This trip is something you HAVE to do if you are in Toronto, as the Falls are only 1 hour away. Arriving in Niagara, the first thing that the Bus driver warned me of was “Tacky Town”, which is the main strip in Niagara. As I approached I could see why; this appeared to be a replica of Las Vegas; however gone seriously wrong, hence the name Tacky Town. This was ten times worse than Clacton pier and Blackpool combined, even though the Americans love it does not mean that the rest of the world does! This was a major tourist trap and it was full of obnoxious Americans. On the realisation of this, I headed towards the Falls which were a bit more peaceful and allowed me to get some photos of which you can see. As well as seeing the Falls from the viewing points along either side of the gauge, you also had the option of going behind them or even taking “The Maid of the Mist” boat ride to the base of them. I decided that rather than get entirely wet, I would go behind the Falls. Unfortunately, this also did not live up to my expectations as the closest I got is illustrated in the picture with my in the Yellow water proof. This was still good although as you can probably see, I did get entirely wet!

My hostel was about a 10 minute bus ride from the Falls which was nice because it provided an escape from the hustle and bustle of Tacky Town. I also decided that because I was so close to the U.S., I would walk across the bridge and walk on the American side. On entering customs, even though I said that I only wanted to stay for about one hour, I had to have my fingerprints and photograph taken in order to get a “Green Card”. The American side of the falls couldn’t have been more different from the Canadian side. I was presented with unspoilt woodland encased in streams flowing towards the river, and pretty stone bridges that could have been taken from the Lake District. In the evening I returned to the Falls to see some amazing fireworks, unfortunately my Camera didn’t really do these justice so I have not uploaded the photos.

On return to Toronto, I stopped off at the local Vineyards. After about 30 minutes I became bored of the wines and so moved on to the Grappa and Vodka. This was a bad move as I spent the rest of the evening in bed at my hostel in downtown Toronto!
Niagara Falls