Day 17 - Niagara Falls

September 16, 2016

Thanks to our good preparation yesterday, we only had a good hour of driving time to Niagara Falls today. It's pretty cool to see all the signs pointing towards CANADA along the way, indicating that we're getting close.

We chose Goat Island as our parking spot. The small island is located right above the falls in the city. On the left and right sides of the island, we could already admire the rapids. We were able to park here for free with our RV, but we had the disadvantage of having to walk a bit, but it wasn't too far, so no problem.

The Niagara Falls span both the USA and Canada, and you can cross back and forth with a passport via the Rainbow Bridge. We came from the US side and were incredibly impressed. First, we were able to admire the wider HorseShoe Falls, which are located on the Canadian side, and then we went a bit further to the American and Bridal Veil Falls. It's amazing what nature has created here. In between, we treated ourselves to a delicious ice cream. The weather was fantastic, so the cooling was just right. Niagara Delight and Panda Paws were my two flavors.. yum yum.

Of course, we also wanted to take a ride on the famous Maid of the Mist. One of the oldest continuous tourist attractions in the world. After all, the boats have been operating since 1846. However, the boats have since been replaced. It was worth $18 for us. We put on blue rain capes and got on the ship, no waiting and no difficulties with the wheelchair... I could get used to this so easily. The ride was spectacular. The boat takes 20 minutes to reach the center of the HorseShoe Falls, and the rain capes served their purpose. It was amazing.

Then we returned to our RV parking space, it was still early in the day. We spotted grills and benches nearby, so we quickly went to Walmart and bought some meat for a delicious barbecue, following the good American tradition. Delicious again.

Then in the twilight, we went on foot towards Canada, as everyone says that the falls are even more beautiful from there and are illuminated in the evening. On the way there, we experienced another street festival in Niagara Falls (which spans both countries and has the falls in the center). I really like that kind of thing. It was the Niagara Falls Soul Festival, and many, many people were there celebrating. Great atmosphere.

We crossed the Rainbow Bridge through a normal customs station. On the way there, the Canadian side was only a formality, we were greeted with a friendly 'Bonjour' and got our stamps in our passports. Once there, a bit of small Las Vegas awaited us. Lights everywhere. Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Café, a casino, and a lot of people. The falls were illuminated in rainbow colors and looked impressive. Then on the way back at around 11:00 PM, we witnessed a fireworks display, almost on time for Mutti's birthday. At the customs, we encountered a small hurdle. If you've been to Canada, you have to pay a fee of 0.50 cents. There's a turnstile and a machine, and no one else... we struggled a bit with exchanging coins, but of course, we managed. We don't understand why each of us had to pay this fee, apparently Canada needs this source of income. We're fine with it, the amount was manageable.