the world through my eyes…

We’ve had a few guests ask about day trips to Niagara-On-The-Lake, so I decided to try doing a day trip there and see how it went over.  We left the hostel at around 11am.  I had a group of 7, which was a pretty good number.  Our first stop? Fort George.

During the War of 1812, Fort George served as the headquarters for the Centre Division of the British Army.   A visit to Fort George is to go back in time.  The workers dress in period costumes and there are demonstrations of Muskets, and Canon firing.  The fort was impressive and we spent more time there than I had originally thought we would.

Following Fort George we boarded the free shuttle into Niagara-On-The-Lake.  A brief stop at a shop selling all things English, made most of the guests VERY happy.  At one point the 2 English boys (Dumb and Dumber as they will be known in this blog) we so excited, I thought they would burst!  Every-time they saw a candy or chocolate they liked, they’d shout “God Save the Queen!”.  The were incensed however when they went to pay, and upon saying God Save the Queen, discovered that the shopkeeper was not even English!  I mean, how RUDE!!

For lunch wewalked along King St to The Irish Harp, one of the local pubs.  The pub was very cozy, with an great menu.  Their fish and chips were amazing!  I’m wanting more as I write this entry.  I’ve promised myself to ALWAYS eat at the Irish Harp when I’m in Niagara-On-The-Lake.

After lunch we wandered through the town, checking out the Niagara Apothecary, which was open until 1964, (and now a small museum) and browsing through shops.  I had made the mistake of buying small, toy, wood pistols for Dumb and Dumber to keep them quiet and occupied, which pretty much backfired on me.  Nothing like walking into a shop and having one of them exclaim, “Pam, I’ve got a gun in my pants!”

I’m finding that if I leave Niagara on my days off, I tend to relax more, as I’m in a different environment.  I also seem to be happier when I return.  This last week I decided to go to Toronto for my days off.  I’ve always loved the city and hitching a ride up with Moose Travels or Magic Bus is not only easy, but free for the staff at the hostel.  Even my bunkbed at the HI Toronto was free, so I couldn’t really beat the price! haha

 My original plan was to roam around the city and take photographs.  I spent the first night on Yonge St and then ran into some guest who had stayed at the hostel in Niagara so I went to Scotland Yard with them for a bit before returning to my squeaky top bunk at the hostel.

The following morning I started to roam through the city, but made a last minute decision to take a bus to Newmarket and spend the day with my sister-in-law and my very cute 6 mth old niece, Ila.  It was a great day.  We had fun shopping and running errands.  The last time I saw Ila she was just 2 weeks old, so naturally she has grown quite a bit.  She’s such a happy, smiley little girl.  I couldn’t get enough of her.  It was the best way to spend my day off.

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