We left on Friday to drop off the dog, then realized we had forgotten our passports so we went back home and left again. I had packed our lunch in the car so we didn't have to stop (except for a few pregnancy potty breaks). We arrived at the Hillcrest Inn by 6pm and were given a nice talk about where to eat, what to do, etc. We decided to take a walk into the city and we ate at Wine on Third, a tapas bar. This was THE BEST food of the entire trip. We ate Day Boat Scallops, Baked Brie En’Croûte, Smoked Chili Marinated Lamb “Lollipops”, and a lava cake for dessert. Matt had an "after dinner chocolate" martini and I had a half glass of Riesling. We finished the evening by going back to the B&B and watching The Labyrinth.
Saturday gave us gorgeous weather. We woke up, went downstairs and had tea and sat on the back porch to admire the view. We were given a full home-cooked breakfast (eggs benedict) and we talked to a nice British couple. They were hysterical! After breakfast, we walked into the New York State Park and bought an adventure pass. We went on Maid of the Mist and walked through the Cave of the Winds. It was breath taking. We rode the trolley and then ate at the Red Coach Inn. This was another delicious (and cheap) places to eat. I even made us buy bread pudding for dessert. I loved it. I used to HATE bread pudding, but Gummybear has changed my mind; Matt was excited. After lunch we walked back to the B&B to relax. Dinner was the revolving restaurant at the Skylon Tower. The view was gorgeous, the food was decent, and the price was ridiculous. We won't do that again! The food at the tapas bar was better and at 1/4 of the price. It was nice to do it once, but if we come back we'll just go up for the view. After dinner we went to the observation tower and then went back to the B&B for sleep.
Sunday started with cold, wet weather. We woke up, walked to St. Mary of the Cataract, and then headed back to the B&B for more tea and a full breakfast. This morning we had Tuscan baked eggs with pesto and roasted tomatoes and potatoes; my favorite of all the breakfasts. After getting stuffed and talking with the British couple and two couples from Texas, we drove into the NY park (since it was raining I didn't want to walk). We watched an IMAX movie of the history of Niagara Falls and we went to the Discovery Gorge and looked at the possible future of the Falls. It was interesting and something that Sebastian would have been completely bored through. The weather then turned gorgeous and we drove to the Canadian side for lunch at Elements on the Falls. It had a gorgeous view; we were eating right on top of the Horseshoe Falls! I would recommend this restaurant over the Skylon Tower any day. After eating we walked along the Parkway and took some pictures and scored a Canadian geocache. It took some guile to work around the muggles.
We then decided to go to the Butterfly Conservatory. I am so glad we decided to get away from Clifton Hills, the tourist center of Niagara Falls, ON. The conservatory was beautiful. The flowers were exotic, the butterflies were plentiful, and the neon lights had faded. We found a nature oasis that we didn't think existed on the Canadian side. After the butterflies we decided to drive up to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We drove the wine trail and saw roughly a billion wineries. We were told that 85% of Canada's wine is made in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We weren't able to do a wine tour/tasting this vacation, but I want to do that in the future. Once we got into the cute, historical town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, we took a horse and carriage ride. It was nice to hear the history of the town and how much they take pride in their history (and their lawn bowling). We then got some lunch in a pub and picked up dessert at a chocolate shop. We crossed over into NY further north, so we were able to stop by the Whirlpool Rapids before heading back to the B&B to watch the new Alice in Wonderland.
Monday. Our last day. It was sad!! We had more tea in the morning and then had crème brûlée French toast. I will miss these breakfasts; cereal is not the same. We then packed up and grabbed a geocache in NY before heading back home. We stopped at a restaurant named Santino's in Williamsport, PA. Matt got a buffalo chicken wrap (which he loved) and I fell in love with eggplant parmigiana. It was really good food!
We had a great time; I wish we didn't have to go home. We made a friendship with the B&B family (they are from Japan and they have a cute 3 year old daughter who reminded us of Sebastian) and we found relaxation and beauty in the world. Now it is time to pick up the son and the dog and get back to reality. At least now we can face reality with a huge smile on our faces.
"At last, fortissimo!" ~Gustav Mahler (on visiting Niagara Falls)
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