Thursday, September 5, 2024
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
A Day Spent at Niagara Falls: Slap-Up Italian Lunch, Lucky Stint in Falls View Casino, Long Stroll to the Falls, Wine-Tasting at Colaneri Winery and a Delectable Dinner in Whitby.
We had the most eventful and adventurous day today. It was probably one of the highlights of our stay. For one thing, we were going to the Niagara Falls after more than 30 years. We had last been there when we had taken my Dad on a driving tour of the US East Coast and Canada. Of course, we have passed by Niagara countless times, through the intervening years—but that was only en route from the US to Canada and vice versa, when crossing the border. We had not really been to the actual Falls themselves, for a very long time, and I was super excited.
A Day Out at Niagara Falls:
My cousin Lancy and his wife, Ilene, who live in Whitby, offered to drive us to the Falls and suggested that, at the end of the day, they drive us to their place for dinner and then we spend the night with them in Whitby. This made perfect sense, logistically, as it would avoid them having to drive back and forth from Whitby to Woodbridge. Accordingly, we had our breakfast and awaited their arrival at Sylvia’s place in Woodbridge (from where they said they would pick us up at 9.00 am).
Not much after 9,00 am, they were actually there and after a very short visit with Sylvia, the four of us left. We had a bit of a problem initially as we tried to find the highway that offered the least traffic. But I have to say that all of them were jammed except for the one that requires paying tolls and I am not sure they had a transponder. Anyway, after a shaky start, we were actually on our way, and about three hours later (yes, it really is that far from Toronto), we arrived at our destination.
Lunch at Falls View Casino:
Lancy and Ilene were in phone contact with their daughter, Andrea, in Whitby, who did the research and kept us equipped with a suggested itinerary for the day. We pretty much followed it to the T and, in accordance with her idea, parked our car in the public parking area near Falls View Casino which she said was the casino closest to the Falls. Llew and I were very pleased that we would have the chance to try and see if Lady Luck would be on our side as we’d had no time to do any such activity when we had passed, like lightning, through Las Vegas, three weeks previously. At that time, we were trying desperately to make it to our destination in Utah by night fall and had foregone the charm of trying our hand at a spot of gambling.
But first, lunch! We were all experiencing hunger pangs and after taking a quick look at the Falls from the gardens in front of the Casino-hotel, we went inside to find a suitable eatery. Falls View Casino is grand and we really did enjoy walking through it, admiring the shops, getting free samples of cosmetics and soaps and eventually getting to the Food Court. As Lancy and Ilene had just returned to Canada after almost six months in India, they did not want Indian food and were ready to try another cuisine. We told them lunch was our treat and they should choose a place in which they would enjoy the meal. Eventually, Ilene chose ‘Vittorio’s’, a fine dining Italian restaurant where we had a truly splendid meal. After choosing our drinks (red wine for Ilene and Llew, a fancy cocktail for me and a mocktail for Lancy), we ordered from the extensive menu. We started off with Fried Calamari and then decided to choose Linguine with Shrimp and Spaghetti with Meatballs which we shared (each couple partook of one of the ultra-huge platters). The food was just amazing and I could easily have sat there all day in the cool, very quiet and very posh interior.
But, right after we finished our lunch, we decided to push forward as we wanted to cover quite a bit of ground today. So, using the GPS on our phones, we made our way down the hill to get to the long promenade that leads to the very front of the Falls. In the process, we saw the Rainbow Falls (which are better viewed on the American side of the border and are, therefore, also known as the American Falls) and stopped to take pictures there. The long walk (of at least half an hour) continued until we actually reached the Niagara Falls (also known as the Horseshoe Falls). As we walked closer to the best vantage point, the crowd increases until it was difficult to get a clear spot on the parapet for pictures that would only include one’s group and no one else! Still. The Falls are fascinating—with their power, their sound, their speed and their impact. Truly, it is a sight that never gets old or boring. I kept looking at all the commercial growth of this region in 30-odd years and I was astonished. In the 1950s, when Niagara was just a very small town, it was a very popular honeymoon destination for Americans and Canadians alike. Today, it is a full family area of entertainment as there is something for everyone, including a lot of children’s amusement parks and arcades to keep the little ones happy. Most people take a ride on the famous ‘Maid of the Mist’ boatr that gets you to the very foot of the Falls or they take a walk behind the Falls. As we have done these must-do activities on past trips, we chose to simply stay in the periphery and take pictures. So, we took a lot of pictures at the Falls and spent quite a bit of time there, before we decided to move on.
Trying our Luck in Falls View Casino:
Our long walk took us back to Falls View Casino where we decided to woo Lady Luck by making only very minor investments on the one-armed bandit machines (as none of us is a seasoned gambler). We loved the casino with its lovely dim lighting, the color and sound of the machines, the general atmosphere which is so different from anything one can find anywhere else. We found a one-armed bandit machine that we could use and Llew and Ilene tried their luck. Llew was very lucky and made quite a bit of valuable Canadian greenbacks! I then tried my luck on another machine and I too was very lucky, getting quite a considerable haul. So, in other words, we easily got back the money we had spent on our slap-up meal and we left the casino feeling very pleased with ourselves.
Wine Tasting Along the Niagara Wine Trail:
It was time then to explore the famous Niagara Wine Trail and we were very grateful again to Andrea who gave us the name of Colaneri Vineyards and Winery which was closest to Falls View Casino and still on our way back home. We had the most marvelous drive along the Vineyard Trail as we passed mile after mile of vineyards laden with fruit that were hanging appetizingly and ripening slowly in the late summer sunshine. In just about a month’s time, with autumn knocking at the seasonal door, it would be time to harvest them. But, for the moment, they left the hillsides green with abundant and very productive vines.
It was not long before we found Colaneri Vineyard and drove straight into it. It is always a treat for me to come to a place like this. The quiet, the serenity, the neatness, the general ambience which is highly reminiscent to me of vineyards in Beaujolais in France or in Napa Valley or Sonoma County n California (or even much closer to our homes now—to Nasik—only three hours’ drive from Bombay) always warm my heart. We strolled among the vines and took some pictures and then we were walking towards the lovely upscale restaurant where one could indulge in the thrills of a winery-tour followed by a tasting of at least 10 wines, or simply sit down and taste a glass of wine produced by the same vines and winery.
In the end, although we did contemplate taking the tour and the wine-tasting, we realized that we did not have adequate time if we also wished to make it in good time for dinner at Whitby in our hosts’ home. So we sat down and ordered wine by the glass and thoroughly enjoyed it with the complimentary nibbles that were supplied. After about an hour of simply enjoying the bird song and doing a bit of people-watching while savoring our tipples, it as time to hit the road again.
Dinner at my Cousins’ Home in Whitby:
We did hit a fair amount of traffic on our way home, but it was not much of an issue as we used the time to catch up and chat about so many things. About three hours later, we were pulling into their driveway in a completely new development in Whitby where we found that their daughter, Andrea and her husband Mike, were there already with their two sons. It was great fun to meet them, to interact with two very lively and very cute boys, to get to know Mike better while Ilene and Lancy pottered around in the kitchen as they got our meal ready. We sat with drinks and nibbles and after freshening ourselves up in our basement apartment below, we were ready for dinner.
Lancy and Ilene are both terrific home chefs and they served us a typically Manglorean item called Kori Roti which is Chicken Coconut Milk Curry, traditionally eaten with a crisp, wafer-like crispbread called Roti. They had actually bought this in Mangalore where they had recently spent some time and together with Zucchini and Salad, we had ourselves a really tasty, home cooked meal. But, although we were there at the table for no more than an hour, the long day with all its activity, had definitely taken its toll on all of us. Not too long, after Lancy served us his dessert—another rare treat and another traditional Manglorean item called Vorn--made with lentils, coconut milk and jaggery—we were ready to call it a night after another totally wonderful day in Canada.
All that was left was to go downstairs to our basement apartment, brush and floss our teeth and go down to our super-comfortable bedroom.
Until tomorrow…cheerio.
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