Niagara Falls

It is now time to report about my trip to the Niagara Falls. I was planning to write something yesterday, but I came back rather late from the Falls. By then, I thought it was too late to write a proper blog.

Talking about late, that morning the tour bus arrived over half an hour late. Not a very professional start of the tour. Overall, the bus driver/tour operator was ok, nothing spectacular though. I have had better bus drivers/tour operators.

There were various interesting people on the bus. Among them some guys from Pakistan. I don’t think I heard them utter a single word during the entire trip. There was also a couple from Ukraine on the bus. She in her late fifties, he in his late twenties. I had first thought that they were mother and son :D. I was sitting next to a nice Canadian lady. Fortunately, I was not the only single person on the bus.

First stop was the charming little town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. So many lovely houses and trees there (trees are changing colors here, beautiful). Delicious smelling bakeries as well. Did not buy anything though, was able to resist the temptations.

After Niagara-on-the-Lake, we went to a famous wine brewery for some old fashioned wine tasting. I am not too fond of wine, but I was looking forward to tasting the famous Canadian Ice Wine (which is made out of frozen grapes). I actually liked the Ice Wine, bought a small bottle as a souvenir. This bottle was actually payable, Ice Wine tends to be ridicuously expensive.

Then it was finally on to the Niagara Falls. What a sight!! The Maid of the Mist Boat Tour was absolutely sensational!! To be that close to the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls, unreal. Such true forces of nature, magnificent!!! I took a lot of pictures and got a little wet. Fortunately, I had my jacket and a huge blue raincoat on (two Suzannes would have probably fitted in that ridiculous raincoat). Nobody proposed to me though ;). It is said that people often get a sudden urge to propose while having an up-close-and-personal “meeting” with the Niagara Falls.

Decided to walk over to the American side of the Falls (and the state of New York) for a bit. Got a beautiful view of the American and the Horseshoe Falls from the Rainbow Bridge (which I had to cross to get into the USA). I hoped that I would get another stamp in my passport after crossing the American Border. But alas, I already had a recent American stamp (from MSP) in my passport, and that turned out to be enough.

We were actually supposed to arrive back in Toronto between 6 and 6.30 pm, but the bus driver/tour operator took a huge detour and then planted us in the middle of a traffic jam. Eventually came back to the hostel after 7 pm. By then, it was almost dark, again no time for running. Booh, but I would not have wanted to miss the Niagara Falls for the world!! Decided to go running the next morning. I went to dinner and later bought some Toronto souvenirs. Back at the hostel, I watched part of the movie The Blind Side (another reason why I failed to produce a blog yesterday). Loved the movie, might get the dvd when I return back home.

More about the Clarence Castle Hostel. It is clean, quiet and rather new. Rooms offer plenty of space and some rooms even have an ensuite bathroom (mine does). I share the room with five other girls, so far I haven't had problems with any of them. But I cannot say that the girls are very active. In the morning, they tend to sleep in. I have not come to Toronto to just sleep in, seems like a waste of time to me.

This is about it for today. Tomorrow I will write about my last two days in Toronto. I decided to do a two day Hop On-Hop Off Bus Tour, so I thought it would be best to combine my bus tour experiences.