Our last full day on the ship was supposed to include a "luxury motor coach" trip to Niagara Falls… but it didn’t. Try as we might to avoid it, Kathleen caught the traditional vacation cold and was up all night coughing the night before we were supposed to visit Niagara Falls. So we decided to stay in the small town where the ship was docked at the southern tip of the Welland Canal, Port Colborne. Deciding not to go to Niagara Falls was not a hard choice. We had been there twice together, on both the Canadian (better) and American (not as good) sides.
So we got up late and went to a late breakfast after everyone else had boarded their “luxury motor coaches” and headed off to the Falls. It was almost like we had the ship to ourselves. After breakfast, Kathleen decided to sleep some more, and I grabbed my camera and went for a walk to photograph the lovely little town of Port Colborne. I took some pictures (of course I did), added captions, and they are below.
There are also photos of our transit through the Welland Canal, which takes us from Lake Huron to Lake Ontario (please see quote at the bottom of this page). A fun trip.
We are in Toronto this morning (Saturday). We got off the ship yesterday morning at 9:00, fully prepared to go to our hotel, drop off our bags, and then sit in their lobby until we could check in. But I had called and spoken to a very nice man at the desk the day before, and he had told me they would do their best to get us into the first room that was cleaned because they were completely sold out the night before we got there. When we arrived yesterday morning around 10:00, he said that they had had one no-show the night before and the room was ours. I could have kissed him. Kathleen needed to go back to bed (after having coughed all night), and I started to think I might be coming down with it as well. Not only did he have room for us, but it was a complete four-room suite. And he didn’t charge us for the upgrade. WHAT A GUY!
Last night, we went to dinner at the home of our good friends Tim & Perry. We met them on a cruise way back in 2010 Down Under, and we have stayed friends ever since. We were at their wedding almost 10 years ago, and we've taken other cruises with them, including meeting them in California. We just don’t get to see them enough. They are the kind of friends you can go five years without seeing, and when you get together, it’s like you saw each other yesterday. Perry made lasagna, and Tim (the baker in the family) made a wonderful pear & ginger cake. And we got to touch base with Mark, who lives with them as well. We had the best time!
We head to the airport around 1:15, and our flight leaves at 4:55, non-stop to Seattle, so we will be home with Keeley the Wonder Dog tonight. We can’t thank Michelle (Kathleen’s daughter) enough for taking care of her for these two weeks.
I have one more post to sum up the trip coming your way, hopefully tomorrow but probably on Tuesday. It will cover food, one place I hadn’t been on the ship until the last day and more. Stick with me.
"I don't give a rat's ass what that orange pumpkin in Washington, D.C., calls it; it is still (and always will be) Lake Ontario. All this Lake America crap can kiss my ass."—Anonymous
So sorry to hear about Kathleen’s cold! Hope you are well!
I finally made your site as a photographer. lol. Little blurry eh! It was a fun thing to do and really shows how small the world can get with the internet. I guess we could have FaceTimed too but you know the stuff you can get into and do now is endless. You are likely boarding soon as I write.
But regardless have a safe flight even if you don’t get to read this until home.
Well that was quick, it feels like you have only just boarded and now its over. Great result about the hotel room, it just proves if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Great photos as usual and as I said the autumn light seems to bring them all to life.
So, are you getting LMC withdrawal symptoms?