I just returned from a glorious walk around the kitchy, touristy part of Niagara Falls.

To be clear, our tournament is in the town of Niagara Falls, in the province of Ontario. Still in Canada. We didn’t cross the border into the USA… Although there are several warning signs on the way in to take the correct exit or one might end up on one of the bridges into America and get a stern talking-to about not bringing a passport… 😀

In actual fact, most Americans who want to see the Falls travel across the bridges to Canada as we have a much better view of the Horseshoe Falls than from the other side. Which is probably why I passed not one but two American tour buses full of American tourists. 🙂🇺🇸

Later, as I navigated slushy snowbanks around the viewer areas of the amazing waterfalls, I passed some foot traffic that looked like a tour group as well. This group was Asian and included baby strollers. They all had selfie sticks which they kept in front of them as they walked toward the falls. I wondered briefly if they would miss the real experience if they only watch the mini screens in front of their faces…

The sun came out after I left the falls and went back up through the attractions on Clifton Hill…

Anyway. 😎

Some remarks about this area:

Everywhere you go you smell marijuana. Even when there’s no people nearby, no crowds, the smell seems to emit from the buildings, the doorways, the walls, the foilage-less trees…

This town was once named a top honeymoon place. There are many good restaurants amid many mediocre ones and the usual chains. I saw lots of young and happy looking couples holding hands and smiling…

You can gamble here, there’s a casino right in the middle of all the action.

The main strip is full of activities for young and old, including Ripley’s, nightmare horror attractions, lazer tag, arcades, food outlets, a Ferris wheel, a dinosaur park and souvenir shops. My kid sent me a pic from the inside of the Ferris wheel where she and 3 gal pals are living and loving life.

The town of Niagara Falls itself is a working-class, blue-collar area with tiny little homes scattered across confusing streets which I couldn’t navigate without a GPS and an all-knowing teenager beside me to save my life. (I knew there had to be another reason to have children 😎)

The Falls are breathtaking no matter the time of year. The picture doesn’t do them justice. You can take a zip-line down to the water from up where I was taking photos, or get on board of the Maid of the Mist boat that takes you right up to the falls. At Christmas time they light the area with colourful Christmas bling which reflects off the ice making the falls look even more spectacular. (Google it if you want better seasonal pictures.)

A short distance away is another town called Niagara-on-the-Lake and has a completely different vibe than the kitchy tourist area. (We did not go there because of the game schedule but I have been in the past and know about it.) It is full of gardens, quaint little B&Bs, bike trails, hiking trails through gorges and forests, there’s a butterfly conservatory, and many little gourmet restaurants and charming cafes, all of which serve locally produced in-season foods and wine. This area is also called Wine Country and is filled with different fruit orchards besides grapes: peaches, plums, apples and pears, to name a few. If you ever come to this area and cross the border into Canada, I would recommend at least two days and tour the area beyond the falls. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

As I’m resting and typing in my hotel room, I can feel the sinus medication kick in. I may in fact survive the next ringette game, ha. While I relaxed on my bed, I got a text from the mom who asked me to let her kid stay with us tonight. She told her daughter I was battling a cold but they were fine with it. I anticipate I won’t see the girls much anyway; after the game they’ll shower and disappear someplace to socialize before turning in for the night.

I’m going to make myself a tea now and catch up on some of your blog’s. Thank you for reading mine. 🥰

If you missed part 1 you can read it here.

To be continued later.