Niagara Falls!!!

A surprise birthday party for a friend and co-worker from Barrie provided the perfect excuse for a night in Niagara Falls, actually a little surreal so soon upon the heels of Las Vegas. We headed down early on Saturday morning, and were graced with another beautiful spring day.

For all of you who have followed our recent septic woes, to go from no flush to one of the world's largest flushes provided stark contrast indeed.

Arriving before the rest of the revellers, we had a chance to walk around and enjoy the Falls and wander the Clifton Hill area on our own. We even managed an enjoyable lunch at the memorable Rainforest Cafe before heading back to the hotel to wait for the others, whilst sipping local Niagara Gamay Noir.

The birthday festivities began with champagne in the room, before we headed off to dinner at Brasa, a Brasilian steakhouse and winebar in the Hilton, where gauchos bring various meats to your table on huge skewers and carve them onto your plate. Along with an incredible buffet/salad bar and a wine list beyond belief, the tables operate on a simple two-sided coaster system - green means keep it coming, red means a break from the endless barrage of charbroiled meats.

From there the party wandered over to the Casino, where Jane parlayed $5 on the $0.50 slot machine into $110 on a mere four spins! Some more drinks back at the hotel lounge, and the evening wound down, equalling one Happy Birthday for our guest of honour.

The view from our hotel - the walk down Murray Street

American Falls on the U.S. side of the border

The pride of the Canadian side - Horseshoe Falls

Out over the rim....