Niagara on the Lake

Many years ago we were traveling through

Canada and discovered the beautiful little 

town of Niagara on the Lake.  I always tell 

people who are going to visit Niagara Falls

to see the wonder of the Falls and then get 

in your car and drive about 20 minutes north

to Paradise.

Today is our 24th Wedding Anniversary.  We

wanted to take a little vacation to celebrate and

ended up going the week before our anniversary

since the kids were still home from school and could

puppy sit.  When we were thinking about where to 

go, Mr. Wonderful suggested the Niagara area and

we decided to go for High Tea as a treat.

And the place to go for High Tea is at the

Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara on the Lake.

It is a beautiful old hotel that was built in

1864.  Queen Elizabeth stayed here during

 her visit to the town.

We decided to have our tea in the Drawing Room

since it looked like the perfect place to do so.

This is the table we chose, we were told it

was the best place in the room for tea.

We saw a large party have tea at this table

and though it looks comfy, they were having

trouble juggling tea cups and plates.  It is much

better to sit at an actual table if you can.

The tea arrives first, you have many choices.

I went with a spicy blend that was a lot like

Constant Comment,  Mr. Wonderful went with 

an orange pekoe.

Then the tower of treats arrives.  There are

tea sandwiches, scones and sweets.  On the

side you have a choice of Devonshire clotted

cream, jam and butter.  We took our time and

slowly climbed the tower, we couldn't finish

all of it.

After tea we strolled around the town

to walk off all we had eaten. The flower 

displays in this town are spectacular.

I wish I knew their secrets for such lush

blooms.

The Main Street is filled with shops to 

browse through.  Try to get off the crowded

Main Street though and walk along the side

streets to see the beautiful homes of the town.

For theatre lovers, this town is the home

of the Shaw Festival.

While admiring a floral display, I found a 

feather, I always think that is good luck.

After our walk we visited a few local

antique stores and then took a drive 

along the Niagara Parkway.  Winston

Churchill said this road was "the prettiest

Sunday afternoon drive in the world".

The area is filled with wineries that 

offer tours and tastings.

And there are countless fruit stands.  This

area is filled with fruit farms.  We were on

the hunt for the tiny golden plums that our

son Brennan had discovered many years ago.

Success!

They were delicious.

We ended the day with a visit to one of North

America's natural Wonders, Niagara Falls.  I

have been lucky to visit the Falls many times

and I still find it breathtaking.