Viva Las Niagara

There was not one cloud in the sky but bright sunshine, and temperatures rose way over 30°C. The perfect weather to go on a summer vacation. I mean, it has been three weeks now since Uni started and I think I definitely earned a quick get-away after all the readings I have done in the past few weeks.

One of Canada´s most famous attractions are probably the Niagara Falls. And since it only takes a short drive to get there, we decided to pay those waterfalls a visit. York University has a cooperation with a touring company that have special offers for all kinds of day- and weekend-trips for (international) students. They offer great deals on trips to Ottawa, Montreal, New York and even Chicago! But as I said, I only earned a short get-away, so we booked a bus to Niagara Falls on Saturday morning. It took us about 1.5 hours to get to a village called Niagara-on-the-lake. We passed beautiful countryside and apparently the area is well-known for its wine growing. Where at home, we would have a lot of cows and dairy farms, every farm in this area seemed to have massive vineyards and wineries. We were told that there are even wine tasting tours where people can go from one winery to the next and try out all different wines. I will definitely keep that in mind!

The village of Niagara-on-the-lake is a small little place but all the more beautiful. Meticulous hanging baskets and colourful flowerbeds bordered the pavements and colonial-style buildings made you feel set back in history. Tiny shops offered exclusive goodies, like soaps and candles or cookies. There were lots of boutiques and quaint little cafés, too. The icing on the cake were several horse carriages that took tourists around the town. We went for a walk towards the river. This is where the Niagara River flows into the Ontario Lake. But apart from retired people and a few touristic places there was not a lot to see here in Niagara-on-the-lake.

So we went back to the bus and continued our drive to the actual falls. As soon as we arrived and we got off the bus, I felt like I was entering a massive playground for grown-ups. Helicopters were whizzing in the sky, music was blaring, cars were honking and neon signs were flashing. It took me a moment to spot the falls over all this distraction. Thankfully, our tour guide gave us distraction so we would not get lost. Carly and I headed straight for the “Hornblower” which is a boat that takes you right near the waterfalls. By now, the heat was unbearable so we were really looking forward to get wet. But first everyone had to wear a plastic rain cape that made you sweat even more. The boat cruise only lasted about 20 minutes but it was well worth it! Those waterfalls are truly majestic, especially when you are close up and getting soaked by the spray.

All in all there are three different waterfalls, the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe (or Canadian Falls). They are located on the border of Canada, Ontario and the United States, New York. The highest fall drops nearly 60m and every second 6.750.000 liters of waters stream over the edge. Can you believe that?

After a refreshing shower in the spray of those waterfalls we took a walk around. This place is like Canada´s version of Las Vegas. Whether you want to buy souvenirs, candy or chocolate strawberries or you want to spend money on arcade games or wax museums or you want to try and earn some money in one of the casinos – there are no limits. I hear there are even fireworks and lightshows at night. To be quite honest, I am not completely keen on this kind of “amusement park” because it´s far too busy and far to artificial. I think it´s a shame that a great natural sight like Niagara Falls is ruined by big flashy buildings and fast food restaurants. Still, we had good fun and I have to admit, we even went on to the Skylon Tower. The Skylon Tower is known for its rotating restaurant right at the top of the massive tower but it also has an observation deck. We went all the way up to the top and the views were amazing! You could see the falls from right up high and you could even see the U.S.! Who needs a helicopter when there is an observation deck like this? I was completely exhausted after this day (thanks to the heat) but it was a great experience. Although the Niagara Falls did not overwhelm me with their natural beauty and it was more of a “been there, done that, bought the T-shirt” kind of trip it is definitely something everyone should see when in Canada.