Saturday 18 August 2012

Day 3: NiagaraFalls

I woke up early and immediately began my search for a cup of coffee.  I found one in the head office, as well as some friendly workers who gave me the inside scoop as to where to park for free, which was fantastic because parking was $10 an hour otherwise.  It was a bit of a walk, but we got an rare view from behind the falls.  We also got to see the old power plant that ran it. All the while snapping numerous pictures along the way.  
When we reached the tourist site there were so many ways to "experience" the falls; you could go behind the falls, on a boat, on a bus etc, etc.  After many discussions we decided that we would drive up the street and see the Great Gorge via an aero car, not an aero bar, which is also good.  No, it's a large cart that holds about 30 people and runs along a tiny cable, so that you may travel over the rushing waters below.  The Great Gorge is down the river past the falls where it makes a 90 degree turn causing an eddy ( word provided by Brent, he also offered the word vortex).  I would describe it a swirling, deep waters that want to suck me down to the jagged rocky bottom, but you know eddy works too.
We gingerly stepped aboard the suspended metal cart. It lurched forward and removed the steady land beneath our feet.  But we are dedicated to our Canadian documentation, so we leaned over the edges of the safety rails to ensure we got the best photos.  We slowly moved across the river and 5 minutes later we were back safely on land.  A short trip that felt much longer.
We continued down the highway and found Laura Secord 's house.  We were greeted by  a tour guide dressed in authentic 1800 clothing.  We learned about the war of 1812 and the impact that Laura had in it, as well as what it was like to live during that time period.  We also learned that even though Laura was an integral part of the war the government would not give her an army pension because they did not recognize women in the army. 
After a delicious dinner in the Beatles booth at the Hard Rock Cafe, we made our way to Brent's Uncle Lyle's home in Toronto.  Uncle Lyle and Aunt Joyce welcomed us with open arms, a night cap, and a comfy bed.  Good night.

No comments:

Post a Comment