The Rainbow to Niagara

Last year over the  hot summers in order to cool of a little we decided to head to Niagara Falls. Niagara falls is seemingly breath taking and magnificent. While the sun shines hot and fiery the gentle veils of mist arising from the falls cools you down and on a clear day you might even get a glimpse of a marvellous rainbow. Niagara is home to three waterfalls the largest of which is the Canadian horseshoe falls and is the largest source of hydro electricity and fresh water for Canada. The Niagara falls has travelled down stream over thousands of years and it is said that the falls has moved back 7.1 miles over the years. The surreal blue waters of the Niagara have not been too hospitable to mankind baring the Maid of the Mist tour which is the only boating tour in the sparkling blue waters of the Niagara Falls. I have been blessed to visit the falls four times over with renewed vigour and gusto because there is always something new and unique to do in Niagara. So last year my husband and i decided to honeymoon in Niagara and take in the beauty of nature all around. It was a relatively fun and economical trip and we made a lot of treasured memories. To reach Niagara falls we journeyed via three different go transit buses which took us through lush green countrysides in Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara.

      Onward to Niagara you come across acres and acres of lush green vineyards all over Niagara. The Niagara soil seems extremely fertile and produces the best grapes in Canada my personal favourite being the Ontario Blue grapes which arrive in grocery stores seasonally in the summer. They are tiny bursts of extremely fresh juice. Niagara is also the home of the famous and expensive  Canadian Ice wine which i hope to taste someday.  These beautiful vineyards offer exclusive winery and wine tasting tours very popular amongst us Canadians in the summer time. After traversing through vast number of vineyards we finally made it to the quaint old world bus station in Niagara located just near the Whirlpool bridge on the River Niagara which connects Canada to USA mainly for work or business. It is called the Whirlpool Bridge because it extends over a wild series of Whirlpools in the river gorge below. Our hotel the Ramada By the River was a comfortable hotel walking distance form main stream Niagara. We were lucky enough to get a view of the river gorge and the Whirlpool bridge. On a hot summer day after a walk to and from the niagara falls boulevard a dip in the pool in the hotel is very refreshing. My husband and i decided to take advantage of the hot weather and tour Niagara on foot as our love for walking prevailed over our better judgement and we ended up talking a casual stroll to main stream Niagara and Clifton Hills.

So the evening we arrived we took a walk skirting the long winded river gorge down to the Niagara falls boulevard in search of a meal. Weary and hungry we trooped into Boston Pizza on Clifton hill. It was a much larger Boston Pizza than i had ever seen and so we settled down to a comfortable meal of tacos, primevera pasta a chilled glass of fruity sangria and a chilled bottle of beer. After a sumptuous meal at Boston Pizza we walked along the boulevard of Niagara falls taking in the cool breeze and the beautiful veils of mists accompanied by a big cup of fresh strawberry ice cream. We then walked back to our hotel very hot and tanned but happy to have enjoyed our first day at the Niagara falls boulevard bonding with each other over a meal and chilled drinks. 

Our next day in Niagara was filled with adventure we decided to experience Indiana Jones and the Crystal caves by going for a Crystal cove escape room adventure. It was a room full of mirrors and tiny lights which made me feel as if i was in fairyland illuminated by a thousand fireflies. Equipped with special 3D glasses we had to make our way out of those rooms of illusions till we made it to the exit. It was a tiny bit suffocating and at one point i felt like punching the mirrors down and running out but my husband helped me keep calm and we managed to figure our way out. From there we made our way to the famed Niagara sky wheel which is a must experience activity in Niagara. The sky wheel elevates you for eight to twelve minutes giving you a spectacular view of all three waterfalls, Goat Island and Whirlpool state park on the USA side of Niagara. I captured a few shots of the view which ultimately got selected to be published for online Journals in USA few months later when i submitted my pictures.

The sky wheel led us to Skylon tower another spectacular view point 236 meters above the falls from which you get a mesmerizing view of the falls from a meshed in circular outdoor and a glass indoor observation deck.Unlike its cousins in Toronto and Seattle it is a much smaller and older tower and houses two rotating restaurants. Apparently from the observation decks you can see Whirlpool state park on the USA side, Brock University in the nearby St Catharines and many other fascinating views of Burlington and Hamilton. On the way up since it was a hot and sweltry day I went armed with my cup of chilled hibiscus green tea lemonade to the top. It was a beautiful sunny day with skies as blue as the ocean filled with frothy white clouds and the view was breathtaking and I could not help but press the click button on my Ipad and capture the mind blowing view in front of me.  Soon we were famished and so after a long walk

we then ended up dining in a family favourite restaurant of ours called Kasbah. It is a quaint little mediterranean restaurant located a mile away from the tourist district on Clifton Hill in a quiet corner of down town. The owner a thorough bred mediterranean gentleman comes out to greet the people in the restaurant and inquire how they are enjoying the food. The hotel's star dish is their Kasbah combo for 2-4 member families which allows you to indulge in a variety of hummus', baba ganoush, falafel, greek salad and pita breads followed by a dessert of either baklava or ice cream. The servings are more then you can eat and the ice cream is probably the freshest ice cream I have ever tasted and I return to Kasbah every time I go to Niagara just for a taste of the mediterranean delicacies. Its best had when you have toured Niagara on foot and worked up a humongous appetite enough to consume everything.

The next day after much touristing we decided to take a leisurely stole along the Niagara Falls Boulevard where we came across a statue of the famous Nikola Tesla built on the spot where a photo of the horse shoe falls was taken which inspired him to invent hydroelectricity. The statue was unveiled in Niagara on what would have been his 160th birthday. It is said to be a better version of him than the one made on the US side. He has a  more formal attire on and was carved when he invented alternating current by etching a diagram in the dirt with his cane. I think it is a wonderful tribute to a man who taught us how to harvest and use the power of nature sustainably and provide a country as large as Canada with hydroelectricity. Walking along the Niagara Boulevard you see people euphorically participating in zip lining, perching themselves on the barricaded walls for selfies and of course the serpentine queues all the way down to the ferry pier which hosts the maid of the mists one of the most popular things to do in Niagara falls on a hot summer day.

   The maid of the mist very aptly named is a ferry with two levels, there are two ferries one that hosts USA tourists and the other that hosts Canadian tourists. But we have always done it from the Canadian side. The Maid of the Mist is a ferry that takes you close enough to the base of the falls. As the boat moves away from the pier it glides delicately along the American Niagara falls and you get a glimpse of the slim and modest Bridal Veil Falls which is where American tourists can enjoy a bath in the falls. The American Niagara Falls is a slightly smaller falls and in previous years its been pretty low in water volume. This year of course the water worked hard at carving the rocks under and so it appeared much fuller this year. The Canadian Niagara on the other hand is a huge "U" shaped water fall with pale blue water that cascades down and disappears into a plume of white limestone and shale mist. As you approach the falls the mist from the falls is like a heavy rainfall accompanied by the thunderous sound of the water on the rocks below. After the maid of the mists we walked along the promenade till sunset enjoying the cool breeze and the breath taking sunset on the falls shrouded in mist.

Nearing sunset the sky was lit a bright reddish orange from the dying embers of sunset turned black against the light show on the falls. The light show is tantalizing as lights of various colours are shown on the falls making it appear different colours. When the falls turned scarlet we caught a glimpse of a blood moon. It was a enormous moon tinged a pale shade of scarlet which kind of matched the falls and was such a majestic view that i felt special to have witnessed a rare astronomical phenomenon on the falls at night. Even after boarding the bus and pulling away from the boulevard i looked back at the moon as it faded into the distance wrapped by swirling clouds and veils of mists from the waterfall below. Soon enough crackers lit up the sky in all shapes and colours and spewed out like beautiful glowing mandalas across the dark night sky and we took pleasure in enjoying the crackers as the bus wended its way down the boulevard back to our hotel for our nightly slumber.

 On our final day in Niagara Falls we decided to explore the Whirlpool river walk just outside our hotel. The long serpentine queue made us curious as to what we would see down there. The queue winded into a tiny curio shop and guests were permitted to enter a tiny elevator that took you all the way down to a narrow tunnel that took you down to a beautiful wooden boardwalk along some of the worlds most wildest grade six rapids inhospitable to man. The Whirlpool rapids are wild grade six rapids which thunder over the rocks. one can witness the whirlpool rapids by cable car from the Canada to the USA side or by walking along the board walk sheltered by trees in the shade of the well eroded walls of the river gorge. It is a most serene and peaceful walk and one can close their eyes and just listen to the water flowing. The walk takes you through a journey of the rapids and how they were graded as grade six rapids which even the best of white water rafting instructors cannot manoeuvre. The walk also covers a history of peoples attempts to perform stunts on the Niagara falls which frankly speaking i thought was totally insane. People have tried to cross the Niagara in barrels, on tightropes ad various other things. Very few of them survived. There were also attempts to commercialize the rapids but natures brute force caused many a casualty bringing attempts at commercialization to a hault. So the only way of viewing these rapids is walk down the wooden boardwalk today or by cable car when you ride over it in the air and are able to observe it

On the whole Niagara is a beautiful place to visit especially in the summer and it is so worth walking around Niagara and taking in the sights and sounds of Nature and relaxing away from the bustle of city life. My husband and i love touring on foot and feel that the more you take the time to slow down and observe everything around you the more its fills your minds eye and leaves and impression on you forever. We love travelling and sharing our wonderful adventures with you which makes it all the more meaningful for us to be able to give you an arm chair tour of places we hope you to end up visiting in the future. Here are a few pics of us enjoying our time in Niagara falls. It was a truly amazing and life changing trip for us and i hope you do visit Niagara Falls some day. 

Us at the Whirlpool rapids enjoying the shade and the breeze as the rapids tear through the gorge

 Us on the Niagara Sky wheel together trying to capture the falls in the background while the wheel moves.