Niagara Falls

Con artists, hustlers, scam artists?

Get up, pack, off to the airport to pick up the rental car. Luckily, the driver's license wasn't a problem. However, we encountered an extremely dedicated employee who made it her mission to upsell us various additional services.

It all started at the check-in: "Just you two? Are you sure? This is very far. Are you doing it on your own? Just you? Have you done it before?" The obvious background was that she wanted to sell me an additional insurance. Mika stays calm in such situations, but the topic of "safety" hit a sore spot for me. As soon as that word is mentioned, I'm in. So I ended up taking out what was probably a completely unnecessary insurance – better safe than sorry, right?

In addition, she tried to push an upgrade on us because the car was allegedly "very tiny" and she wanted to ensure we arrived "safe." In the end, the car was neither tiny nor unsafe, but perfectly fine – and we drove away satisfied. Despite some traffic jams, the driving was quite relaxed. Then we arrived – in a place that was clearly created solely for the purpose of "waterfall." Quite ugly, to be honest. The hotel was rather mediocre, with additional parking fees of 45 dollars, which we declined. The lady at the reception couldn't tell us if there were cheaper parking options nearby or what they cost. That was almost funny – because there were huge parking lots all around, and the operators were literally fighting for every customer. Prices ranged from 5 to 30 dollars, depending on the duration – and everything seemed negotiable.

In the end, we found a parking spot where the owner even let us stay overnight – and in the end didn’t ask for any money. We were a bit puzzled, but maybe it was just because of our friendly German accent. Just to remind you: So far, we hadn't met any other Germans here.

A bit lackluster, we made our way to Niagara Falls. I was skeptical and even said things like: "They can't be that spectacular to justify all this."

And then we stood before them – and we were immediately blown away. Crowds, yes. But an incredible view of the waterfalls! Unbelievable how much water thunders down each second. I wonder (maybe I’m not alone in this): "Where is all this water actually coming from?"

Depending on the position of the sun, there are rainbows galore – a true natural spectacle. We couldn’t get enough of it and were extremely fascinated. I took endless photos and was completely caught up in the beautiful atmosphere. All around this spray mist in the warm sun. Truly beautiful.

Astounded by the waterfalls, we returned to the hotel – and suddenly didn’t think it was so bad anymore. I even discovered a few quite nice corners that I hadn’t noticed before. It shows once again: Depending on your mood, you see things very differently. 😉

Now there's a boat ride directly to the foot of the waterfalls ahead. Unfortunately, we booked it in advance; otherwise, we might have postponed it to tomorrow – the boats were packed this afternoon. So now we’re taking a little break and will start in the evening – I will report back!

The evening boat tour was a bit of a mass processing event. Everyone received a red rain cape and was herded along a designated path towards the boat. We looked like a marching colony of red garden gnomes – kind of funny.

We got quite close to the waterfalls and got thoroughly wet – it was windy, and the spray came from all directions. But that actually put me in a great mood – and despite the wetness, we were all cheerful.

The view from right below was something completely different – powerful, loud, impressive. It was definitely worth it, and I would do the trip again.