More ups and downs

We both slept well and after the minimal evening meal (!) we decided to have the breakfast at the hotel - after previous versions this was a bit of a disappointment!  No juice, poor choice of tinned fruit only, and the scrambled eggs had been hanging around for a while.  There was, however, plenty of toast or even make your own waffles with jam and cream and the bacon was good.  Coffee seems to be getting worse!  Anyway it hit the spot so we hurried back to the room, anxious to see the sights.  Our chore for the day was to confirm with Amtrak for our train to New York tomorrow and we received a bit of a shock when advised that we can only take 2 items of carry on luggage as there are no facilities for checked baggage at Niagara Falls station.

We immediately sent off emails to the travel agents and then tried phoning - more issues with the USA mobile so had to call via the hotel phone and get them to phone back.  Several suggestions including buying a large bag to put 2 bags into!  Another was that it would be OK as they had been told (by Amtrak) that 2 bags plus a personal item were OK - different from the website.  What to do!?

We eventually left the hotel at 11 and made our way by funicular railway down to ground level after seeing the falls for the first time (just a few minutes from the hotel).  We traded in our vouchers for a card which would be scanned for the various activities covered under the pass.  First we had a short film and simulation of the creation of the Falls - complete with appropriate spray & wind!!  We had been issued with plastic ponchos which we kept on for the next item - a trip behind the Falls which was fascinating and just unbelievable watching the amount of water cascade past us.

We then grabbed a quick bite to eat at one of our regular haunts (Tim Hortons) - a cheese croissant was tried which was delicious plus a greek yoghurt with berries and granola - just lovely!  Refreshed, we caught the bus (included) up the road to the Hornblower cruises, donning another poncho before boarding the boat for a great trip around the Falls - getting quite wet (including the poor camera) but luckily it was not too cold and with a brisk wind that quickly dried us.

We then caught the bus again further up the road to the Whirlpool Aero Car but were very disappointed to find it had been cancelled due to the very high winds.  We could apply on line for a refund, so hopped on the bus to go all the way up the road, stopping at various activities that could be paid for, until we reached the Floral Clock (free) before heading back to town to find a solution to our luggage problem.

We decided another option could be to fasten 2 bags together so purchased some luggage straps - fingers crossed as sizes are mentioned on the web page!  Downtown Niagara Falls has to be seen to be believed - just like a giant funfair with horror houses and other attractions, tacky shops and run down restaurants.

We have not yet found anything for dinner so thought we would venture out again and to see if we could buy something for breakfast.  We thought we had struck lucky but the restaurant was full with a private function so we trudged on but seemed to be heading for the ghastly funfair area to headed up the hill to where the hotels mainly are but the restaurants are very pricey.  However we found a small shop and bought some cereal and milk for breakfast before heading back to our hotel to dine at the restaurant.  We have a $10 voucher so this helps.  We both chose grilled shrimps (large prawns) which were absolutely scrummy - served with rice and loads of beautifully cooked broccoli - makes a change from burger!