large statue drawing our attention. We rolled into the carpark to inspect the monument only to see paid parking and having already received one parking ticket, we were not keen to get another. We parked and did a mad lap of the statue. This impressive monument was dedicated to Major General Sir Isaac Brock, one of Canada’s heroes of the War of 1812. It is 56m heigh and quite the structure.

Onwards to the falls making only more stop to check the whirlpool and hoping for a cable car ride, but it was down with mechanical issues. The whirlpool is narrowest part of the river hitting a right angle which swirls the water around before continuing to Onatario Lake.

As we approached Niagara Falls we rolled down the windows to get a feel for the beautiful summer day. The noise of the falls is quite loud as expected. It reminded us of the noise of the ocean when camping by the beach at home. Just a constant sound of water moving very quickly. First impression is just, wow! We did the full drive by along the parkway. The closer got to the Canadian Horshoe falls the loader it got and soon we were being sprayed with the mist from the falls. The road looked like it had a singular cloud dropping rain in only one section. Word can’t describe the awe at this natural beauty.

We attempted to check in but we were too early, so they took our bags and we went to find lunch with a view. The porter gave us a tip of where to go to avoid the crowds. It was time to get some greens in our holiday diet, so salads with side of beer 🤣 then cocktails then time to walk the viewing pathway.

Niagara Falls is something else. It is a natural wonder that has been commercialised within an inch of its life. The thing is though, the tourism side of it is not awful, it’s busy, it’s expensive but it doesn’t deter from the amazing natural beauty of a waterfall that is momentous. No matter what they built in the background was never going to out shine what you came here to see.

From a tourist point of view you have a multitude of experiences you can book to take it in. There is the boat ride to the base, there is a zip line along the wall of the river, there is a walk ‘behind’ the falls, there is a 4D movie experience and the latest is a tour of the original power station which includes walking an underground tunnel that comes out next the horseshoe falls. We decided to pick two. The boat and the power plant.

The boat ride has to be one the best things I have done in my life. Honestly! It is like riding into a weather event. The wind is howling, the rain is pouring and I am in the midst of a giggle fit. It was ridiculous. Our faces were grinning from ear to ear. It was the best! You come here, this is a must hands down experience.

The tunnel was school excursion worthy and really well done. Wayne was in his element reading every information board and working out in his head how all the mechanics and electrical engineering evolved. To me, big machines, big brains and amazing innovations. Humans are amazing really.