We visited Niagara Falls, taking my husband's summer vacation. It was a 3 day trip from September 13th to 15th. Normally Americans go to Niagara Falls by car, but we heard that Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is more dynamic than the American side and we also wanted to visit other place along the way, so we flew to Toronto and rented a car and visited Niagara Falls and Toronto City. To Toronto from Newark, it took only 1h 40 minutes. The first day in Canada, We drove the highway about 1 hour from Pearson International Airport to Niagara Falls. On arriving at the Falls, we saw the big Falls from a wide-angle viewpoint and felt the mist from the Falls. Hearing the sound which was made from the falling water, I felt refreshed! It was a fine day and the temperature was about 20 degrees. When I felt the mist of the Falls, I felt cooler. We tried the attraction, "Behind the Falls". We walked through the tunnel that is made behind the Falls. On the way through the tunnel, there were holes to see behind the Falls and we could go very near the Falls. We felt the strong spray and got wet even wearing the plastic ponchos which the attraction gave us.
To go to Toronto City from Niagara Falls, I drove a car! It was the first time driving in a foreign country. In the US., I haven't driven because the details of my car insurance are not sure yet. This time, I was sure that the rental car's insurance covered my family, so I tried. The Canadian highway and roads were very wide, so I could even drive left handed.
The second day, we walked around Toronto City. The roads are very wide and each building is very big, so we got tired going to every sightseeing place. We visited the CN Tower and walked around the Financial & Theatre District and the Harbour front area. Here, we could see almost all things from the US., American fashion brand stores and American large scale retail stores, for example Sears, Best Buy, Staples, Whole Foods Market, Seven Eleven etc. Also American TV series can be seen. On the other hand, we also found many different things; English pronunciation, the attitude of the people etc. It was difficult to hear what Canadians were saying and I thought they were not friendly like Americans. (I'm not meaning anything bad.) The most impressive thing was that the food was more delicious than the US. Breads were good and vegetables were fresher.
The last day we drove around Toronto City and visited St. Lawrence Market. They sell fresh meat, fish, breads and prepared foods. We had a bacon sandwich for breakfast which is advertised as traditional canadian food. It was simple and delicious. Near the market there was a farmer's market and street stores. It was good to walk around there. After that, we visited Casa Loma ,had lunch in Chinatown and went to the Airport to return to the US.
↑Newark Airport's huge parking!
