Poor Niagara

After a couple of hours drive we arrive in the town of Niagara Falls. We knew that we were going to compare Niagara Falls to Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil and to start off with there are similarities. Like Iguazu, Niagara Falls borders two countries and in a similar way one side is better to view the falls from than the other. But unlike Iguazu, the falls aren't set in a stunning remote landscape. Instead they're right next to a road and casino on the cusp of a town that largely resembles Blackpool on a really cold day. There's no denying the falls are impressive and our first glimpse is from the car whilst heading down toward the river. It comes as a bit of a surprise to see two large water falls gushing with thousands of gallons of water just over the edge of the road but that's just the way it is.
Downtown Niagara is run down, over priced and grim but there are a couple of passable streets nearer the falls themselves. A couple of streets of tat and awful attractions lie abit further on from our motel.
The sun is shining but the wind is cutting as we take a stroll along the river's edge for a closer view of the falls. A rusting barge sits stuck in the flowing river just upstream from the main mouth of the falls. The boat's crew were rescued by using a zip-line from the shoreline water turbine company's building, a day after they were stranded! The thoughts going through those guys heads must've been awful. To know that any moment the powerful river could carry their boat off and over the falls where a huge drop into icy mist would be the last thing they saw.
You can see the US side of the river from Canada and it looks no better. The city of Buffalo, in New York State, is apparently much worse than it's Canadian counterpart and we know it's pointless crossing the border to get a different perspective of the falls as the snow is incredibly deep over there around the viewing areas and we could do without the hassle at customs.
We get up close to the falls at which frequently freezing mist is sprayed across the path and road. A decent walk along the river it is too, obviously I was willing to walk here as parking for $16 is just not in me. There are tours that take you down to the foot of the falls but at this time of year the snow has still overwhelmed the viewing areas by a few feet. Even the edge of the river has ice floating around in it, certainly not somewhere you'd want to be stuck on a boat.
We don't plan on staying long, after you've seen the falls during the day you go back at night and that's your lot. I don't see any point in staying longer so I'm confused as to why it's a popular honeymoon destination. We splash out on a restaurant that night and wish we hadn't after the plain awful pasta we consume. Then it's back down to the falls to see the multi-coloured lights that are beamed on them from the casino each evening. It's an excellent novelty and looks good but standing around for any length of time is a mistake in these temperatures and when that biting mist covers you it's time to leave.
Although there are similarities, in the end Niagara and Iguazu couldn't be more different. Visiting Iguazu is a full days worth of walks through tropical jungle and views of many different falls surrounded by little else other than lush greenery. Niagara is just a grim town with all the class of a rubber plunger that just happens to be alongside a couple of large waterfalls. Still this place is hyped, and therefore world famous and busy, but in comparison doesn't stand a chance against the latin american wonder.
Supposedly, American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt saw the vastly larger Iguazu Falls and declared, "Poor Niagara!". I can do nothing but agree.
Before rushing off immediately we pass through the wine region and town of Niagara on the Lake. It's supposed have the best persevered 19th century buildings in North America but I again think the people who write these things have noses longer than Pinocchio. Still, the town is nice and there are a few good looking buildings lined along the main street. There's a British theme going on and we can't resist going in to a British shop to get a Double Decker and a Crunchie. Oh how we reminisce over jam, mustard and Fawlty Towers. I also take the opportunity to buy a chicken pie, unavailable in most places we've been, and instantly wish I hadn't when the innards resemble, in taste and looks, a tin of Pedigree Chum which is then wrapped in pastry that clearly shouldv'e been involved in a Chinese dumpling.
We mourn the poor food we've had over the last couple of days whilst sitting by the deep blue lake. People have chosen to swim across this huge body of water, all 52 miles of it, and not one them has been British. 'Maybe I could be the first', I thought, 'Maybe that pie has affected my brain!'. The water is terribly cold and certainly not for the weary traveller.
We leave the white buildings of Niagara on the Lake with the odd English accent hanging in the air as we press on to Canada's most expensive and packed city, Toronto.