Niagara-on-the-Lake

So, I read the New York Times every day of my life, and I definitely am in the habit of scouting out articles written about travel. That is how I stumbled upon the sweet town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The name itself seemed to beckon me (it reminded me of Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin; setting for Seventeenth Summer and hometown to author Maureen Daly), so I convinced Josh to explore the area with me.

Well, that was a good decision on my part.

I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, or what, but I somehow missed the information in my 27-plus years of living: Niagara-on-the-Lake strikingly resembles Napa Valley (in my mind, that is, as I have not been to Napa Valley--wait for blogs from that trip to appear approximately one year from now). Two main roads, Niagara Stone and Niagara Parkway, are home to miles upon miles of vineyards and wineries. The product: icewine.

One of the most beautiful areas I have seen in quite some time (not including the South of France) is home to the mass production of icewine. We toured a few wineries, took pictures, tasted the harvests, and moseyed around.

A few things we learned:
• Canada produces approximately 85%-90% of the world's icewine
• icewine has a much more syrupy texture than any red or white
• it is also a dessert wine (drizzle on pound cake or ice cream)
• grapes must be frozen solid before picking in order to make icewine
• the amount of sugar in icewine gives it a longer shelf life (it naturally preserves!)
• one winery we went to, Pillitteri, produces (alone) 20% of said 85%-90% of icewine coming from this region in Canada
• Dan Akroyd is a wino (!)
• he partnered up with 20 Bees (a fantastic little winery), using the grapes they harvest and selling his wine (and using his name) for good, honest business
• the fine people of Ontario can only purchase alcohol through two government-regulated warehouses
• going through customs here, as opposed to Niagara Falls, is much less of a hassle; especially when trying to bring alcohol back into the United States

Gimme a gimmick, eh?

Though the view of the Falls (especially the Horseshoe Falls) is worth the frustrating wait through customs to get out of Ontario, and back to the States, we couldn't believe the amount of gimmicky tourist traps that lay waiting for us on Clifton Hill in Canada.

Parents beware: this is a teenage haven.

Here are some of my favorite pics; branded, gimmicky conglomerates.

Niagara Falls by day, part 2

It's impossible to fully understand the capacity and magnificence of the Falls if you don't take the time to view them from both of the countries they straddle. So, we made the journey over to Canada. We cleared customs rather quickly, parked the car, and took the tram down to the Horseshoe Falls. The tram, a $2 investment (Canadian), is amazing; it seems silly, but it really provides a great view of the Falls. After disembarking, we headed over to the Horseshoe, and all I can say is that this is exactly what the journey to the Falls is all about. Whether or not it's American or Canadian, this natural structure is beyond comparison. You have to see it to fully understand. I'm not even sure I can do this phenomenon justice with any words. Just take a look at some of Josh's photographs (seen here). We were lucky and had glorious sun this particular day, and, apparently, it is quite usual for sunny days to result in a fully arched rainbow from the middle of Niagara River, right to the base of Horseshoe Falls. What a gorgeous sight!

Side note: 17 people have willingly gone over the Horseshoe Falls; 10 have lived to talk about it.