The first visit to Canada... what a way to visit!

The American Falls
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Fairly freezy in November, but still a very enjoyable experience to see the Falls.  An added bonus for us is getting to experience a bit of the Canadian life in the few hours we spent in Ontario, Canada.

Just getting to the Falls was an adventure... I'll just say that Mapquest is somewhat challenged when mapping out directions in Canada.  We found ourselves on the QEW, got off at the specified offramp, but had a pretty tough time figuring out which way to get to the Falls.

No, it's not raining... that's the Falls!

The Maid Of The Mist at the Falls
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The first thing we remember about the Falls is how we were getting rained on... but it wasn't raining!  It was the mist from the falls.

The Falls is one of those rare, natural attractions that just leave you awestruck as you continue to look at it.  The size, the sound, and just the sight of it keeps you captivated for hours.  You can go away from the Falls for a little while, then go back to it, and you get that feeling again.  It never gets old, not for me at least.

The fireworks show over the Falls
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We had lunch at the Table Rock Restaurant, which is practically next to the Falls, and offers quite a view.  The restaurant is tiered, to provide as many tables with a view of the Falls as possible.  The restuarant is a great place to sample some of the popular bits of Canadian cuisine.

There's also a few souvenir shops along the Falls view area at Table Rock.  You can't go wrong at any of them when picking out the perfect Falls or Canadian trinket, and a portion of the profits there go towards preserving the Falls for future generations.

The Horseshoe Falls
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We revisited the Falls in June, 2006.  Quite a different experience to be there in the summer as opposed to late fall, it's somewhat warm (80s) and muggy during the day, crisp and cool (60s) during the night when you're at the Falls for the Illumination and possibly the fireworks over the Falls.  It's refreshing to get "rained on" by the Horseshoe Falls during the summer!

For some reason, the directions given by Yahoo! maps directed us to enter Niagara Falls, Canada via the Rainbow Bridge.  Different from the first time, which directed us onto the QEW, then eastwards towards Niagara Falls.  I definitely feel it was easier to find the city by going on Rainbow Bridge.  You enter Canada, then you're practically in the thick of the Falls area.

The Rainbow Village, with the American Falls in sight
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The Journey Behind The Falls was the most different thing we did on our second visit to the Falls.  You get a bit closer, about 30 feet from the right side of the Horseshoe Falls on the view deck near the bottom, and about 10 feet away from the Horseshoe Falls when you go to the view portals behind the falls.  Yes, you do walk through a passageway that goes behind the Horseshoe Falls.  Definitely worth trying if you haven't done so before, you do get wet when you're out on the view deck and you get much closer to the action than if you rode the Maid of the Mist.  You do get a plastic poncho/baggie to keep you from getting excessively wet.

The Illuminated American Falls
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This time we stayed for nearly a 24-hour period (18 hours, exactly), long enough to see the Illumination of the Falls (around 9PM), and the fireworks show at 10PM.  If you're there in the summer, you'll want to come out around half an hour before the scheduled illumination, in order to get a good spot up on the railings for an unobstructed view of the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls (and even the Bridal Veil falls) when they do get lit up.  You'll want to have a great spot with all the people that come out for that 1-2 hour period.

We also rode one of the newer attractions around the Niagara Falls area of Canada, the Niagara Skywheel.  It's a pretty tall ferris wheel located at the Clifton Hill part of the city, though not nearly the height of the London Eye.  The Niagara Skywheel also moves at a much faster speed than the London Eye, just a bit slower than the typical ferris wheel you'd find at an amusement park.  The location and height of the wheel is key, though, because you get a pretty nice view of all three of the falls, not to mention the entire area.

There's also the Rainbow Village, located at the base of Clifton Hill.  Beautiful garden area, and you can see the American Falls from the top entrance of the Village.  The Rainbow Village is nearly as photogenic as the Falls... it's just that pretty and well located.

This time we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, located at Clifton Hill, just across the street from the Rainbow Village... everything there is just what you'd come to expect from the Hard Rock.

For the American visitors to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls... we discovered that you don't really have to get currency exchanged in order to purchase with cash.  Pretty much every store and vendor we bought from accepted dollars (just ask how much is it in "US"!).  I'm pretty sure it's not quite as friendly for other currencies... but there are ATMs and cash machines everywhere, so getting the right currency should not be a problem for those who need to get the Canadian money.

Given a choice, it's definitely much nicer to visit the Falls during the warm seasons.  Any time of year, though, I think you're guaranteed an unforgettable experience with the Niagara Falls.