Postcard from Niagara on the Lake

Niagara on the lake was as beautiful as it sounds.

We were really excited about our visit here for two reasons.  The first is that I'd promised my boss from school that we would check it out if we got the chance.  He had said how remarkable the place was, and he was absolutely right.  The main street of local shops reminded me of a little village that we would see in the Cotswolds and it felt just as peaceful here than it did at the lake and garden fountains.  Many people in Canada spend their retirement years here and it was very common to see this generation sitting on sidewalk benches or outside cafes, simply watching the world go by!  So many of them made a fuss of Alfie and I felt proud when he smiled back at them and pointed something out to them, talking away in his babble language that only makes sense to him.  Our second reason was that we got the chance to meet up with a friend that visited us a few years ago as part of the Capernwray Team - Deborah.  It was so nice seeing her again.  She was every bit as lovely and kind as we had remembered and we were so pleased to get the chance to meet her family as well.  Unfortunately we had left it a bit late in the day to visit the famous fort here that played an integral part during the war of 1812 and they were just closing the gates when we got there.  We could see some re-enactments in the distance and had to turn away, feeling a little disappointed.  We soon found ourselves happy again though when we took a short walk to the lake.  It was the perfect time of day to sit and admire the place and we even got to see the skyline of Toronto in the far distance. 

We're glad we came here.  We knew that Niagara Falls was probably going to have a completely different 'feel' so we appreciated the peace and quiet while it lasted and enjoyed this beautiful place.  Alfie had other ideas though.  He found a fun and novel way to look after his dummy and once we'd turned this into a game, things got a bit crazy, got rather noisy, got really fun!

But he agreed with his Daddy.  

Today had been a great day!

#PhotoOfTheWeek

That face.

That.  Face.

 I could eat him!

Postcard from CN Tower, Toronto

A visit to Toronto would not have been complete without a visit to the CN Tower - a building/structure that was the tallest in the world when it was completed in 1976.  It held that record for the following 34 years and whilst a few other buildings around the world have since surpassed it's height, it still has the ability to make you feel slightly dizzy when you stand at the bottom of it, looking up.

Playing at the bottom of the tower!

Long way down!

Tourists!!

View from the top!

Even though we were fully impressed with what we saw today, it became quickly apparent that Alfie didnt have to look as high up as us to find something that he found just as amazing!  He loves the trucks, diggers and tractors that seem to be hanging around on every street corner!  Sometimes he'll see something approaching in the distance and he stops dead in his tracks, widens his eyes and points to whatever it is he wants us to see.  It is the funniest, sweetest thing.  "Daaaaad, Daaaad, 'dare (there)" He drops his jaw open and stands amazed.  Sometimes he pulls the same expression when he sees a bird landing on the ground and we even saw him do it when he spotted a bright blue building that came into view. Ikea!

This is the face!

The world is looking pretty fantastic to Alfie at the moment!  

I'm hoping it lasts a really long time.......

Postcard from Toronto

To be honest, Toronto was just a passageway for us.  We were keen to continue visiting different states in America, but a cheaper plane ticket meant flying into Toronto and crossing the border at Niagara Falls.  This turned out to be a great decision.  We hadn't heard the best feedback about Toronto from friends who had been here before, but we were determined to give it a chance and spend a couple of days walking the city and taking in some of the sights that were lesser known.  We were really surprised at some of the pretty areas that are tucked away, probably only seen by residents here, or tourists on foot.

We found one public garden that was enclosed with railings which meant that Alfie could be let out of his stroller to run around chasing birds.  He was completely fascinated by two very feisty squirrels that weren't afraid to get close to a very curious toddler.  Other gardens were clean and well kept too but it was disappointing to find that so many of the streets seemed to have major roadworks in progress.  Alfies' new-found love of tractors, diggers and general noise they create, meant that at every turn he was squealing with delight and pointing eagerly at something he wanted to show us.  It was difficult to stay disappointed for too long after seeing the fascination in his face at these machines that must seem like monsters to him.  We did some 'marvelling' of our own every time we looked up at another skyscraper that looked even more magnificent against the backdrop of a gloriously beautiful sky.  Although the architecture is mostly new, there were older ones to step back and admire just as much.  The highlight was definitely the CNN Tower (separate post!) and although Alfie and Jay braved the highest glass floor in the word, I was happy to stand back a little and take the photos!!

We ran out of time to visit the small Toronto Islands that we heard give breathtaking views of the skyline, as well as Lake Ontario, so we've decided to make sure we spend a couple of days here again at the end of our trip.

With that decision made, we headed onto our next part of the trip.
Niagara Falls......