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Published: July 14th 2010
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What a sight!
View of Niagara Falls from our hotel window After Washington D.C. we decided to head to Niagara Falls in Canada and perhaps venture further afield if time permitted to Toronto. The trip: another bone crushing sixteen hours on by what was now the old reliable Greyhound bus service. Another overnighter - has to be done when you’re travelling. Only after you’ve slept rough on the bus overnight, can you really appreciate staying in a top hotel!
The Background Covering most of the Northern part of the American continent and with an area larger than the United States, it’s a land of vast distances and rich natural resources. The first inhabitants were native Inuit (Eskimos) and perhaps the Norse explorers around 1,000 AD, but it wasn’t long before the white man entered the scene and put his stake in the ground. You guessed it… our two favourite colonial conquerors - first the French and then the British.
Canada finally became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically-wise the nation has developed in parallel with the U.S., its main export trading partner. The country is known for its gay-friendly immigration laws and legalization of same-sex marriage. It’s a highly developed nation,
rich in natural resources. Canadians in general enjoy a comfortable lifestyle where the country is generous in providing its citizens with social services, most notably, universal healthcare.
Niagara Falls
As promised by Greyhound, after sixteen hours and changing buses four times along with a border crossing to boot, we landed in Niagara Falls in Canada. After a quick taxi ride we happily arrived to the hotel where we were staying overlooking the falls. We looked a bit out of the ordinary; and I love the look on peoples faces when they see you trudging through reception unshaven and un-kept, looking like you’ve been pulled through the trenches backwards while lugging a heavy backpack… and then booking into a suite! It reminds me of one of those priceless moments from the Mastercard ads.
Not too bothered by the gazes, we settled in nicely and got several hours ‘real’ sleep before taking in the finer side of life and enjoying five star hotel service for what it was; to simply kick back and relax.
The following day, we headed down to the falls and what voluminous waterfalls they are on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the
Somewhere over the rainbow...
Magic moment at Niagara Falls Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The Falls are composed of two major sections;
Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which lies on the Canadian side of the border, and
American Falls on the American side.
They were formed when glaciers melted many eons ago and water from the newly formed
Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara landscape enroute to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are indeed fairly wide. They’re renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power.
When we first got to the falls, we were fascinated just taking in what was there in front of our eyes (often said to be another one of the seven natural wonders of the world). We sat for ages just staring at them; watching as large volumes of water tumbled over these 180 ft. falls. It was fun, other than the fact you got a bit wet from time to time with the spray.
There’s an interesting conflict here though between the beauty of Mother Nature and all of the commercialism in the local town; which has a tacky ‘Vegas’ feel to it.
A well crafted tourist trap, with all the major hotel chains, the Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, multiple casinos and even an indoor water park which we’re sure will impress the kids.
Niagara Falls may not be the most majestic falls in the world, not the steepest, and perhaps not even the most famous when you consider the likes of
Iguaçu Falls in Brazil (where we’re heading later on!), but they are still simply mesmerizing to look at. It’s amazing that the pictures on TV can’t do it justice, until you come here yourself and stand in front of them. It was picture postcard stuff and we really enjoyed it.
Toronto
We caught the 17:45pm train that evening to Toronto, a mere 2 hours away. Train journeys are somewhat predictable in the first world so not much to write about. Arrived at Union station and got my iPhone GPS tracking and the maps application to work out where the hotel we’d booked was. Didn’t take long to find the subway and 30 minutes later we had arrived. We took time out that evening to take care of the mundane task of washing all our clothes, and get some
maps of the local area to figure out what to do and see in the city.
Whist we were here we took the time to wander around the city and down by the harbour area.
Younge Street is one of the longest main streets in the world, and by the time we had walked it, we both agreed it must be true. The weather was a bit cold so it kind of put a dampner on things, as we spent more time in cafés and dining than anything else. Our time in Canada actually felt like a brief holiday for a couple of days.
The town has a friendly vibe and a nice harbour area to walk along. Looking back we had a great time in Canada, but really our time was much too short. We definitely plan to return one day and explore more of what this wonderful country has to offer.
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