Exciting fortnight - Our first International visitors
Yes, I’ve been slack and not
updated the blog in the last two weeks, but in my defence I have two good
excuses.
1: We have been very busy
hosting our first overseas visitors and
2: Michelle has needed the
use of HER laptop to complete reports that need to be in before the end of
term. What a nerve. Lol
So settle back this will be a
long one as I try and catch up on two weeks.
There has been a lot of
excitement in the Nightingale household over the last two weeks as Nan and Pop
(Michelle’s parents, Stephen and Roxley) arrived after their big Asian cruise.
As is usual for all of their trips it has been very busy. Starting with their
arrival at Toronto airport at 06:00 on Sunday morning, a quick trip back to
Medland Dve for some breakfast and then changed and dressed to go out to
Natasha’s 1st Holy Communion. Then instead of gathering a breath we
dragged them down to Burlington Lakeshore to show them all the places we have
been raving about. A word of advice for those planning to visit in the future,
don’t expect to get any rest.
The following day Monday, was
Victoria Day (Canada’s version of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend). So after
a leisurely breakfast we decided to do some local sightseeing as the weather
was a bit iffy. Not far from us is a conservation area, with the remains of an
Iroquois Indian village, so that was our first stop. The remains of a number of
First Nations Longhouses where discovered a number of years ago and from these
the original village has been recreated. It was an interesting site to explore,
even though it was raining. Also within the bounds of the Park is Crawford Lake
a small glacial Lake with hiking trails through the forest surrounding it.
After leaving Crawford Lake
we had intended to head to Mountsberg Maple Syrup village, but someone put the
wrong address into the GPS and we ended up at Glen Eden ski slopes instead,
which in itself was interesting as we got to see the same slopes that we had
skied on earlier in the year without the snow. As is to be expected the slopes
and trails that are so good to ski on in Winter now become a mecca for mountain
bike riders and hikers in summer. Glen Eden even has its own beach!!! Not
exactly white fine sands, but I guess in the height of summer a Lake with a
manmade beach is better than nothing.
The rest of the week was spent
relaxing, which for my in-laws means keeping REALLY busy and active! Mind you, I think I may have run them into the
ground on a couple of occasions. This week, we also got our first real taste of
hot weather with the temperature getting up to the 30 degree mark, I even
managed to get sunburnt on playground duty.
Thursday, we got rid of mom
for the day. This will make her teacher friends jealous. Michelle was one of 5
teachers and 40 kids to venture to Niagara Falls for an overnight trip. The
excursion included: a visit to Fort George (the site of one of the major
battles between the USA and Canada in the war of 1812), a trip on the Maid of
the Mist, dinner at the Skylon restaurant
overlooking the falls,
accommodation at the Days Inn and a trip to Marineland amongst other things and
the best thing it didn’t cost a cent.
Friday it was our turn.
Stephen, Roxley, Ryan, Tash and I all piled into the car and headed in the same
direction. As with our other trips to Niagara the weather started out wet and
overcast, but that didn’t matter as we were going to get much wetter as the day
went on. First stop after locating our motel was to head into Clifton Hill and
book our trip on the Maid of the Mist. For the uninitiated, the Maid of the
Mist/Mists are a fleet of ferries that take tourists to the base of Horseshoe
Falls, where you can get absolutely soaked. Before boarding the boat, you get
issued a very fetching, blue garbage bag to wear, that is supposed to
prevent you getting too wet. This would be the first of three we would
collect over the weekend.
It certainly brings home the
immense amount of water going over the falls and provides a very different
perspective. Half a dozen boats do the trip from both sides of the border, each
boat holding 600 people and making a trip every 15 minutes, gives a fair idea
of how many people visit the Falls in a day and it isn’t even peak season yet.
After the boat cruise, the
kids were given the option of Marineland or the indoor waterpark again, with
them opting for the latter as the weather still was a bit wet (a wise choice as
Mum texted later to say that a lot of things at Marineland were closed). So
leaving Nan and Pop to do their own thing around the falls, the kids and I
spent a couple of hours on the slides and in the pools. The difference between
this time and when we were last there in January being, that it was Friday and
kids were in school, so we virtually had the place to ourselves.
Late Friday afternoon we
caught up with Nan, Pop and Michelle, after she had seen the Intermediates safely on the bus back to Toronto, so we then
all headed out for an early dinner and for Chelle Stephen and Tash an early
night. Ryan, Roxley and I headed back out when it got dark to see the
illumination of the falls and the fireworks. Though how you can call letting
off one pyrotechnic every 15 mins fireworks, puzzles me!!.
Saturday morning pack up and
head back to the falls. Parking the car next to Skylon Tower we came across our
first live skunk! It was grazing on the
grass in the car park, so carefully making sure not to upset it, I was able to
get close enough to get some photos. Never thought our first encounter with a
skunk would be in a car park. Heading
down to the falls we ran into the CLEE crowd who also had a Niagara excursion
on the same weekend. All of us then ending up on the Journey Behind the Falls.
To go behind the falls entails putting on another garbage bag, this time bright
yellow and being transported down to a ledge at the base of the falls and going
through tunnels that come out at a portal directly behind the falls, this part
being slightly disappointing as all you see is an arch with sheets of water in
front of it. This however is more than made up by the location of the ledge and
the chance to get some amazing photos.
Next on the schedule was a
trip further down Niagara Gorge to the site of the class 6 rapids, allegedly
the most dangerous in the world and the cause of a number of deaths both stupid
and unfortunate, why anyone in their right mind would want to challenge these
rapids is beyond me.
Back up to the Falls and an
appointment with Niagara’s Fury, a 4D experience that includes a moving floor
lots of flashing lights, sound, a full 360 degree movie screen and lots of
water and yes another of those ubiquitous garbage bags. Having an inkling of
what was coming I hung back as everyone went in to the theatre and stood
towards the back so remaining dry, the rest however were somewhere near the
middle and felt the full brunt of it.
By the time we finished there
it was getting late so we headed off to the Niagara discount outlets for a
quick shop (we don’t seem to be able to avoid them) then back to Burlington.
Sunday. Sue our neighbour
dropped by with some information on an open day at Mt Nemo another conservation
site on the Niagara Escarpment and part of the Bruce Trail. The escarpment
rises up to 50 metres above the surrounding terrain and offers some great views
and trails. It runs some 800 kms from Niagara on the Lake all the way up to
Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsular and the Bruce Trail winds along the entire
length, offering a good walk for those adventurous enough to try it. Again, we
spent a couple of hours hiking and getting photos before relaxing back at home.
The rest of the week was
spent kicking back with a couple of local sight seeing trips when I had the
car. Tash had EQAO testing for the first
part of the week, (Canada’s equivalent of NAPLAN) so wasn’t able to take time
off. Chelle and the kids did get to spend Friday with her parents, their last
day before flying out to Hawaii.
So as I alluded to at the
start It’s been a busy two weeks and as we get closer to the summer holidays
it’s only going to get busier. As usual,
the next couple of weekends are booked, Michelle is frantically trying to get
reports written and I am arranging our travel for summer.
Before I go, I’ll mention the
Ice Hockey. It’s now the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. The finals being between
the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins, neither team having won the
Stanley Cup in recent memory. The finals are played over seven games between
Vancouver and Boston. The first game was played on Wednesday night and it was a
brutal affair the Canucks winning at home by scoring a goal in the last 19
seconds of the third period (each game has 3 x 20 minute periods). It’s hard to
see both teams being able to keep up this pace for seven games if it goes that
far.
Tonight it’s Boston at home.
Go the Bruins!!! That’s going to get me deported. I’m a converted ice hockey
fan.
