DAY 34 - "Lotta left lane sitters here..."

Today was our first big drive day. 632 km / 392 mi. Not crazy, but a car day none-the-less.

We stuck to the Canada side so as to avoid any potential CrowdStrike issues crossing the border; boy are we glad we’re taking the time to drive home.

My favorite car conversation was over the Quebec license plates: all of them carry the motto: “Je me souviens”.

In English, it translates to, “I remember”. The exact meaning is subject to interpretation, but all seem to relate to the history of the Quebec people, perhaps their relationship to France, maybe England.

In the Volvo, however, Steven declared “Je me souviens” means “I like souvenirs” and that is the only translation I will be accepting from here on out.

And so, we motored from green, grassy Quebec into green, grassy Ontario, leaving those souvenir obsessed Frenchies in our dust.

Finding our bed and breakfast with relative ease, the hostess at The Niagara Grandview Boutique Hotel took us a bit by surprise.

We were absolutely denigrated at every step of the check-in process.

I’m not sure if I hated her, or if I loved her.

We did everything wrong: from filling out the breakfast form (way to get us started there, David...) to, apparently, not understanding how Niagara Falls works (Nancy...what’s wrong with you), and only being interested in the “touristy part of town” (she could smell the hot dog poutine on your breath, Steven).

She was so atypically Canadian we kept giving each other “the whale eye” behind her back. Kind-of awful, kind-of amazing!

We got settled in, freshened up, and headed out to find dinner.

Just five minutes later, we strolled underneath The Rainbow Bridge, packed with cars crossing the border, and got our first glimpse of Niagara Falls.

Wow. Just wow.

I’m the only one of the group who had never seen this wonder of the world and it is truly stunning.

Niagara Falls is made up of three waterfalls: the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and the largest of them all, the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

At just 12,000 years old, they were formed when melting glaciers created massive fresh-water lakes (The Great Lakes). One of them (Lake Erie) just so happened to run downhill toward another (Lake Huron).

The rushing waters carved out a river in their decent and at one point, passed over a steep cliff-like formation (the Niagara escarpment).

Eventually, the water began to wear its way back up the river, the deeply cut path it left is the Niagara Gorge...177’-0” high.

And the Canadian side has the best view, by far.

We could see it all plainly, magnificently, with each step on the completely unobstructed cliffside promenade.

The American side had to build an observation tower just to get a profile of the American and Bridal Veil Falls. Oof.

Still amazed, but also thirsty, we walked the two klicks to the The Queen Victoria Place Restaurant.

This Swiss chalet-style building was constructed in 1904 and has had zero availability since its doors opened. We figured we’d check it out anyway, get a martini at the bar, something just to see the restaurant’s panoramic view of the majestic falls.

We climbed the stairs to the hostess and the Bette Davis look-alike just nodded as if our arrival was expected, then led us directly to the absolute best table in the place: front and center patio. BOOM!

Celebrity treatment. Perhaps because Steven was sporting his Universal Studios Sign Shop t-shirt...?!

Regardless, our waiter Connor took great care of us as we clinked glasses and traded bites for the next couple hours, basking in Niagara Falls mist above the hustle and bustle of the other flowing river of tourists.

Topped off the night with the fireworks show as we walked home; each of us excited to get a much closer look at the falls tomorrow.

DAY 35