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Just Back from…Niagara Falls

After our tour, we quickly changed for dinner at 17 Noir, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. (Changing quickly in such a large room was easy…leaving that unbeatable view wasn’t…) We need not have worried, though; 17 Noir had a view all its own, too. We dined on steak and grouper, followed by a unique dessert that combined a giant curried chocolate chip doused with a shot glass of hot chocolate! After dinner, we made a quick stop by the 365 Club to hear a little live music then called it a night.

We returned to our room to get our first look at the falls at night, all lit in subtle colors. That night, we were lulled to sleep by the roar of the falls in the distance.

The next day was a full one, a chance to check out the nearby community of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had a real surprise waiting for us that morning: limos to drive us to Niagara-on-the-Lake!

We really think that Niagara-on-the-Lake is a romantic must for lovers. The drive to the tiny community is a beautiful one, passing regional attractions like the Floral Clock and the Whirlpool Aero Car, a cablecar that traverses the river right over some of the world’s wildest rapids.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of the tidiest communities we’ve ever seen, ranking right up there with St. Mortiz, Switzerland when it comes to being so perfect it almost looks like a movie set. Tulips of every description adorned the town, a sign of spring that was just coming to the area in mid-May.

We traded in a limousine for a carriage in front of The Prince of Wales Inn, taking off on a guided tour of the quiet town. Gus, our horse, led us all the way down to the shores of Lake Ontario, where a cold breeze reminded us that it might be spring but winter hadn’t departed that long ago in this region. The carriage ride took us past historic homes, along the lake shores, and finally back into town for our first look at its many boutique shops.

After a half-hour carriage ride, we headed off to Peller Estates Winery, one of over 60 wineries in this region. (You can’t throw a grape in this area without hitting a winery.) Peller is surrounded by vineyards that were just starting to show tiny buds on that picture-perfect day.

We went inside to tour the wine-making facilities and then to sample the fruit of previous years, with a tasting of several varieties including the ice wine for which the region is known. This sweet dessert wine is made when the grapes literally freeze on the vine, concentrating the sweetness into just a few drops for each grape.

After an elegant lunch at Peller Estates, we spent some free time strolling around Niagara-on-the-Lake, a town well-known not only for its wineries but also for its Shaw Festival, which features the plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. We didn’t have time for a play but we did have time for a little shopping and strolling that Friday, a day that grew increasingly busier as vacationers arrived for a long weekend.

continued on page 3: we head off on the Maid of the Mist voyage!