The Falls

We made our way to Niagara this week to see the famous waterfalls and to spend some time at Niagara on the Lake. Once we arrived at Niagara Falls, we went for a leisurely stroll in the sunshine to take in the spectacular views. In the first photo, you can see the USA and Bridal Veil falls on the left. On the right are the Canadian Horseshoe falls, which are far bigger and much more impressive - I wonder if this has caused waterfall envy in the States? Next we went up to the Skylon tower's 230 metre high observation deck, which was well worth it for the panoramic views of the area. Lastly, we decided to get up close and personal with the falls by taking the 'Maid of the Mist' boat tour - an absolute must for anyone visiting! All passengers are given a blue plastic poncho before boarding, which feels a bit silly at first, but as the boat makes its way into the centre of the Horseshoe falls you begin to appreciate its purpose. It was amazing to experience the powerful roar and spray of the water that's constantly surging over the edge of the falls. Great fun!

In the afternoon we headed to Niagara on the Lake which is a stunningly beautiful little town surrounded by wineries. The main street is decorated with colourful flowerbeds and hanging planters and has lots of little shops selling gifts, wine, chocolate, ice cream and so on. I'm sure Shane got sick of hearing me say "it's so nice!" over and over again, but it really was! We stayed at a lovely little bed & breakfast for two nights and the owners were so friendly and helpful.

To continue our theme of getting around by bicycle in Canada, we took a wine tasting tour by bike. Our knowledgeable local tour guide Ted took us to three wineries where we sampled some good drops, including our first taste of ice wine. We learned that ice wine can only be made from grapes that are naturally frozen on the vine in winter, when the temperature reaches between -8 and -14 degrees celsius. Once the conditions are just right the grapes are harvested and pressed immediately. Because the water molecules in the grapes are frozen into crystals, the juice that's extracted is much higher in sugar content and flavour which results in a sweet dessert wine. If that explanation is a bit too technical for your liking, you may prefer this shortened version: icewine = delicious.
We also visited Fort George where the British Army battled the US Army in the war of 1812. The guides that work there all dress in period military costumes and gave some interesting demonstrations of musket firing (below) and fife and drum playing.

At night we joined a ghost tour and heard all of the spoooooky tales of the town. It turns out that the locals at Niagara on the Lake love nothing more than a good ghost story and with several historical buildings still standing, it's not surprising that many of them are considered 'haunted'. While it was an entertaining tour, it didn't affect my fondness for the area in the slightest - in fact, I'm already planning my retirement there...