falls on falls

Ah. The guests have left. This means I can have my bed back and the place to myself. And I don't have to do another trip to Niagara.

My friend Malia came down to pick up relatives visiting from Denmark. They were not what we expected. They were older, with some limited mobility (and a zippy wheelchair). But certainly not limited zest. Or laughter. Or opinions. They are now on their way driving to Manitoba for a family event. They left in shock (the Danes) at how long it will take to get there and slightly disappointed that a side trip to Montreal could not be included during their stay here.

But, the only thing they really wanted to see was Niagara Falls.

Doesn't everyone?

By a happy, happy coincidence this week is also the Niagara Wine Festival. So we fortified ourselves with a hearty breakfast and set out. Dropped by a winery or two. Visited an antique shop or two. Drove some back roads. Shopped at some incredibly tacky touristy places in Niagara Falls and some expensive places in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Some of us went up a big ferris wheel thingy to see the birds eye view and came down enthralled with the experience. I was happy for them. The Falls themselves did not disappoint. Neither, it turned out did the Casino! I think they broke even in the end, but not for lack of trying.

Then we went back again (three times!) for more. More wine, more food, more driving around Niagara-on-the-Lake and encountering many, many tourists.

The sun shone brightly every day. The temperature was warm. The flowers were vibrant, the birds sang, the Canada Geese got in our way and the butterflies were abundant.

The only thing to disappoint were the fall colours.
Where are you? Perhaps Malia can search them out during the loooong drive North of Superior.

I want to have that much energy when I am in my 70's.
God Bless.

shoes and cheese

Normally I do not enjoy shopping. I will put it off for as long as possible. Which is why I was frantically seeking shoes for the wedding I was to attend the day before my flight. I went into the other mall in my town, the one with the better shoe stores, and found a nice pair of strappy sandals at the first store at the top of the escalator. So, having time to kill before meeting my friend for coffee, I kept wandering to the other shoe stores, just in case, y'know. And found these
They are NAOT. The photo doesn't show off the lovely 'burnt copper' colour, which looks more burgundy to me. They are absolutely the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn in my life. It was like walking in my slippers. They were just as comfy with or without socks. I hiked up and down hills and around the streets and through the tourist sites and to various groceries, galleries and gardens...my feet blissfully unaware they were being made to work. They almost made me want to walk even more.

To walk around shops in Britain is much more fun than doing so in Canada. Don't know why, but when I am on holiday I love to shop. I could happily spend an hour in a grocery store admiring the different products, the packaging, the prices! And everything looks so different in the dress and decor shops - well they would, wouldn't they? Since I only had carry on luggage I was severely restricted in my purchases.

Which, in the grand scheme of things was fine as I was really spending all my money on things like coffee and food. Everywhere seemed to be busy with prospective buyers of whatever was available, though I am not sure how those Brits manage with the prices of everything. An example was one treat of a light snack of 2 coffees, 1 tea, and 2 muffins which came to a not unusual grand total of 8.25 BPS that translated to 18.15 CAD.

I fell in love with something called a Love Bar from Pret-a-Manger - eating my way through 6 of them while in Bath. I didn't even try to calculate the calories or the cost of the small but yummy bar. I pretended the almonds, pistachios and vanilla pumpkin seeds made it healthy.

I then moved on to devouring as much smoked salmon as I could. Which was no difficult chore. It was everywhere. In my scrambled eggs at the hotel, in the take out sandwiches at Pret and Marks&Spencer. In every restaurant and pub we visited, there it was on the menu just as if it were an everyday ordinary thing to include in a sandwich or salad like, say, tomato. Or cheese. Oh, and the cheese they offer? Not Swiss or Cheddar or Havarti. No, it would be Brie!

And then there is that little joy of buying wine in a Marks or Tesco's...

So, my shoes were the best investment I made.

White Chocolate Blueberry Bark

From Picard's. In Niagara.

Sorry can't talk now. Am in heaven.

Go on, have a piece. This is too good not to share.