We all managed to put the aviation problems of yesterday behind us. It’s amazing what a really comfortable bed in a good hotel and a steaming hot shower can achieve.
We started the day with a drive around Toronto. The quiet Saturday morning meant that we could enjoy a guided tour and make good progress without doing death by traffic. Toronto is Canada’s largest city (about 6 million) but is not the capital (2 bonus points if you answered Ottawa).
Today was Niagara Falls day. I’ve been there quite a few times, but never in Winter, and it is quite different; some might say… prettier? The Maid Of The Mist boats don’t run in Winter, but the upside is that the crowds stay away so you can enjoy the views without being trodden on by 500 South Korean students taking selfies. We had a really good Local Guide (thanks Phil) looking after us today so we knew all we needed to know. Here’s a quick question for your next Pub Quiz night. In the past 12,000 years (a geological blink of the eye) the Niagara Falls have actually moved (erosion) up the Niagara River by how much?
- 50 Yards
- 500 Yards
- 1 Mile
- 7 Miles
The answer is just over 7 Miles. They’ve got together with the Americans and stopped it moving now, by doing some impressively clever river stuff – probably just as well or it might have been nearing Cardif by next year. Here’s my collection of Photos for the day – click or touch to enlarge.
After a massive lunch at the excellent Morton’s Grille restaurant overlooking the Falls we drove along the Niagara Parkway, described by Winston Churchill as the “nicest Sunday afternoon drive in the world” we stopped at the small and very pretty Colonial town of Niagara-On-The-Lake. This is wine country and the local speciality is Ice Wine
By this time, we are all beginning to understand why Ice Wine is made here. It was beginning to get very cold, with wind picking up and the weather generally becoming neurotic. Bright sunshine followed by whiteout snow. I noticed these icicles and decided it might be time to get everybody back to a warm hotel and 12 mins on DeFrost setting. Tomorrow morning we board the Canadian for our journey across the country.
TimOnTheTrain 