AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FABULOUS TIME - I befriended Nick, who was staying at my Backpackers Inn the instant I heard a fellow Brit :) Our tour guide Sabi was the most legendary of all tour guides I've ever entailed and what made it all the more special was that he spent his 44th birthday, with a group of 45 or so of us. Not only did he know Toronto inside out but he obviously had a passion for his job as he provided us with trivia and amusing anecdotes all the way there and back!
First on the agenda (unbeknownst to me) was a tasting at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute; where Prince Charles, his royal self has guzzled the spoils of the grapes! Being a non-drinker, I joined the under age youngsters in drinking my heart out with grape juice; while the others swigged and swirled their ice wine samples. As a matter of fact, approx three quarters of this dessert wine comes from Ontario and because of the technique used to freeze the bunches on the vine, it produces an obscenely sweet flavour.
With 40 acreage of vineyards outside, creating the picture perfect backdrop it would be unconscionable not to pose for a couple of shots. How lucky I was to bask in this unseasonably warm and gorgeous day! The only entity which got me soused was not wine from the vine but lapping up the autumnal sun. What an inspired choice I made to change this trip to the alternative date, for this (most likely) once in a lifetime trip.
There is nothing more awesome than cruising along Niagara. These memories of a ridiculously, beautiful day will stay in my heart always; as corn on the cob corny as that may sound. Aboard the Hornblower**, adrenaline pumped through my body and coursed through my veins. It is not Canadian bias that their side is far superior to the American side.. sorry, New York State. It is non-disputable that nothing can compete and I'll never be convinced otherwise.
** The Maid of Mist stops running slightly earlier in the season due to the lower water levels.
With 40 acreage of vineyards outside, creating the picture perfect backdrop it would be unconscionable not to pose for a couple of shots. How lucky I was to bask in this unseasonably warm and gorgeous day! The only entity which got me soused was not wine from the vine but lapping up the autumnal sun. What an inspired choice I made to change this trip to the alternative date, for this (most likely) once in a lifetime trip.
SO MUCH FOR A FOOL PLAYING IT COOL - The overconfidence in my voice was betrayed by my trembling fingers and my thunderous heartbeat, the minute I first laid eyes on those beautiful, old things. Paranoid what ifs swooshed tsunami-style through my mind so in order to step foot on ship, I had to delete these disturbing Titanic drownings images! I was however, overjoyed to see Niagara up close and personal while sporting my very fetching red poncho, which I geekily decided should be kept for memento purposes.
Wow! Was my word exactly for the rainbows I beheld through the mist. On a sunny day seeing The Falls, you are practically promised the delivery of a perfect, multi-coloured arc across the waters. The brilliance of the universe never fails to blow me away.
** The Maid of Mist stops running slightly earlier in the season due to the lower water levels.
THIS IS WHY I'M THE STUPIDEST ... Midway through taking an epic selfie, the force of the falls blew my poncho over my face. I swoop, swoop, swooped around deck like an unbalanced nutjob, from port to starboard (or whatever the correct nautical terminology may be) to take it all in from every angle and to get as many photos as possible. Let me tell ya, my Canon camera took a shower right under the jets and I had a momentary panic that it had busted as it's not waterproof. It must be reasonably decent for a cheapo cos miraculously it powered on and endureth still. Humorously, lots of the images came out with my face distorted cartoonishly; a torrent of water droplets saturated the lens, at the exact moment I clicked the button to capture a Kodak moment.
NON-STOP EXCITEMENT - In the midst of the mist, I was in awe of the QUEEN of waterfalls and the universe at large. The ferocity in which approx 2,271,247 litres of water per second fell over the brink, fascinated me. I smiled and shrieked (good shrieks, not bad shrieks) the entire boat ride :D Being blasted all over your body by the icy spray is an unparalleled, unforgettable rush. I was comically inaccurate with my calculations of exactly how sodden we would get; merely supposing it would be no more than a bit of a splash!!
CRAZY COMES WITH A CONSEQUENCE, Y'ALL - Daredevil thrill seekers lost their lives through every foolish fault of their own. 16 attempted to plummet over the top of Niagara in a BARREL, of all things and insanely several somehow managed to survive! I highly doubt David Blaine could pull that rabbit out of his hat but far stupider has been done.
A sort of zen surrounds the Whirlpool Rapids, which were formed an estimated 4200 years ago at the downstream gorge. To put it's greatest depth of 125ft into perspective - it is more than 25 of me, stacked one on top of the other. You wouldn't catch me swimming in its turbulent swirls or catching one of the aero cars which transport riders across the Great Gorge. The wild wonders of these raging rapids are enthralling but in an antique cable car dangling 1770 metres above the vortex? Nuh uh, I am deathly afraid of drowning!
I can't tell you how my heart brimmed with joy during my voyage to the Falls. The day was everything I desired and more besides. Yes, you've seen it in the movies but that will simply not suffice. Put Niagara on your list of places to go before you die (if you've not already) it will amaze! xx
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