Leaving Niagara Falls, we followed the river north towards Niagara on the Lake. There were some lovely viewpoints which we stopped off at- and as a bonus, the weather was gorgeous so I was able to hop in and out of the car in flip flops without having to bundle up like an arctic explorer.
We happened to stop at the Whirlpool view at the same time as a tour group, so we heard the tour guide’s talk – and it was very powerful, based on the fact that the people who were fishing and sunbathing at the side of the river were foolish, as if they fell in, they would be dead. Apparently people have fallen in before and get dragged down and end up in the whirlpool side of the river – he said it was unsurvivable.
On that lovely note, we drove to Niagara on the Lake. We stopped briefly at Fort George, built by the British Army around 1800, but due to time we pressed on.
Niagara on the Lake was a very pretty little historic town that is worth a stop off – plenty of shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants. We strolled up and down the main street for a while and grabbed some lunch while people-watching. Everyone was very well-heeled and enjoying a Sunday stroll themselves in the winter sunshine. It was a really relaxed atmosphere.
After this we drove to Mississauga Beach which looks over Lake Ontario, and to our surprise on this clear day you could just about see Toronto across the lake!
We had tickets to an Ice Hockey game half-way to Toronto so we made tracks, not knowing what the traffic would be like. We we arrived in Hamilton in good time and found the stadium fine. Surprisingly it was not full – the downside being the atmosphere was not the same as a full stadium – but the plus being we could park just across the road 🙂 The game was fun and we had some sub-par nachos and a pizza slice for tea while watching the game.
I’m glad we made the effort to plan an Ice Hockey game (or “Hockey”, as the Canadians would say 🙂 ) into our trip, as it felt like an obligatory Canadian experience. I had enjoyed going to see American Football in the USA so was keen to do the same here.
After the game we drove straight to Toronto. The roads were BIG and scary. I didn’t like the drive at all, with the 4 or 5 lane roads and you have to know which junction to leave the road at. Plus I hate roads with high speed limits with a concrete wall mere feet away from the road (ie. no hard shoulder) – this is different to what I’m used to in the UK. But as the most experienced driver it fell to me to do the honours, and thank God I got us there safely.
Next blog: Toronto, Canada.
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