At once I knew, I was not magnificent

Unimpressed - Niagara Falls, US side

There's something about traveling to places you've seen on TV or in films, or that you know hugely important historical events happened at, or famous figures have been to that I find can be oddly underwhelming. Like you know you should be sucking in the whole atmosphere molecule for molecule, but you can't. It just doesn't quite feel how you expected it to feel. Because at the end of the day it's just a space- even if it is a beautiful or astounding one, and it will never be as amazing as it was at the point when you first became aware of it for whatever special reason it is famous for.

http://www.cntraveller.com/guides/north-america/canada/niagara-falls/where-to-stay

I hate to say it, but I did not think Niagra Falls was beautiful. It was relatively astounding, extremely intriguing- but not beautiful. That's not to say it couldn't be: it was dark when we arrived, with hard spitting rain doubled by the spray off the falls and we were hit by a steely chill the closer we got, and even in the light the mist really engulfed any detail of the landscape which would, perhaps, normally have been incredible.

It just needed photoshop, that's all.

But anyway, after an initial introduction that first night, it was getting late and we'd travelled from Bufallo all day, so we all slumped off to the hotel. In the morning we set off to cross the Freedom Bridge to the Canadian side, ready to engage in all the luminous jazzy tourist fun.
And luminous it was. Although happy to wander round with our digital cameras and foldy-up maps with the best of them, Emily, Amy and I were definitely agitated by the exploitation of Niagara Falls. It was just too much. With enough tacky souvenir stalls to put Disneyworld out of business, and restaurants with entirely glass walls boasting "The Best View of Niagara's Greatest Wonder" lining the streets, it was hard not to becomce overwhelmed by how underwhelming it all really was.

However, unwilling to put to waste the day of driving we'd gone through to get there, I bit the bullet and went along with the rest of the tour to see the falls up close on the Maid of the Mist. Amy and Emily hummed and haahed and eventually decided they couldn't face the cold and getting wet again and came to the conclusion that a nap at the back of the bus would be far more beneficial at this point, so i went it alone. Well not alone, there were several school trips and band camps and all our Chinese buddies from the bus. I must say it was a good experience with some pretty decent views and a lot of interesting facts and stories of people who had been carried to the falls and even gone over but survived. 

But by the time the end of our day in Niagara rolled around, cold and tired, clutching $8 waterfall snow globes and "did you know..?" fact sheets, I think it's safe to say we all breathed a sigh of relief.


Onwards and upwards to Toronto!

Emily and Amy enjoying the Canadian springtime

Listening to: "Holocene" by Bon Iver. From the stunning new album.

Have a listen and fall in love here.

Buy it here.