Over The Falls
Visiting Niagara Falls had been something both Sam and I had really been looking forward to! The early start was well worth it!
The trip from Toronto took about 3 hours but it went really fast and we had lots to chat about on the way. The first leg of the trip was by train and then it was onto the GO bus. We’d originally thought they’d said to catch the “gold” bus and were looking everywhere for a gold coloured bus. After a few blank stares when we enquired about the whereabouts of the gold bus we twigged that the signs everywhere saying “GO” bus must be pointing us to where we needed to go. It was a big green double decker bus with the bonus of reclining seats so we travelled in style.
The green bus terminated at the Niagara Transit Terminal which, unfortunately wasn’t anywhere near the Falls! We had been sitting on the top floor of the bus and although the bus had stopped, assumed, along with the 4 other passengers upstairs with us, that we were just at a bus stop. When we saw the driver wandering off, one of them said, “do you think we’re here?” We all shrugged wondering where the water was. But, after confirmation from the now returned driver, we had arrived and had three options for getting to the Falls themselves. They were, one, to walk for half an hour, two, to catch a bus and walk for 10 minutes or three, catch a bus right to the action. Admittedly the 3rd option did cost $7 but we were so keen to get there, we signed up and jumped on!
The “purple bus” (Canadians have very colourful buses) took us to Table Rock, down a winding road lined with mansions and a plethora of impressive looking Bed and Breakfasts to choose from. The closer we got to Niagara Falls, the bigger the houses got and the more fabulous their gardens. Once we rounded the bend we saw towering high rise hotels all facing the Falls, one with an outside, glass fronted lift sliding up and down its tower. The bus driver had to put his windscreen wipers on to deal with the spray and then we finally laid eyes on the mammoth water fall! WOW! It’s pretty impressive on film but in real life it is phenomenal! It’s not one of the seven wonders of the world but I reckon it should come in as a close eight!
From where we stood we could see the long, thin Rainbow Bridge, high above the water, spanning the great gorge below and connecting two countries – Canada on one side and the USA on the other! With the red maple leaf in the corner of one eye, with the other we could see the Stars and Stripes flapping away on the far shore. On the Canadian side we could see the immense Horseshoe Falls, wrapping their way in a U – shape, around the perimeter of Lake Erie with massive amounts of water continuously gushing forth in what looked like giant green and white curtains. We were astonished at both the volume of water overflowing the cliffs and also the sheer velocity with which it pounded down to the basin below! It was so powerful and so loud! No other waterfall can compare! It’s not like anything we’d ever seen!
On the American side, there was an equally awe inspiring waterfall, spilling down with such great force, it was throwing up clouds of mist in its wake. From the edge, where we were standing, the constant spray felt like light rain, (the kind that plays havoc with curly hair) so no wonder the tropical gardens were thriving! Sam set up his tripod and jostled, along with all the other punters, for the best vantage point along the fence, to try to capture the magnitude of what we were seeing on camera. It was selfie-city, with every man and his dog holding their phones aloft, smiling and posing, staring at their screens. It is actually very funny to watch someone take a selfie! Rather than just watch, we got amongst it and joined in with some GoPro selfies, getting some gems!
There were activities galore on offer so we, being the intrepid tourists we are, decided to get ourselves an “Adventure Pass”, qualifying us for 4 (yes, FOUR!) separate activities that would allow us to see Niagara Falls from every possible angle! Firstly we were issued with our regulation pink Niagara Falls rain ponchos, complete with pointy little hoods, and along with an army of other little pink elves we shuffled aboard the Hornblower Cruise which would take us deep into the mist and perilously close (well not really, but it felt like it) to the treacherous falls! Seeing them up close was insane! The amount of spray whooshing out off the downpour was amazing! We were sure glad we had those raincoats on. Looking up at the steep wall of water gave us a scary insight into what it must feel like to surf down the face of a 40 foot wave at Pipeline! There is so much power in that water!
After discarding our pink raincoats we were helped into some blue raincoats (not very environmentally friendly but nice colours, nevertheless!) and ushered into the 4-D movie extravaganza: “FURY, The Creation of Niagara Falls”. It was a circular theatre where we stood, with optional leaning posts, and watched as glaciers melted, rocks were smashed and great sheets of water washed into the gorge. We experienced snow, wind, mist, thunder, lightning and rain, all first-hand and again, we’re stoked to be covered in protective plastic! The floor also rumbled, rocked and vibrated. It was really cool!
Next we were taking a “journey behind the falls”, which entailed an entirely new raincoat altogether, this time white. Come on Canada, how about a little less plastic? Stepping into a lift we were transported deep behind the Falls and onto an observation deck that left us staring right up at the majestic Horseshoe Falls at very close (& wet) proximity. It was awesome! There were tunnels behind the Falls as well as two portals where you could come face-to-face with the billowing walls of water and mist tumbling down, from right behind them. The water was so loud you could barely hear yourself talk.
We had hoped to walk from Canada to the USA, just for novelty value really but we forgot to bring our passports. What a bummer. I was so disappointed and asked Sam if he thought we might be able to twist their arms and let us have a quick look. He said “Sure Mum, why don’t we just say, ‘we are who we say we are - honest! Oh, that beard and dark glasses?…I always wear those”.
Our last “adventure” to partake in was the White Water Walk. The only one of the four that finally didn’t involve a raincoat. If we’d ever wondered where all that water went once it had plummeted down the face of the Falls, well here was our answer. We caught the free bus downstream a couple of kilometres and walked along the wooden boardwalk that hugged the side of the river and gave a stunning view of the class 6 (that’s the most dangerous and intense) rapids. All we could say was “WOW!” The rapids frothed and splashed, peaking into waves and then swirling into sucky troughs.
Apparently right up near the Falls the water travels at around 100km per hour and by the time it gets to this spot it’s still hooning along at about 50kms per hour! You wouldn’t want to tackle it with your li-lo!
As the sun was getting lower in the sky ( it doesn’t get dark here until about 9) we were given a very special treat. Looking out directly in front of the Falls was a full, vivid, absolutely spectacular rainbow! It’s perfect brightly coloured arch dipped into the water at both ends and the roar of the Falls thundered all around it. It was a rare and beautiful sight.
Taking the short stroll back to Niagara Transit Terminal, we found we had an hour to kill before departure. This part of Niagara is a bit of a ghost town with lots of empty shops and houses with boarded up windows but we took the ticket seller’s advice and had dinner in a cute little cafe up the road, passing the time perfectly. Our GO green bus, which was to take us to the train that would return us to Toronto at the end of the night, had more than a few issues on the way there. Our lady bus driver kept us waiting at two separate stops for over half an hour each, without a word of explanation. We all missed the connecting train and all she had to say at the end of the trip was “thanks for your cooperation”. We were hoping for an apology. There was a strapping young bloke from Adelaide who had come to the rescue and fixed the bodgy door that was causing all the delays. We told him he was a legend and that the bus should have applauded his efforts. What a champ! He proudly announced: “it takes a bloody Aussie to get things done around here!” That’s the Aussie spirit our country is built on. Our hearts couldn’t help but swell with pride…well, just a little.
