niagara falls

rainbow at niagara

see how close the maid of the mist goes!

american and bridal veil falls

us

niagara from the boat

bronte on the maid of the mist, (nice poncho!)

from the sky wheel

USA side of falls

USA side of American falls

journey behind the falls porthole

viewing platform, journey behind the falls

pretty lights

more pretty lights

horseshoe falls

Thursday 4th June
Up nice and early to head to Niagara Falls, it was about 120 kms away and we thought that it maybe busy on the road. Hit the road after getting a tank of gas and the traffic was not too bad. Only took just over and hour and we were there. Followed the road past the falls and parked in the car park. Walked down to the head of the falls and it was awesome!!! The roar of the water was amazing and the spray was going so high into the air and then blowing across the road and footpath where we were. You would get saturated if you stood there to long. Made our way downstream to the ‘Maid of the Mist’ boat and got our tickets. You have to catch and elevator down to the boat at water level. Donned the nice blue ponchos and got onto the boat. The boat set sail and we got a good position on the star board side. We went past the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls located on the American side first and then headed to Horseshoe Falls which is the main part of Niagara Falls. The boat goes so close to the water fall that you get sprayed with so much water. Once you have sat in the water for about 2 or 3 minutes the boat turns and heads back to the dock. The ride was cool and you could not go there and not do the Maid of the Mist, it is a must do.

From there we walked up into the main street of Niagara Clifton Hill and that is set up very touristy with shops and neon light and all sorts of arcades and stuff. Got some lunch and then went on the Sky Wheel which is a big ferris wheel similar to the London Eye but smaller. It is actually only 175 feet high but gave you a good vantage point to the falls.

From there we walked back to the river and decided to cross the Rainbow Bridge which joins USA and Canada. You had to go through a turnstile which indicated you needed your passport to get back. Once through we crossed the bridge to USA and had to clear customs/immigration. While on the USA side we walked to the top of the American Falls then onto Goat Island to see the Bridal Veil Falls and then onto the Horseshoe Falls. It was amazing how different it was to stand on the opposite side and look back. The view was really good but entirely different. From there we did a lap around Luna Island to see the approach side of the falls where the water comes from Lake Erie and to the water falls. The rapids were cool and the water moved so quickly. There is no way you would want to jump or fall in.

Back to the bridge and walked across. Once we got to the middle where the sign indicates the border I had to do the obligatory thing and put one foot in USA and the other in Canada. I am such a child!! Once we got back to the Canadian side we had to go through customs again to re enter Canada. Seemed like a waste of time but I guess it is necessary.

Now back on the Canadian side we did the Journey Behind the Falls where you walk down and behind the Horseshoe Falls in a tunnel which has been dug out and it has two port holes open to the rear of the falls. The final porthole is 200 metres along the face of the fall. It also has a viewing platform just on the side of the falls where you stand next to the falling water. That was really cool as well.

As we wanted to stay till dusk and see the night lights we had to fill in some time. Went to the local Imax and watched the Niagara film on the big screen and it was not bad. From there we went and got some dinner which took and hour and by that time it was basically 9.00 pm and that’s when the lights were turned on. Wow, how cool are the falls at night. We took another heap of photos with the time exposure and got some cool shots. Spent another hour there until about 10.30 pm looking at the lights as they change colours every few minutes.

Made our way back to the car and got there to find the car saturated. The spray from the falls was being blown over the car and the car park and you almost needed an umbrella to stay dry to get in the car. Drove slowly past the falls for one more last look and then up through the main street (Clifton Hill) back to the main road to Toronto. It took us a little over and hour to get back to the motel.

It had been a huge day to say the least, but the falls were magnificent to see. The amount of water going over the falls is incredible and it certainly has been a highlight of the trip, or at least one of the highlights as we have seen so much stuff so far.

Tomorrow we are off to Montreal with about 580 kms to travel. Won’t be getting up too early though as it has been such a full on day.

Stayed tuned folks.

toronto downtown

us on the cruise

toronto skyline

cruising around toronto islands

yonge st

flatiron building

the mural on the rear of flatiron

bronte in the park behind the flatiron

Wednesday 3rd June
Bit of a slow start today with a nice sleep in till about 8.30 am. We were heading into the city so we could go on a boat cruise on the harbour/lake. Made our way back to the same car park as the previous day as it was reasonably priced. Parked the car and then went for a walk towards the shop. Found a Starbucks and went in for a coffee, the motel did not have breakfast included and I needed my morning coffee. Sat outside the front of Starbucks in the outdoor dining area and watched the Torontonians walk past and go about their day.

After the coffee we walked past the CN Tower and towards the water of Lake Ontario. Found the water and then walked along the foreshore area and found a tour group that offered cruises on the lake. Paid $12 each for a 45 minute cruise which took us around some of the 14 Toronto Islands. The cruise was nice and peaceful and it was good to see the city skyline from the water. We took lots of photos while on the cruise.

Got back to shore and walked back into the city and found a food court in the ‘PATH’ and had some lunch. The ‘PATH’ is an underground shopping centre connected by corridors under the city area. The corridors connect all the shop by more than 24 kilometres which connects shops to hotel lobbies etc. It was a bit weird to find your way around in.

After lunch we walked towards Yonge St which is the more cosmopolitan area of Toronto’s Downtown area. It was nice to just walk and watch people and look at shops. Yonge St was not really too seedy, it was quite colourful and had some interesting people.

From there we turned and walked back down the next street over (Church St) to the Toronto version of the New York Flatiron Building. It had a mural painted on the back of the building that was suppose to be an optical illusion to the eye. I could not quite work out the illusion but the mural was kind a cool. From there we walked back to the car park and collected the car. Had a bit of a drive through the city area and Chinatown on the way back to the motel.

Once back at the motel I went for a swim and a spa. I had walked so far and had sore feet and felt like relaxing in the spa. The pool area also had water slides which were cool and included. So after a spa I had a water slide or seven and it was great fun. Bronte stayed in the room and surfed the internet and counted sheep!

Once I got back from the pool we went out to Applebee’s for dinner. We had been to Applebee’s once before and found it to be really nice. Once again the food was good. It turned out that the Applebee’s was right next door to where the cinema complex was from the previous night.

Back to the motel now as we are heading to Niagara Falls tomorrow. Have to get up early as it is 125 km and I would expect that it will be busy on the road as the weather is meant to be nice and clear with a top of 20 degrees C. Can’t wait to see the falls, it almost seems surreal that we are in Canada. It still feels like USA, shh don’t tell the Canadians that!!

barrie

tom tom the saviour

canadian scenery on the way

the bear

bronte looking at the bear

me driving after seeing the bear

Monday 1st June
Well today we set off with about 800 kms to go until we got to Toronto. We thought we might drive to within 100ks or so and stop the night and drive in the last bit the next morning. The speed limit this time was not too bad, it was at least 100 km/h. The weather was crap though, it rained the whole time we drove. The scenery was nice though as the trees and bushes had changed from what we had been seeing in USA.

All of a sudden while driving I could see something moving ahead on the road in the distance that was black. As we got a bit closer I could see that it was a bear walking across the road!! Bronte quickly got the camera out but not quick enough. The bear walked over the road and on to the other side. By the time we got out the camera we just managed the blurry shot above. We turned around and went back but he was gone. Makes for a change looking out for kangaroos!!

We had a bit of trouble getting reasonably priced accommodation at Parry Sound so we ended up at a place called Barrie a bit closer to Toronto. Booked the motel on the net and rocked up 15 minutes later. The place was really nice and new as well. This place also had a microwave and fridge, so we cooked frozen dinners again. Watched a bit of TV as we were fairy tired from the long drive. Will be heading to the CN Tower tomorrow. We also managed to book really good cheap accommodation in Toronto for $53 a night. The going price of the room normally is $169, so let’s see how good it is when we get there.