Canada > The Niagara Falls

From Toronto it is less than an hour and a half’s drive to the famous Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls are located right on the border between the United States and Canada. The most famous and largest waterfall is the Horseshoe Fall, stretching more than six hundred meters in length. The waterfall owes its name to its horseshoe shape. The other two waterfalls, the American Falls and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls, are both on the American side of the Niagara River. Around eleven o’clock we arrive at our hotel in the Canadian town of Niagara Falls.

Canada - Wooden dock extending into the sea

Our room is already available. We drop our bags in the room. From the seventh floor we do have a view of the river, but not of the falls themselves. We hadn’t chosen that option anyway. As we walk toward the boulevard, the sound of the waterfall grows louder. The view of the enormous mass of water cascading down is breathtaking. Such a vast amount of water comes thundering down here. The water crashes about fifty meters lower onto the rocks and into the river. The spray creates a mist around the falls. Boats filled with tourists wearing ponchos sail through the mist, right up close to the falls. The boats with passengers in red ponchos depart from Canada, those with blue ponchos from the United States. By elevator we reach the Journey Behind the Falls. Once downstairs, we are handed a yellow poncho, which is very necessary. On the observation deck, the spray from Niagara Falls splashes over us. From the deck, we have a great view of the Horseshoe Falls from below. Through a tunnel cut into the rocks, we reach two viewing points directly behind the waterfall.

Canada - Feeling the breeze by the ocean

The water plunges down right in front of our eyes. Even from the restaurant there is a wonderful view. The tables are set up on different levels so that everywhere you sit you can enjoy a view of the falls. And that is what it’s all about. We return to the center of Niagara Falls via the cable car. At the IMAX theater, a film is shown about the falls. The screen shows how someone once went over the falls in a barrel and how a boy survived the plunge after the boat he was in broke down. In the evening we walk into the center from the other side. This is more of the entertainment district. Restaurants, shops, and attractions compete with each other in light, design, and sound. A dinosaur hangs at the haunted house, King Kong at Ripley’s Museum, and a giant guitar at the Hard Rock Café. We continue walking to the water’s edge. It is now dusk. We board the Hornblower. Here too we are given ponchos—red ones this time. As the boat sails onto the Niagara River, spotlights are switched on to illuminate the falls. The waterfalls are lit up in the colors of the rainbow. The boat sails right past the American Falls. The mist and spray drench us, and the poncho proves its worth. The Horseshoe Fall is lit as well. We make it back just in time to watch the fireworks from the shore. A wonderful ending to a wonderful day at Niagara Falls.