kimbofo

9 snapshots of Niagra Falls (and one movie)

Place: Niagra Falls, Canada.
Date: May 3, 2012.
Camera: Panasonic TZ3.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we went to Niagra Falls earlier this month. I hadn't realised that the falls are comprised of two separate waterfalls — the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls — and that they would make so much noise and be so impressively, well, big.

Of course, the best way to appreciate the falls, if not from the window of your hotel, is from the open deck on board the Maid of the Mist. Oh. My. Goodness. What an exciting, funny, wonderful way to get up close to the roar of the water and to feel the spray of it raining down on you. Any wonder a disposable blue-hooded waterproof poncho is included with the ticket price. We would have been completely drenched without them.

Whe we took to the water, standing on the top deck, I got a bit excited taking photographs and filming the action. It was so wet that my camera shutter got stuck and for a moment there I thought I was finally going to have to say goodbye to my five-year-old Panasonic.

Here's a mix of pictures snapped before my camera decided to die temporarily — and after it dried out.

A very Canadian breakfast

Place: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagra Falls, Canada.
Date: May 4, 2012.
Camera: Panasonic TZ3.

Midway through our trip to Toronto we went to Niagra Falls for a one-night stay. I'll write more about the falls later, but as a foodie I just had to share this picture of my ultra-delicious breakfast — freshly made waffles topped with fresh cream, blueberries and strawberries and drizzled with maple syrup.

T opted for the slightly more healthier option (although it's debatable whether pastries and a carrot-cake muffin are better for you than waffles), photographed below.

Without wishing to take away from the delicious food (and the stunning view of Niagra Falls from the restaurant window), it was a bit cheeky of the hotel to give us a credit towards breakfast when we had paid a "bed and breakfast" rate. Funny that the credit did not (deliberately) cover the cost of the breakfast. I think this is what you call a scam — or a sneaky way of bleeding more money out of unsuspecting tourists...

Baseball in Canada — just like cricket on acid

Place: Toronto, Canada.
Date: April 29, 2012.
Camera: Panasonic TZ3.

I'm not much of a one for sports, but to experience a new culture there's no better way than attending a sporting fixture. If you're in Melbourne, you go to the MCG to watch an Australian Rules Football game (or Test cricket match); if you go to Canada you check out the baseball at the Rogers Centre in the shadow of the CN Tower.

We saw the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Seattle Mariners, 7-2. And despite not having played baseball (or softball) since I was at school, I had a basic grasp of the rules and really enjoyed watching the match. The best way I can describe it is that it was a bit like cricket on acid.

I also quite enjoyed watching the crowd — quite smallish and very family-orientated — who behaved a bit like a cricket crowd, doing the Mexican wave and slow-clapping when the action was thought to be too slow.

The venue felt quite small — but then any sports arena is small when you compare it to the MCG. We had great seats, quite close to the action, near the batting pitch. It was a Sunday afternoon — the match began at 1.07pm and lasted several hours — but it was all undercover and despite the chilly air outside the dome, it was snug and warm inside. (This was important: I caught a horrendous cold on the journey over and spent the first four days of our trip feeling quite sorry for myself: thank goodness for cold and flu medication, boxes of Strepsils and Vitamin C tablets is all I can say.)



The branding was pretty awesome, too: you couldn't move for Blue Jay tops, baseball caps and beer cans! Now there's an idea for the Australian Cricket Board!

Toronto skyline

Place: Toronto, Canada.
Date: May 2, 2012.
Camera: Panasonic TZ3.

It only took 12 years, but we finally got to visit T's sister in Toronto. We crammed a lot into our 9-day stay, but one of the highlights was taking a harbour cruise on a sunny Wednesday morning. For an hour, our little boat sailed around Lake Ontario, weaving its way through the small group of islands offshore from the city centre. And when it turned around and headed back to the harbour front we were greeted with this magnificent, picture-postcard view of the Toronto skyline.