Niagara-On-The-Lake is a historic town where Lake Ontario and the river meet. It’s a small town filled with a long street of shops, hotels, and eateries. Colorful flowers and lush greenery are everywhere. Neighborhoods surround it with wooden houses of all sizes. The gardens around the houses were breathtaking. I could live there in the summertime!
We strolled, ate, and shopped; bought Cam a Tilley brand hat. He is sun sensitive, he really needed one with a wide brim. Hats are very popular here. Do you think fashionable hats could make a comeback in America? Ladies hats were gorgeous! Most men wear the type of hat Cam got. Not once did I see a baseball cap.
The lake was only about three blocks from the street shops. Wish I had that view from my window! I saw a house for sale, just a block away and it was perfect for me; yellow and small! People were sitting on the grass reading papers, talking, eating, and generally being relaxed. Seems like life is at a slower pace here. Some people were very friendly and some not.
I wanted to see the locks on the river, so Cam and I set off to find them. I don’t know if people here aren’t good telling how to navigate or they think we can’t travel back roads. We had to stop for directions three times. It was frustrating. Along the way, we saw dozens of small fruit stands and country markets selling jelly & fruit. Yum! Yes, I stopped and purchased!
Finally, found lock one, two, and three. No ships! Drove on. Lock four, a bridge that raised for ships, lock five, six, and seven….No ships…so disappointing! However, lock seven had a viewing site and was still open. (It was after 6:00). They do have ship schedules and one was due at 6:44.
We waited and it came…moving very slowly. It was so close you could talk to the people on board. The ship was huge. It took about ten minutes to get into the lock and about 15 to 20 minutes to actually be lowered to sail out. Loved the experience of watching it. The last lady I got directions from, who gave them accurately, said, “You want to see ships coming through locks?” Like it was a silly idea. I guess they don’t think those things are noteworthy, but for me, it was a unique site. I’m glad we persisted.
Life Continues 