I skipped town for a long, glorious, four-day weekend and crossed the border to the land of hockey, free healthcare, poutine, ice wine, and Robin Sparkles - Canada! Zander and I stayed in the town of Niagara Falls, used AirBnB for the first time, took a billion pictures of the Falls themselves, got soaked on the Maid of the Mist, drank and bought enough wine for an army with a drinking problem, and had a helluva good time. I thought I'd start the barrage of posts about our trip that will surely end up in this space with a new feature - the top five experiences from our trip.
Thanks, labor movement for Monday's Labor Day holiday! (Or, since I was in Canada - Labour Day!)
Seeing Niagara Falls, duhh!
My "near death selfie" was my most popular picture on Instagram and Facebook all weekend..... and I'm confused at that because molars, ew! I think you can even see a filling back there. But I go with it!
What can I say that hasn't been said about Niagara Falls? The sheer power of the Falls is awe-inspiring. I was transfixed by the color of the water - it's a brilliant emerald with white wake and deep blues and light greens interspersed throughout. When I looked straight down, it made me think that this is what Earth probably looks like from space. It's that spectacularly beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen.
Zander and I had so much fun at the Falls our first night (and the other times we saw them). We were silly with each other and in our photos and playfully competitive about who was taking the best shots. Okay, I use "playfully" lightly - it was nearly a to-the-death battle.
Hiking at Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
Niagara Falls is a cheesy tourist town. There are chain restaurants everywhere you look, buffets everywhere you turn (is there anything worse?), souvenir shops are a dime a dozen, and seeing the Falls is a lesson in patience and anger management. You can't hiccup without stepping on a baby, was my experience. But if you want to experience Niagara like a local, there are so many ways to do so. Hiking at the beautiful Niagara Glen Nature Reserve got us away from the crazy, overpriced, crowded areas and on an unmarked trail that led us to the Whirlpool - a swirling vortex of water that mixes dead center between Canada and the US. We bouldered, tossed water that had just come from the Falls on our sweaty faces, and let Theo lead the way with his nose. It was, simply put, the best.
Niagara on the Lake (photo courtesy of Zan!)
I have so much to say about Niagara on the Lake, a small town that sits about 25 minutes from Niagara Falls in the Ontario region. The town has been voted the most beautiful in Canada and the one with the best wines. There are 30 wineries around the periphery and even within the town. We had one of the best meals of our lives at Trius Winery. It started off with a complimentary glass of bone dry sparkling rose, and I almost married it and that winery on the spot. And that was before the truffle fries with homemade ketchup.
Playing tourist
I loved being a tourist in Niagara Falls. I loved it so much that when we stumbled across a small souvenir shop near our AirBnB apartment with a close-out sale, I bought a "Canada, Eh!" hat and a Canada fanny pack without thinking twice. I bought them so fast I wondered if I was even really being ironic. And of course, I bought Theo a whole line of Canadian-themed bandanas. When Zander and I discovered Clifton Hill, the tourist destination in Niagara Falls, we embraced it, too. We played laser tag (I won!), raced through a laser maze (Zan won), bought fudge-covered rice krispie treats, and almost - almost - rode the Ferris Wheel. When in Niagara....! (I kept the fanny pack. Oh, please.)
Traveling with Zan
Zan and I had some pretty intense ups and downs in Mexico, and I'm not just talking about our cases of Montezuma's Revenge. It was our first international trip together, and while we had a blast, we had some kinks to work out. This time around, we did a much better job of compromising. So much so that it rarely ever felt like there were compromises to be made. We were on the same page. At one point, delirious from exhaustion after a 15 hour day and probably as many miles on our feet, I nearly cried with how happy I was to be with this guy. I have a man and a dog who are up for just about any adventure I throw at them, and that feels better being lucky or winning the lottery or other romantical cliches - it feels like I found my match.
Thanks, labor movement for Monday's Labor Day holiday! (Or, since I was in Canada - Labour Day!)
Seeing Niagara Falls, duhh!
My "near death selfie" was my most popular picture on Instagram and Facebook all weekend..... and I'm confused at that because molars, ew! I think you can even see a filling back there. But I go with it!
What can I say that hasn't been said about Niagara Falls? The sheer power of the Falls is awe-inspiring. I was transfixed by the color of the water - it's a brilliant emerald with white wake and deep blues and light greens interspersed throughout. When I looked straight down, it made me think that this is what Earth probably looks like from space. It's that spectacularly beautiful and unlike anything I've ever seen.
Zander and I had so much fun at the Falls our first night (and the other times we saw them). We were silly with each other and in our photos and playfully competitive about who was taking the best shots. Okay, I use "playfully" lightly - it was nearly a to-the-death battle.
Hiking at Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
Niagara Falls is a cheesy tourist town. There are chain restaurants everywhere you look, buffets everywhere you turn (is there anything worse?), souvenir shops are a dime a dozen, and seeing the Falls is a lesson in patience and anger management. You can't hiccup without stepping on a baby, was my experience. But if you want to experience Niagara like a local, there are so many ways to do so. Hiking at the beautiful Niagara Glen Nature Reserve got us away from the crazy, overpriced, crowded areas and on an unmarked trail that led us to the Whirlpool - a swirling vortex of water that mixes dead center between Canada and the US. We bouldered, tossed water that had just come from the Falls on our sweaty faces, and let Theo lead the way with his nose. It was, simply put, the best.
Niagara on the Lake (photo courtesy of Zan!)
I have so much to say about Niagara on the Lake, a small town that sits about 25 minutes from Niagara Falls in the Ontario region. The town has been voted the most beautiful in Canada and the one with the best wines. There are 30 wineries around the periphery and even within the town. We had one of the best meals of our lives at Trius Winery. It started off with a complimentary glass of bone dry sparkling rose, and I almost married it and that winery on the spot. And that was before the truffle fries with homemade ketchup.
Playing tourist
I loved being a tourist in Niagara Falls. I loved it so much that when we stumbled across a small souvenir shop near our AirBnB apartment with a close-out sale, I bought a "Canada, Eh!" hat and a Canada fanny pack without thinking twice. I bought them so fast I wondered if I was even really being ironic. And of course, I bought Theo a whole line of Canadian-themed bandanas. When Zander and I discovered Clifton Hill, the tourist destination in Niagara Falls, we embraced it, too. We played laser tag (I won!), raced through a laser maze (Zan won), bought fudge-covered rice krispie treats, and almost - almost - rode the Ferris Wheel. When in Niagara....! (I kept the fanny pack. Oh, please.)
Traveling with Zan
Zan and I had some pretty intense ups and downs in Mexico, and I'm not just talking about our cases of Montezuma's Revenge. It was our first international trip together, and while we had a blast, we had some kinks to work out. This time around, we did a much better job of compromising. So much so that it rarely ever felt like there were compromises to be made. We were on the same page. At one point, delirious from exhaustion after a 15 hour day and probably as many miles on our feet, I nearly cried with how happy I was to be with this guy. I have a man and a dog who are up for just about any adventure I throw at them, and that feels better being lucky or winning the lottery or other romantical cliches - it feels like I found my match.
catch up on my trip on instagram
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