Day 29, februari 5, Toronto - Niagara Falls

The breakfast looks neat, with a choice of omelet or pancakes, along with yogurt, fruit, and croissant.  

We are among the first to disembark the plane, thanks to business class, and the luggage arrives in no time. Off to the car rental. It takes a bit of searching, and when we're there and about to grab the papers, we realize that neither of us has a driver's license with us. After all, we were going on a cruise, so it wasn't necessary and safer to leave it at home. What a pair of dummies! 😤 But okay, what now?

"Pessimists complain about the wind, optimists hope it will turn, realists adjust."

So, we adapt and quickly come up with plan B. The car was free with Air Canada points, so it's not a big loss, just the points we'll miss. We decide to look for a bus to Niagara Falls. The internet provides a solution. The fastest one takes about 2 hours and costs CAD 27 per person. The luggage is allowed onboard.

The bus station is quite a distance away. First, we have to take the UP-train to Union Station. This costs CAD 12.55 per person, and on the way back, we noticed that Jan could get a senior discount for half price. Unfortunately, we missed that now. The train takes 25 minutes, and it runs every half hour, at least for now.

We have to walk through Union Station, all the way outside to the bus station. We found it, but we don't have tickets yet. We hear at the station that you can only buy them online from Flixbus. Done. In Zone D, platform 14, we board the bus that smells like a trash can. It's not dirty, but it stinks to high heaven.

The route is not very interesting. There's a bit of snow in Toronto and Niagara Falls, but not much in between. Along the way, the bus makes one stop in St. Catharines. With us included, there are only 8 people on the bus. In Niagara Falls, the bus stop is just 100 meters from our hotel, The Tower Hotel . That is why Jan selected this bus line. Since we're not traveling by car and we haven't been hiking in a provincial park on the way, we arrive too early to check in. It's only 11:10 AM. We're allowed to leave our luggage there and decide to explore the town.

In the summer, this place is probably bustling with people, but today there are some visitors, but not too many. The area doesn't look particularly appealing. It's a bit like a very small-scale Las Vegas, though it's home to 82,000 people, but it's not as fun and a bit uglier.

We head back to the hotel as our room should be ready now. We're assigned room 2809 on the 28th floor, and it boasts an amazing view of the waterfalls. Truly, a room with a view. Directly in front of us are the Horseshoe Falls, with the river visible beyond. It's absolutely stunning. After a quick shower, we set out in search of lunch.  

We end up at IHOP, which has become quite pricey. Not pleased, we skimp a bit on the tip, resulting in some sour looks. Afterward, we head to get a close-up view of the falls. We first walk all the way to the left, passing by the American and Bridal Veil Falls. Further along, there's a zipline where you can zoom past the falls, which sounds fun but not in winter, so we pass. On the American side, you can descend to the base of the falls via a platform. Unfortunately, the Canadian side is closed in winter. The view is excellent, although there's a bitterly cold wind, especially near the hotel. We decide to duck into a souvenir shop to escape the cold. However, these places tend to be pricey, and this one is no exception. We end up paying CAD 27 for 21 maple candies, a kind of fudge. Tasty, but not at that price.  

Once we've explored everything, we head back to the hotel to relax. It gets dark quite early, and then the waterfalls are illuminated by colored spotlights. Throughout the town, along the water, there are illuminated trees and other lit-up objects. We have a nice view of this from our room. The photos didn't turn out great from so far away and through the window, but it's the memory that counts.

In the evening, we go to eat at The Keg, just around the corner. The food tastes good. They can cook the meat rare here, but it's a lot and quite expensive. So, no dessert. After dinner, we read for a while and then head to bed early.

Next day