Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls Video

Just going through some of my videos that are sitting around and though I would put a little something together since it is raining right now in Rio.

Betty's Restaurant - Chippawa, Niagara, Ontario, Canada

Betty's Restaurant

We were recommended to Betty's Restaurant by the first aid guy that helped Kris with her bloody finger - your remember him, I wrote a post about him saying in Canada, "first aid, like health care, is free". He told us to get the fish n' chips, but cautioned that the servings are huge. We all went there after our ride on the Main of the Mist. Russell and I ordered the fish n' chips - double portion to share - as did my dad and Kris. This size of the double place was easily enough to leave all of us stuffed, and I think a single plate could have probably done the job as well.

I have to give this place an A+ for friendly service and delicious food. I definitely recommend it.

Maid of the Mist: Niagara Falls Up Close and Personal

Horseshoe Falls

For our last day in Canada we headed back to Niagara Falls and took an up close and personal look at the falls on the boat Maid of the Mist - and it was AWESOME! You can get on the boat either on the American side or the Canadian side, we chose the Canadian side - obviously, since we were in Canada.

First, I got my lovely blue rain poncho, slipped it on, then boarded the Maid of the Mist. The boat first cruises past American and Bridalveil Falls, then heads to Horseshoe Falls - this is where the huge excitement begins! The churning water below is like a hot tub with jets blasting full power, the falls are roaring all around you, and mist is coming from all directions! So great!

Enjoying the Maid of the Mist

Since I have a super awesome waterproof camera I was able to take some really great photos and video. This is a blessing and a curse - great photos, but I found that I was spending too much time looking at the falls through my digital screen than actually taking the falls in. Good thing that I had the presence of mind to notice, and took time to put my camera down and really take in the immensity and power of the falls.

I think everybody would have agreed that the Maid of the Mist was the highlight of our visit to Niagara Falls (besides enjoying each others company, of course). I would highly recommend the maid of the Mist to anyone visiting Niagara Falls. If you aren't able to go on the boat ride at least go to the viewing deck on the Canadian side - it is a really great view!

View from the viewing deck

Toronto, Canada

Walking the streets of Toronto

The day after we visited Erie, PA it was raining pretty hard where we were staying near Niagara Falls, and the weather forecast was better further north, so we decided to head to Toronto, Canada. Toronto seems to be a very nice city, but I think it would have been better if we had gone on any other day besides a Sunday. A lot of the shops were closed and the streets seemed like there should have been many more people around. Of course, it is always nice not having streets that are packed full of people, so I can complain much at all. Also, the CN tower was covered by clouds so it wasn't worth a trip up, but I would have liked go up if it was a clear day, oh well.

The CN Tower with the Canadian Flag

We took a walk through an underground shopping area, which I have heard is the largest underground mall in the world, with 27km of walkway filled shops. But, as I said, many of the shops were closed. That got boring pretty quick, so we headed to Chinatown. I heard that Chinatown was pretty cool, but in my opinion does not even come close to comparing to Chinatown in San Francisco.

After quick walk through Chinatown we headed to the lake-front - Lake Ontario. There were some massive yachts cruising through the lake as well as some cute sailboats. There were also some cultural performances going on, mostly out of central Asia. We ate some great fish and chips on the waterfront (even though the service was a bit lacking, which was shocking considering all of the nice people in Canada), watched a few more dances, then started our walk back to the car.

Overall, Toronto seems like a very nice stopover city... and it is very clean compared to most large cities.

Niagara Falls - Canadian Side

Overlooking Horseshoe Falls

I had heard that crossing the boarder from the US into Canada is like night and day. It may not have been as drastic as night and day, but I could certainly see a big difference. This might be because we crossed from Buffalo into Ontario, and Buffalo is literally falling apart - there are so many abandoned houses and buildings. Nature is beginning to reclaim some of these abandoned buildings. There are trees and plants growing out of the windows and on the rooftops, which is actually kind of cool to see.

"O Canada!"

When we crossed into Canada suddenly everything seemed a little greener. The streets were nice and smooth, and there was no trash on the side of the highway - unbelievable!

After checking in at the hotel in St. Catharines we headed to the Canadian side of the falls. What a difference! From Canada you are able to view the falls straight on, and it is just too beautiful, majestic, and powerful to describe. The spray from Horseshoe Falls keeps the town moist, so the air is refreshing and crisp. The huge plume of mist rising up looks like smoke rising from a brushfire. The birds love it, they swoop in and out of the mist and land peacefully in the water below, no problem. I have been very intrigued with birds lately.

The whole area surrounding the falls was pristine, unfortunately when I took a look on the other side of the railing that keeps tourists back a safe distance there was a bunch of litter. Sad.

Moon over the lit up Horseshoe Falls

Kris got a huge gash in her finger while we were unloading the car at the hotel and it split open while we were at Niagara Falls so Russell and I found the first aid station and took her there. The guy was so helpful and nice, and although I think first aid is free in the US, he did make sure to mention that "first aid, like healthcare, is free in Canada."

At the end of the day we had dinner and then hung around the falls to see them lit up at night. The massive lights shine across the gorge and hit the falls, lighting them up with a rotating array of colors - it is really fabulous! I wanted to stay and watch the fireworks over Niagara Falls, but there were so many people - the streets were packed - that I suggested that we walk back to the car and watch the fireworks from there. This ended up being a great idea. We still had a view of the falls and the fireworks, but didn't have to worry about walking up to the car with thousands of people and since we were already at the car when the show was over, we had no traffic!

After our day of taking in Niagara Falls and a bunch of walking and hiking we were all ready for a good nights sleep - and I love sleeping at hotels!

American Falls and Horseshoe Falls