SUNDAY, MAY 26th:

We went round the corner from the hotel to Tim Horton's and I had a cup of coffee and a pastry for breakfast. We were all down in the hotel foyer for an 8.30am start on our way to Niagara Falls. With our local guide Patrick and driver Bernice, originally from Zakopane in Poland, we set off around the western end of Lake Ontario on another bright and sunny day. The highway was Queen Elizabeth Way, named after the Queen Mother, following her and King George VI's visit to Canada in 1939. Perhaps the words in the Rough Guide to Canada are eloquent in their description of the impression that the Falls make:  "Even if you've seen all the postcards and watched all the films, nothing quite prepares you for your first glimpse of the falls, a fearsome white arc shrouded in clouds of dense spray with the river boats struggling down below, mere specks against the surging cauldron." It is amazing to stand looking over at a phenomenon that one has known about since childhood. Millions of gallons that cascade over the falls every minute: the American Falls to the left and the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, with Goat Island between marking the international border between to the two countries. The border also marks the frontier between Ontario and New York state.

We had been booked on the "Maid of the Mist" boat trip and descended on the lift, put on the blue waterproof ponchos and were soon on board on the boat that took us close to the Horseshoe Falls with the spray fiercely coming over us. A great adventure and a wonderful, unforgettable sight!

    We had ample free time to wander along the promenade and look at the Falls from many angles. We were also booked for a buffet lunch at the Sheraton with an excellent elevated view of the Falls from the restaurant on the thirteenth floor. 

    We made another stop, once back in the bus, at the Whirlpool, a point in the river where the water swirls in an anti-clockwise direction and where Captain Webb, the first man to swim across the English Channel, was drowned in 1882.

    Our last stop of the day was in the charming little town in Niagara-on-the-Lake. With its clapboard houses and manicured gardens, many of the former dating back to the first half of the nineteenth century, it has an elegance all of its own. Despite the crowds it is a pleasant place to wander around, and has a pretty lakeside setting with views across to Fort Niagara.

     One surprise of the trip was to see the large number of wineries and extensive cultivation of vines. Sadly, Canadian wines don't seem to make it across the Atlantic to be sold in wine outlets in the UK.

     It was an excellent day with wonderful views in lovely weather. what could be better?!

      We arrived back at our hotel in Toronto about 6.40pm and went out for a snack just after 8.30pm.