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| Me and Pat at Niagara Falls this past Tuesday |
Where does the time go? It's Day Three of my annual Canadian holiday!
Folks, I am having a GRAND time. I am so fortunate at this time of my life to have the health, means and friends to take a holiday like this. All my life I dreamed of holidays like this but always had to settle for those solo vacations. Some years ago I gave up on taking solo vacations because they just weren't fun. Now I am having fun.
Here is a brief synopsis of what we have done since I landed at the Buffalo airport this past Tuesday.
Pat picked me up at the airport. We had lunch at Wegmans in downtown Buffalo. We always make it a point to have lunch at a Wegmans just because of the great selection of good food at a reasonable price. Pat is a vegan and I go vegetarian when I am with him.
After lunch Pat drove us to Niagara Falls, Ontario for the next leg of our stay. I made reservations at a bed and breakfast called The Gray Stone Manor. First time I stayed at this bed and breakfast. It's always a roll of the dice when choosing a hotel or bed and breakfast. I always check Trip Advisor for some guidance to avoid any disasters. This time I choose wisely. The Gray Stone Manor was magnificent! An old Victorian house that was spotlessly clean and spacious. Centrally located near downtown Niagara Falls, couldn't be more convenient.
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| Pat in the staircase of the Gray Stone Manor, our bed and breakfast in Niagara Falls |
That night we drove to downtown Niagara Falls to take in the super touristy atmosphere that is Niagara Falls. We rode the giant ferris wheel which is "Yuge."
After the ferris wheel ride we weaved our way through the massive tourist crowds and found a small Indian restaurant where we enjoyed a tasty Indian meal.
And what would a trip to Niagara Falls be without a visit to the Falls River Casino? Oh yes, we walked (and walked) our way to the casino which probably wasn't such a good idea. Pat has a bad leg and my new white Rebook sneakers were pinching both of my big toes. I knew I should have broken in those sneakers.
After a few rest stops we finally entered the brightly lite environs of the acres of slot machines. We both were prepared to spend $20 on the slots. Pat and I are such novices we still don't know which slots to play. After passing several lonely slot machines, Pat settled on one that look interesting. He put $5.00 in and started to play. Spin, spin, spin. First three spins no matches. He was down to $3.50. Then on the fourth spin he had a match! An eleven dollar credit showed on the screen. I urged Pat "Let's quit now while you're ahead!" He agreed. I didn't even feel like playing the slots. I still have my $20.00.
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| The slots - money suckers |
We went to the payout section of the casino and Pat cashed in his receipt. By this time both Pat's leg and my big toes were killing me. We attempted to walk to our car but we only made it a few blocks until we stopped and tried to hale down a cab. Lot's of luck!
After a few misses we got a cab. Now we didn't even know where our car was parked. Pat knew the general direction so we told the cab driver to drive in that area. He did and dropped us off. Pat and then hobbled around several streets until we finally found his car. Thank goodness!
In the car and back to our bed and breakfast and a good night's sleep.
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| Pat at our Victorian bed and breakfast in Niagara Falls |
The next day we woke up to a glorious breakfast. All that food just for us and the other guest in the bed and breakfast, a young lady from Switzerland. For breakfast:
Fresh fruit cup
Oatmeal
Scrambled egg burrito
Ham
Potato patties
Toast
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Coffee
Yogurt
Danish
And some other selections that I forget. Our breakfast hostess was a Portuguese woman who emigrated to Canada over twenty-five years ago. That's one of the things I love about Canada. So diverse in the many cultures who live in harmony. So unlike many of the places I've been in the United States where too many people get nervous when they see a woman wearing a hijab or a man wearing a turban.
On Tuesday we left for Hamilton, Ontario. Pat's new home. I would write about that visit but this blog is already too long. But one thing I can say, we're staying at the best hotel I've ever stayed at in my life. In fact I've extended our stay by two days. We won't leave hear until Saturday morning. The photo at the heading of this blog was taken in downtown Hamilton a few hours ago during a free music concert. Hamilton is a lovely town. So welcoming. Pat has made a good decision to move here. The photo below is where Pat will live next year when the conversion of the Royal Connaught Hotel is complete into condos. Pat's condo will be where the sheet is hanging.
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| Pat in front of his new front door, the Royal Connaught |
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| Royal Connaught Hotel, Hamilton, Ontario this morning under going conversion |
Good times folks. Life is wonderful!
P.S.
Sorry about the lack of photos and videos but I'm working from my MacBook Air and I don't want to load it down with videos and photos. I'm inundate you all with photos and videos from my trip when I return home next Tuesday. I know this week is going to go by fast.