Into Canada Now

Monday 21 May

So, after an early morning walk around Albany, NY looking at some fabulous buildings (as well as some of the seedier areas!), we departed for Rensellaer on the other side of the Hudson River. But, on missing our bus (because me & My Friend were standing on the wrong side of the street!), we opted to walk over the bridge to the other side, dragging our suitcases...

Eventually we made it to the station & then endured a 6-hour train trip with Amtrak to the Canadian border. The cabin was FREEZING & customs tedious & the train was over an hour late, but we fortunately were greeted warmly at our B&B in Niagara Falls by a kindly Rob who drove us to the Falls to save time; we had a delightful evening walk with great views & nice light.

For the record, the train north from Albany to Niagara went through towns like Schenectady (where Thomas Edison of light bulb fame started his factory which later became General Electric) & Rochester (where Kodak was established in1880). Apart from that, a generally unremarkable journey - although nice clumps of pink & white flowers growing trackside as the train trundled past (a far cry from its fast European cousins! Amtrak is a grumbling, sleepy beast).

The news today reports that a man survived a suicide jump over the Falls this morning - only the 4th person ever to survive going over the Falls unprotected (e.g. not in a barrel!). He was fished out off the rocks at the bottom of the Falls in front of a huge crowd (it being a public holiday here: Victoria Day).

Facts: Two cataracts pour 2.7 million litres of water a second into the Niagara River. The American Falls reach 51 m & the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls a bit lower but have a long sweeping crest of 790 m.

Tuesday 22 May

Had a sleep-in. Yay! Till about 7.30 a.m.

Had a nice slow start: no blogs, no walks; just sorted stuff, packed, had a yummy breakfast (eggs benedict - yum!!); then walked to nearby downtown Niagara (away from the touristy area) & got $CAD from the bank; sent postcards; had a "small" coffee (which was HUGE) & used the free wi-fi to do emails.

Then we walked down to the Class 6 rapids (eat your heart out Harry & Smith) at the Whitewater Walk which, despite the deafening roar of the water, was amazingly tranquil. Even though by now it was about 11 a.m. We seemed to come in ahead of the crowds & the boardwalk dwn to the water level was serene.

We read about the daredevils/dills who had 1. Swum across the river; 2. Walked a wire across ("funambulators" they are called! - from the Latin "funis"=rope & "ambulare"=to walk - add that to your list all you Scrabblers!); 3. Gone over the Falls in a barrel; 4. Kayaked the rapids. I particularly liked the story of the chap who had swum the rapids 3 or 4 times successfully, then died when he slipped on an orange peel & broke his leg which got gangrene (I guess you win some & you lose some...).

After lunch, we walked back to the Falls & took the pedestrian path over the bridge to the US, re-entered Canada & here we are now having a cup of tea & maple-leaf biscuits on the front verandah of our B&B with Bill about to bring us a glass of wine (I was going to have an alcohol-free one today, but what the heck!).

12.30 a.m. Calgary time (2.30 a.m. Niagara time)

It's been a long day. Westjet flight from Niagara to Calgary - very good airline service I thought but it got in late due to no fault of theirs - due to lightning. Earlier, Bill from our B&B (Greystone Manor) had driven us all the way to the airport - really, I could not recommend this place high enough!

We are now 12 hours difference (rather than 14).