Our time in Ontario was spent along the shores of Lake Ontario, at Sandbanks Provincial Park. It's pretty much a series of sand dunes and beaches, right on the lake. The day we were there was very cold and windy. I had to hang on to a post, just to make sure I didn't get blown away.
We ate lunch at a Canadian chain called Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is pretty much everywhere, even the little towns. It's kind of like a cross between a Dunkin Donuts and a sandwich shop.
From the Sandbanks, we eventually made our way to the Niagara area. We stopped first in a village called Niagara on the Lake. It's a pretty little town, although a little on the pretentious side, with overpriced fancy shops and such, and a fancy historic Prince of Wales hotel. I didn't get a photo of the hotel, because the current Prince of Wales kind of gives me the creeps.
However, we did stop at a shack that sold organic fruits and vegetables and other goodies, and tried Ontario's favorite dessert, Butter Tarts. And I just have to say, they were to die for!
Basically a mini pecan pie, only with walnuts and raisins, and a buttery crust. I hope they have butter tarts in Heaven.
Fort Niagara
Toronto skyline. Wish we'd had time to stop and see the city.
From Niagara on the Lake, it was finally time to get to the boarder and see the Falls. And I just have to say, they did not disappoint. They are as majestic and breathtaking as you would hope them to be.
It was dark by the time we got there. These photos were taken from the Canada side of the border. Although it has the better view, I didn't like the Canada side nearly as much. It's all overbuilt, with giant casinos, and it just feels exploited. But there's a nice Visitor Center, and a park with overlooks, and as long as I could keep the casinos behind me, I did ok.
From there, we crossed the boarder and stayed overnight at a Holiday Inn, arriving at roughly the same time as a tour group from India. The next morning, we left early to walk over to Niagara State Park, which was a couple of blocks away. It was very busy, and there were crowds galore. But we had a great time. We walked all over the park.
Technically, I'm standing in Canada again, and even had to show my passport to get back in to the U.S. You can't really tell it, but the falls are very loud, and create a lot of wind when you get up a little higher.
This is the Maid of the Mist, a well-known boat that takes you down the Niagara River as close to the falls as you can get. You can see everyone is wearing blue ponchos, as they're going to get very wet.
We decided not to pay the $17 for the boat ride. But we did get pretty close down by the rocks and the mist. We needed ponchos ourselves.
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