Canada is a country we really enjoy visiting. Alberta and B.C. are our favorite provinces! The landscapes they offer, for us, are breathtaking. Every time we go, it never ceases to amaze me so much natural beauty.

But the memory I’m sharing here belongs to the province of Ontario. The day we visited Niagara Falls.

Niagara had been on our travel list for a long time, but for one reason or another we always ended up choosing other destinations. Then opportunity came. We were going to the Canadian Grand Prix! (we love F1, but that is another story). So during my planing stage, out of curiosity, I checked the distance between Toronto and Montreal. “Just 540 km!” I told Dad, “What do you think?” Lucky me, his answer was, “why not, and maybe we can visit Ottawa too, after all is on our way.” I was more than happy with that decision!

So Niagara here we go!! Now, I really don’t know why I’m staring my story backwards, since our trip started in Montreal. I guess sometimes memories work like that, you start remembering an event, no specific order, and then the recollection just flows naturally…

In our itinerary, along with the falls, we included Niagara on the Lake. A charming little town located near the Niagara River and famous for its wineries. A dear friend of ours recommended it, and we are grateful for her suggestion. We found this village as peaceful and relaxing as it gets. Just beautiful!

We arrived, parked our car, and by the time Dad and I were out, the kids were already playing in the gardens across the street with some swings and slides. I remember that very clearly, and it was so funny, they were ecstatic! as if they’d never played in their lives. Sometimes that happens, they get excited with such trivial things. I love that! So Dad and I stayed there for a while, just watching. We didn’t want to ruin their fun.

After a while, we left the park and walked to the town’s Main Street. Flowers and trees all around. Fashionable old buildings and houses. Lovely scenery. The tranquility of Niagara on the Lake is enviable.

After touring we ate lunch at a Greek restaurant called Fournos. We were seated outside in a small patio, it had a nice ambience, though the food was average at best.

It was time to go to the falls!! We were all excited! Finally we were going to see them. The famous Niagara, a combination of waterfalls located between the province of Ontario and the state of New York!

This I remember… I opened the car’s door and the sound…That powerful sound of the water falling… crushing! And I say this knowing that if I return someday I would hear that amazing sound again and think to myself… and you thought you remembered it well.

The view was spectacular! All of us were in awe. Then after a few minutes of contemplating this wonder I started to panic a little. My thoughts were: children, powerful waterfalls, just a simple railing. So Dad and I reminded the kids to be careful. At that moment, I had already imagined a tragedy happening. Thank God imagination and reality are two different things!

We went down and took the Maid of the Mist boat tour. And as the name of the boat correctly describes the experience, we got very misty! We put on our ponchos, boarded the boat and got as close as you can get. Our encounter included the roaring sounds of the water, the magnificent views, the strong winds and the spray of mist all over our faces. Personally, I savored it.

Later we went to the shops near the entrance/exit of the boat rides and bought my daughter a snow globe, she collects them. It was time for the children to eat an early dinner before we said goodbye and returned to Mississauga.

As the sunset came in and the night started its process of becoming, the waterfalls turned even more impressive. They were illuminated and the display was beautiful.

We left soon after the fireworks. E and P were already half asleep. As usual, Dad and I shared our impressions of the day while driving back.

We had a good day at Niagara.