Oh Canada

Oh CANADA!  I just love you!

I know, I'm sure you all are going, really?  An entire post about your 48 hours in Canada?  For reelz?  YES!  Canada is amazing, and I only spent time in about .001 percent of it!

Growing up American there are 2 things that I always heard about Canada.  They have excellent health care, and they are and unbelievably kind and generous country.  Both are true.  Not here to debate the firs point, but am here to talk about their hospitality!  It's real folks, and it was so encouraging, inspiring, and fun!  Canadians are delightful and Canada is beautiful.

On the recommendation of a good friend of ours, Bob and I took our free afternoon and headed up North to the infamous Niagra on the Lake.  It is this spectacular old town that just welcomes you with lovely storefronts, old historic buildings, green and lush parks, and that under current that says "You are so welcome here, Eh!"  We found ourselves in a chocolate shop in no time at all, and then strolled along the main street smiling as we went.

We hopped into a lovely store and Bob got some amazing business shirts.  We spent a good hour talking with the shop workers, becoming friends, and getting personally fitted for some amazing styles. (No, I didn't buy the jacket.......its 107 here!)

Niagra on the Lake is known for its winery's and they do not disappoint. With so many to choose from, we just kind of rolled the dice, looked through our wine perks cards, and settled on the Peller Estate.  

Just the entry to this Estate was awe inspiring.  Everything about this winery was fabulous.

Canadian hospitality did not disappoint, and our free 4 glass wine tasting turned into a 12 plus glass with an additional taste of their infamous Ice Wine! We left our "tasting" feeling fine!  

The Ice Wine was such a fascinating offering.  So, its cold in Canada.......like WICKED cold in the winter.  Wine isn't made in the winter.....and grapes are usually harvested well before the bitter cold sets in, but, Canada is awesome, and they figured out how to work with their frigid winters to create Ice Wine. Basically they have a crop of grapes that they grow specifically to mature during winter. After 3 consecutive days of -10 degree weather, the harvesters go out at 2AM pick the frozen grapes and instantly squeeze them.  Doing this allows them to get the intense sugar out of them.  They bottle it and it is served as an intensely sweet dessert wine. To give you an idea of concentration, it takes 3-4 bunches of grapes to make one bottle of normal wine.....Ice Wine requires 30-40 bunches.......for 1 BOTTLE!  It was wild and such a fun learning experience.

Bob and I decided to settle in at Peller for the remainder of the evening and took advantage of their outdoor restaurant.  The food was incredible, but the servers were even more so.  Each one who helped us asked about us, got to know us, and was in no rush to leave.  Their desire to know you is real, authentic, and such a lovely thing to be a part of. And the food.......mmmmmmmm.

Canada, thank you for being you and for doing it well!  You have a special place in my heart and I simply cannot wait to visit you again!

The Mighty Niagra Falls

The older I get the more acutely aware I become that life is short.  This quote:

"You know all those things you've always wanted to do?........You should go do them!"

.......has been a bit of a mantra for me for a while and frankly, I'm ready to start bucket list living.

Niagra Falls has been on my bucket list ever since I saw Bruce Almighty and watched the comedic genius Jim Carrey wear that umbrella hat on the Maid of the Mist.  It's considered one of the wonders of the world, and while pictures are magnificent, the idea of experiencing its majesty first hand has always been one of my must dos.   

Its a bit of a challenge to work through all the logistics of getting up there considering that Niagra Falls is on the border between 2 countries, and all the way up in New York.  Bob and I spent all of our Southwest points and made it happen complete with a Canada visit to boot.  Which worked out splendidly considering going to Canada was also on my bucket list! Two birds.....one stone.

We made it to Buffalo New York and picked up our car to head to Oh Canada!  We were both giddy with excitement.  It was overcast and chilly up there and WET!  So much water.  Us Arizonans were well out of place in all that cool moisture!

We crossed the rainbow bridge, showed our passports at the entry, and had our first meet with the Mighty Niagra Falls.  It did not disappoint and was beyond spectacular. 

Bob and I snooped around and discovered all sorts of interesting finds.  Some of the old pump stations used when Nicolae Tesla developed ways to use water for electricity were rich with history.  Everything was green, and wet.

Our evening was lovely and spent walking, coffee in hand, up and down the river getting a first hand view of the Falls.  Bob and I were both ecstatic for our grand tour the following day!

We settled into the Spyce Lounge at our Hilton Hotel for an unrushed happy hour before our elaborate, and late (thank you east coast) dinner watching fireworks.  

We considered it a source of pride when we officially closed the restaurant down in favor of sleeping. Nevermind their 11 was our 8.  

The next morning we did Niagra up royally!  We did it all in one grand and glorious tour with our amazing, gentlemanly, and kind Canadian guide, Bobby. If only my girls were older......but I digress.

Our first stop was the Journey Behind the Falls.  We got to go down to the bottom of the falls and see all the tunnels and experience the wall of water from behind it.  It was spectacular.

Next was a visit above the Falls at the amazing Skylon Tower.  Think Seattle Space Needle and you will be there. 360 views of the Falls and both New York and Canada.  Such a unique and cool spot to be.

 fes

Bobby took us for a great little drive down the river to the infamous whirlpools.  This is a spot where the river did a 90 degree turn in its forming.  The water now swirls as it is redirected and the spot in the middle is over 300 feet deep!  The water is wild and as you look over you can see how it fights to redirect. Very cool.

Last but certainly not least on the tour was the boat ride into the Falls.  In true capitalistic fashion, the Hornblower line bought out the Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side of the world so we got to experience the cruise in red ponchos as opposed to our American friends still wearing the blue ponchos of Maid riders.  We asked our guide why they had to have such definitive color differences and he responded with, "well, if someone falls in we need to know which country to return him to!"  I just about died laughing. Politics be damned.

This experience was by far the most incredible of the morning. We went right up into Horeshoe Bend and spent 5 minutes in the torrential spray of the rushing falls.  It was loud, and big, and powerful, and simply more majestic than I have words to express.  I guess all I can say is, GO!  Its worth it.

We exited the Falls and were saturated from head to toe, but unbelievably happy.  These smiles are what life is about and I am so glad that we took the time to meet Niagra in person.  The Falls did not disappoint and will be a memory of a lifetime.