Toronto, Ontario - 2010 (Day 2)

DAY TWO - Niagara Falls

We woke up, after a decent night’s sleep in the comfy king size bed, showered, dressed, and made our way to the Zipcar on Kingston Road. On the way, we stopped off at Coffee Time, a decidedly expensive café that served decent food and beverages, though everything seemed processed. I had a cinnamon bun and a French Vanilla cappuccino from the machine, while the girls had bagels and apple juice. Following breakfast we got the Zipcar, a gray Honda Civic, and headed to Niagara Falls on the U.S. side. There was hardly any traffic on the way there, but coming back was a different story.

When we got there we drove over Rainbow Bridge, and we could see the falls in the distance—a beautiful sight of things to come. After we made it through the border, we parked the car, headed to the visitor’s center, and planned our wanderings somewhat. We had a really good time simply walking around in the sun and snapping shots of rapids, and birds, and falls, along with other generalities in the local scenery. The day was gorgeous, and we took advantage of it. One of the highlights of our visit to the Falls was dining at the Top of the Falls Restaurant on a rear deck overlooking Horseshoe Falls (the main attraction). As crowded as it was inside, we chose to sit out on the deck, and we had the place to ourselves, literally. I enjoyed a delicious “Devil’s” burger with seasoned fries, while Mama Hog had a chicken hoagie sandwich made of pulled chicken marinated in buffalo sauce. She said it was delicious. Baby Hog had Mac & Cheese, which she tore apart.

Another highlight was the boat ride on Niagara River aboard the famed Maid of the Mist, which sailed directly into the reach of the roaring Horseshoe Falls before circling around into open waters again. We loved it, especially the part where we saw two vivid rainbows. Coincidentally, Baby Hog had asked about rainbows on the drive over, because we mentioned the name “Rainbow Bridge.” She got to see both with her own two eyes, and she was in awe, and so were we.

On the drive back, Mama Hog and I switched places while stuck in traffic on the highway. It took us three hours to get back home, when it should have taken an hour and a half. Baby Hog’s DVD player ran out of juice and she had to settle for sleep to tide her over. Toronto turned out to be beautiful at night. While driving back we saw the sun, a gorgeous golden glowing disk sink behind the horizon (it looked unlike anything we’d ever seen) and when night descended just as we rolled into Toronto, the moon hung over us, bold and beautiful itself, and it appeared to be closer than usual. Mama Hog thought it was a street lamp it was so close.

I had McDonald’s that night, and marveled at how happy and young all of the staff appeared to be. There were no adults behind the counter, and everyone was hugging and laughing and apparently on break, with the exception of three people. After dropping us off at Craven Cove, Mama Hog parked the Zipcar and walked back home. We took turns showering before heading to bed. It was late, so we hit the sack without much conversation or fanfare, and the wonderful day we’d experienced together stayed with us long into the night.

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