![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Canada, November 2019: Part 1
I spent eight nights in Canada in November, four of which were on a train: I rode The Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver! However, first I had a day to spend in Toronto, or at least nearby…
Niagara Falls
I had two nights in Toronto but arriving late in the evening on Day 1 and needing to be at the train station early on Day 3 meant I just had one full day, and I chose to visit Niagara Falls that day, with it being a short train journey there and a somewhat less short bus journey on the way back.
Having arrived at Niagara Falls train station, the falls themselves were about half an hour's walk away, and while there was a bus service I decided to walk. I think this worked out because most of the route takes you on a road alongside the huge gorge carved by the falls when it was further downstream.
The sound of the falls becomes audible and just before reaching the set-off point for the boat tours they come into view. It was a beautiful day too, I think I lucked out with the weather which was pretty cold but apparently unusually clear skied for this time of year.
A friendly Canadian guy saw me trying to take a selfie and offered to take my photo, which is lovely to have!
There are actually two main falls almost next to each other: American Falls, which was on the far side of the river in US territory, and Horseshoe Falls, the one everyone actually thinks of, which is on the Canadian side of the river. At the risk of sounding like Subpar Parks, it was a little less tall than I had imagined, though still very impressive.
The spray was going in an unusual direction that day apparently, with the effect that the falls were more visible than usual, and secondly that the visitor's centre right next to the falls was being drenched in spray! I walked into the spray, despite there being snow on the ground elsewhere, and I can't say I regretted it. There were rainbows everywhere and I enjoyed watching the people coming out of the visitor centre being confused that it has apparently started to rain. You could also see the water going over the edge, which was somewhat unnerving to watch.
It was around lunchtime by that point, and the tourist centre prices were a bit much for me, and I didn't fancy walking into Niagara town main to find lunch, so I had a quick snack (as with any trip, I had plenty of Clif bars with me, though mostly in case the train journey was serving nothing I could eat (which turned out to be unfounded; there was a good vegetarian option at each sitting) and walked downstream (which feels like going uphill due to the deepening ravine; confusing!) to the sales booth for Hornblower Cruises, the Canadian version of Maid of the Mist. I was in two-minds about it originally but in hindsight I'm really glad I did it; the falls were good to look at from water level, we got the oligatory pink plastic ponchos and subsequent soaking from the spray (though less than I did from the top!), and got to briefly cross the international border on the water without having to deal with US customs. Plus, being off-season, it wasn't unreasonably crowded on board.
The journey back was a little less exciting than the train journey; the train runs only a couple of times a day and the rest of the timetable is covered by a longer bus journey back with a change onto the trains for the last leg, though at least the bus station by the train station was well-organised. While I waited for the bus I made a snow angel and drew an iguana in the snow.
I had two nights in Toronto but arriving late in the evening on Day 1 and needing to be at the train station early on Day 3 meant I just had one full day, and I chose to visit Niagara Falls that day, with it being a short train journey there and a somewhat less short bus journey on the way back.
Having arrived at Niagara Falls train station, the falls themselves were about half an hour's walk away, and while there was a bus service I decided to walk. I think this worked out because most of the route takes you on a road alongside the huge gorge carved by the falls when it was further downstream.
The sound of the falls becomes audible and just before reaching the set-off point for the boat tours they come into view. It was a beautiful day too, I think I lucked out with the weather which was pretty cold but apparently unusually clear skied for this time of year.
A friendly Canadian guy saw me trying to take a selfie and offered to take my photo, which is lovely to have!
There are actually two main falls almost next to each other: American Falls, which was on the far side of the river in US territory, and Horseshoe Falls, the one everyone actually thinks of, which is on the Canadian side of the river. At the risk of sounding like Subpar Parks, it was a little less tall than I had imagined, though still very impressive.
The spray was going in an unusual direction that day apparently, with the effect that the falls were more visible than usual, and secondly that the visitor's centre right next to the falls was being drenched in spray! I walked into the spray, despite there being snow on the ground elsewhere, and I can't say I regretted it. There were rainbows everywhere and I enjoyed watching the people coming out of the visitor centre being confused that it has apparently started to rain. You could also see the water going over the edge, which was somewhat unnerving to watch.
It was around lunchtime by that point, and the tourist centre prices were a bit much for me, and I didn't fancy walking into Niagara town main to find lunch, so I had a quick snack (as with any trip, I had plenty of Clif bars with me, though mostly in case the train journey was serving nothing I could eat (which turned out to be unfounded; there was a good vegetarian option at each sitting) and walked downstream (which feels like going uphill due to the deepening ravine; confusing!) to the sales booth for Hornblower Cruises, the Canadian version of Maid of the Mist. I was in two-minds about it originally but in hindsight I'm really glad I did it; the falls were good to look at from water level, we got the oligatory pink plastic ponchos and subsequent soaking from the spray (though less than I did from the top!), and got to briefly cross the international border on the water without having to deal with US customs. Plus, being off-season, it wasn't unreasonably crowded on board.
The journey back was a little less exciting than the train journey; the train runs only a couple of times a day and the rest of the timetable is covered by a longer bus journey back with a change onto the trains for the last leg, though at least the bus station by the train station was well-organised. While I waited for the bus I made a snow angel and drew an iguana in the snow.
Toronto
It was dark by the time I got back but I still had time to go and see the CN Tower (though not climb it, but the wide angle lens I bought in the airport on the way out turned out to be useful for more than just the Falls!). Then I had a good Thai curry in the main station forecourt, and my first (Canadian) Tim Horton's doughnut. I also bought a SIM card in an attempt to secure internet access on the train journey; didn't manage to but in retrospect I'm glad I didn't because there was one passenger who was constantly trying to get signal and being rather pre-occupied with it. Much better to just enjoy it knowing I wouldn't be online for five days.
One more night in the hotel and then up the next morning to catch The Canadian!
It was dark by the time I got back but I still had time to go and see the CN Tower (though not climb it, but the wide angle lens I bought in the airport on the way out turned out to be useful for more than just the Falls!). Then I had a good Thai curry in the main station forecourt, and my first (Canadian) Tim Horton's doughnut. I also bought a SIM card in an attempt to secure internet access on the train journey; didn't manage to but in retrospect I'm glad I didn't because there was one passenger who was constantly trying to get signal and being rather pre-occupied with it. Much better to just enjoy it knowing I wouldn't be online for five days.
One more night in the hotel and then up the next morning to catch The Canadian!
Part 2, Part 3.