Sailing the Viking Homeland Route with Viking

 I have told you all why we are sailing— in search of cooler weather with a side order on No on duty for Karen-cooking, cleaning, washing, errand running or even making the bed-but Eddie usually makes the bed, first in last out…short straw on that household chore.  Now, the how and when.  My research into cruising is not especially scientific, I usually use a search engine on United Cruises…yeah, that United.  They have “partnered” with a large travel agency that gives you a multiplier of dollars spent and  stateroom category usually 7-12x in you guessed it, United mileage if you use their Chase Mileage card. Yeah, mileage is like green stamps from when we were kids.  It takes a lot to buy anything these days, too.    Thank goodness we don’t have to lick them and put them in a book.  Eddie flew enough back in the day that he is Gold for life, which means we usually can get home from our far flung destinations on mileage.  I enter the month and year, and our preferred cruises lines.  We tend to sleep around with the various majors, with a river cruises thrown in for good measure.  I see what they are offering.  We are purely destination driven in cruise speak.  …and how much they want for a upper category room or suite.  You know the Captain, his butt powdering needs a certain category to make him feel at home.  I know the range per night we are willing to spend….there has been a definite cruiseflation…everyone has figure out the same thing…cruising is the easiest way to see the world without repacking a suitcase.  So, my target number has gone up considerably since BC (Before Covid).  This cruise was no different.  Both Viking and HAL (Holland America Lines-aka Carnival for old folks) offered similar itineraries-US port departure, head north along Canadian coast across to Greenland and around Iceland.  HAL comes back to Boston-35 days. Viking Ocean terminates in Reykjavik, Iceland in 14 days.  Not wanting to miss Hurricane season in Houston and the chance to put a blue tarp on our roof or muck water out of our house, we decided to try Viking.  Viking is new to the Ocean cruising business, and has actually only been in the river cruise business for 25 years…they currently have 60 long boats or river cruisers, 12 ocean vessels, and 2 expeditions ships for more shallow bodies of waters like the Great Lakes.  It was marketing genius to place sponsorship ads with PBS Masterpiece-they know their target market.  The business model fascinates me…the debt load of this Norwegian gentlemen must be enormous.  The ships are all new (no refurbs).  Small…like 950 passengers…in a world of large, tall, noisy mine is bigger than yours ships.  There are no casinos, minimum number of bars and meager entertainment staffs, no art sales, cooking demonstrations or the like.  No staff driven games or hijinks.  Plenty (like 5-6 times a day) enrichment lectures by very knowledgeable professionals that could put anyone to sleep.  So, as a passenger you are expected to entertain yourself-read, spa, lay out in the sun or swim, work out in the gym…but you are on your own. The food and service is outstanding…the staff all smile and appear to be happy.  They are not harried or overwhelmed with they number of people they are asked to serve.  Pleasant change for sure.  The deco-danish modern, well, duh.  Kinda like a cruise ship mated with an IKEA store.  Blonde wood, low back seating (Eddie hates that) thoughtful designed staterooms and bathrooms.  Lots of closets and drawers and surface area and a bathroom shower large enough that you don’t have to stand in the toilet to get clean-looking at you, Princess…or a bathtub too high to get in and out of without steps.  A woman must have designed this space.  

So, who signs up for this cerebral cruise….old people.  There are no children allowed on Viking Ocean cruises.  I guess their definition put any one under 45 (maybe even 50) are classified as children.  There are probably only 10% younger than me.  In fact, Eddie looks a little young-but you know, fat don’t crack, so he has a less weathered and wrinkled appearance…and after 3 eye surgeries, he looks positively youthful…except for the chronic tearing part (yes, still)…  We figure most folks to be 75-85 years old….basically all Quails, possibly a few second marriages but not trophy wives.   Did not see the rule that scooters and walkers would not be permitted on board…there are none (or they have hidden them)…walking poles or a subtle cane are permitted.of course there should be an onboard shop for medical braces, because 33% of folks have some sort of appliance or brace.    There are a lot of mobility challenged folks limping, hobbling, shuffling, knuckle dragging…never mind the part about mouth breathers and hearing aides….basically, at Day 3 we are still looking for our tribe. It appears that most groups on board did not just organically happen, more of a BYOP-bring your own posse.  Everyone else sticks to their quail mate. 

Sister Kathy has quite a network of cruise friends and professionals.  She asked for a “first impression” on Day One as she was eating with her cruise booking gal that lives in the PNW.  Turns out we made the better choice on Viking over HAL.  The HAL out of Boston has had numerous problems and apparently is sending this pal lots on reports!  

We are currently preparing to get off the ship in Halifax…and take a tall ship tour of the harbor,  Did I mention that the storm that slammed the eastern seaboard and left 1 million in the dark has followed us up to Nova Scotia.  So, we have dawned our rain gear.  Not sure we will see much as the fog-you got it, thick as pea soup.  We will be shuffling off for now.  

 🎶”Start spreading the news…we are leaving today (really,  we left on Saturday, and it is now Tuesday, I am a little behind)…we want to be apart of it…New York, New York.” 🎶 We all know what that means, I am spending my downtime (Eddie’s nap time) writing about our travels and sharing, wait for it, Eddie stories.  This time, we are in search of double digit (not our current all too familiar triple digits) temperatures that are 60’s and below.  It gets harder every year to find a place in earth not touched by global warming.  We will start our trip in old New York, up to Nova Scotia through the St Lawrence sea way, across the Atlantic, popping in to Greenland (completing our Travel bucket list of all continents*), and finally, circumnavigating Iceland.  (*Antarctic was more of a drive-by, but we decided to count it, we are getting older so we want to cross the finish line of several things.

So, as I am behind, I will recap our 40 hours in New York.  First, the traffic.  I promise to never complain about Houston traffic…inside, outside or on the various loops.  I do not know how people here do it.  The congestion cars, buses, black Suburban limos, Uber/Lyft, yellow cabs, the tolls, the uncontrolled/uncontrollable e-bikes (that is a whole post all on its own), pedestrians…Houston can stay #4.  I could/would not drive in #1 New York, I value my sanity and life too much.  Walking is enough of an adrenaline rush for me.  

This is not our first time in NY by any means, but the first time since preCovid.  Yes, just like all major metropolitan areas, the ghost of Covid lurks in the vacant shop windows and the lack of lit office space in the early morning hours that whispers life is not the same.  Arriving on Saturday the streets were full of families, couples, Japanese tour groups (welcome back, we missed your yen)  and a wild assortment of characters…whether they are local or imported, they are looking for their tribes of likeminded people.  The people watching is some of the best in the world.   We arrived at our hotel the Intercontinental Barclay- part of the IHG group-read Holiday Inn. Whether the Holiday Inn corporate philosophy or the effects on large city hotels post Covid without business travelers, the Barclay looks a little less special and a little more common…down to the dingy thin towels in the bathroom…than it once did when we would come close to Christmas for a meeting with one of Eddie’s groups.  

We dropped our 4 (yes, four, ridiculous amount of overpacking and just in case crap) pieces of luggage in the hotel room, and headed out on foot.  Now remember, we have walked two different airport terminals this morning, never mind the multi trips I made around the house before we departed.    My watch is already asking me if I want to change my fitness goals, and reminding me to stand on the plane or in the taxi.  So, we are off.  We had theatre tickets for 8:00 to see Moulin Rouge the Musical.  Dinner reservations at Becco’s Italian for 5:00.  When I looked at the map…walking and subway, as we are right next door to the Grand Central station, I thought we could do this, looks like a little more than a mile, yeah, we are good.  Over the years from this hotel, I have learned to navigate the NY subway system extremely well along with the avenues and streets.  The Grand Central station has been restored over the years and is eye candy for centuries old architecture geeks (guilty).  We passed on cabs..yellow or pedi (addition since our 2018 visit) and Uber.  We walked, and walked.  Yes, it is 20 degrees cooler than home, but the humidity feels like home and the throngs of people seems to take whatever slight breeze there is out of the equation.  Another thing that I want to do when I come back in the afterlife is to have the scaffolding business that is here in the city.  Despite empty office buildings and store front, new office buildings are going up along with renovation of old ones all around Midtown Manhattan, all are required to have scaffolding…  Our foot travels took up us past the Roosevelt Hotel.  Eddie stayed there in the 1990’s, it was a expensive flea bag.  As I remember the story it was $300 a night and his room was so small that he had to open the closet door when in bed to have a place for his feet to rest…we can all assume there is an Eddie upgrade with that story.   Anyway, if you believe the News (pick your favorite flavor, I think there is agreement on this fact) this old hotel has been used to house the thousand of immigrants from Abbott’s bus-a-migrant program.  Yup, right here on E45th at Vanderbilt…convenient but kinda of a pricy neighborhood.  Our walk by begs the question, why are they 200 motor bikes-more Vespar than Harley- parked in front?  Is this why Mayor Eric Adams can’t afford the problem as they all receive a Midtown Manhattan hotel room and motor bike when they get off the bus from Texas?  Good Grief, hospitality has it limits, and I am from the Deep South.  

Dinner was typical New York family Italian, lots of people packed shoulder to shoulder in small butt chairs (think ice cream parlor sized) at even smaller tables.  Pasta portions are reasonably priced and large…with all the usual suspects for secondi if you wanted a hearty entree.  Cocktails or house wine were $14…which if you know NYC is a deal.  So, with full bellies we attempted to wander the Times Square area..forget it…7:00 was prime time for everything.  

We gave up and joined the queue in front of the Al Hirschfeld theatre to see Moulin Rouge, the Musical. Yes, there was a movie starring Nicole Kidman..but the basis of all of this is the turn of the 1900’s cabaret of the same name in Paris that is general considered where the can-can started.  Cabaret dancers that were oftentimes prostitutes….the plot line of both movie and musical speaks to those facts…bawdiness and all.    So, image our surprises at the number of elementary school kids with their parents seeing the show.  Great music, great dancing, high energy and lots of follow up questions by people of a certain age…like under 12.  User tip, if this is one of the options at the TKTS booths, check wiki before purchasing.  Or, maybe we are just getting that old.  Yikes!  Great show! Remember these old theaters are not known for elbow or leg room, and we had walked 9.5 miles on the day to that point…not a usual thing in Pickle world, Texas edition.  So, the 1.5 miles home were slow going, we  had stiffened up a tad.  We rolled into bed around 12:00 EST.  Even at CST, well past our published bed time of 9:30.  

Sunday was a slow morning.  We went to an on trend late brunch in a near by cafe, we did not pick up a copy of The NY Times, we used our pads and read the Chronicle..with some of the same stories, I am sure.  Remember our last out of Texas trip, we saw friends from our past…well, this trip is no different.  We arranged to meet one of Eddie’s college chums (and a groomsman in our wedding) for dinner.  We have seen Mike more frequently than most of our old friends, and Eddie does a better job of keeping up with the 5-6 of them….even though they had a betting pool on how long our marriage would last…we had only known each other a sum total of 6 weeks when we got married after a blind date.    At 47 years and counting,  Eddie won the bet.  Score one for Team Quail/Pickle.  (Remember those Desert quail that are mated for life)   Mike always reminds us of the bet…We went to dinner at our favorite place, The River Cafe, in Brooklyn under the Brooklyn bridge.  We have been coming for at least 27 of their 30 years in business.  Well, since the last time we were here, Brooklyn (specifically DUMBO-Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) has become a big thing.  Brooklyn has become the new hip area to live and be…never mind it cost $22.50 each way to go over the bridge.  Renovation of old warehouses, green spaces, parks, open markets and tall (50+ story) apartment and condo complexes….and the River Cafe with great views is now hard to get into, Michelin Starred restaurant with a cast of 100’s to serve you.  Was it worth the 90 day out reservation, guaranteed by a credit card, 4 phones reminding us to be there promptly at 7? Along with the dress code?  Nope, the Italian place last night was much better.  $40 a glass for a house red wine…seriously.  We share several hours of laughter and views from their Gramercy Park apartment..mere blocks from the Union  Square riot over a PlayStation give away 9 days before….no, we do not have attending a riot in a major city on our bucket list.  I got a huge hug from Mike and he whispered that he was glad that we (meaning Eddie and I) are growing old together, and he has someone to take care of him.  Yeah, Mike knows our Eddie pretty well.  

Until I write again, 

It’s a Wrap!

 🎶Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go🎶.  Yeah, it is time to click my ruby red slippers and say “There is no place like home” then do the 90 minute drive back to the airport, return the rental car. Oops, forgot the fill the tank unless you want to pay double to have them do it part. Then grab our bags of dirty clothes and head for the queue to check in.  Sad to see our adventure over.  The breath of true spring, the roar of the Falls and getting out of the familiar rut will be missed.  Hello, 2 suitcases of dirty laundry-meet you in the rut on Mother’s Day.  

So, you can ask what we did on Friday…since Thursday was the snooze fest.  We do what old people do.  Reconnect with people we have not seen in 44 years and have possibly 2-3 hours of awkward conversation over a meal.  Wow, those Pickles know how to party.  Thanks to Facebook for making those opportunities available for us old people.  As a person who identifies as OCD, I do not do Facebook….do I get an identifying pronoun?   I saw that Rabbit Hole for what it was when it was not much more that an idea.  While I follow lots of threads on the www, not a big on the social media platforms….it is a “blue” job…so, Eddie is our designated Fber.  He has reconnected with people literally across the globe…to include some of his pals from JAG in Washington, DC days.  (1976-1980). When we started planning this adventure, Eddie reached out to one of these pals that has a law practice in Medina, NY, about  25 miles north of Buffalo…which is the other way to get to Niagara Falls.  Lance (the NY lawyer) made recommendations and where to stay, what to see, and tipped us off to staying the bulk of our time here in Niagara on the Lake.  He also mentioned that he and his second wife (we knew the first from back in the day) Patty (classic, he married his secretary) would drive up and meet us for lunch.  Eddie said “great, sure, love to”…as you do.  So, lunch reservations for 4 at a highly rated local restaurant at 11:30 Friday it is.  

Talk about performance anxiety…when I was growing up, there was an expression-don’t discuss money, religion or politics-full circle moment on that advise these days…when you get to this point in life…acceptable convos revolve around adult children, grands, travel and the dreaded medical procedures.  Apparently, Lance and Patty had the same conversation in the car on the way up…by the time we were being served lunch we were laughing and chatting as if we had been friends for a long time.  We even went there in the taboo subjects-same page as we are.  Go figure.  Guess it is why we were friends in the Navy days…birds of a feather and all.    In the traditional Dick measuring department…Lance has two (without medical assistance, I might add) sets of twins (F,M,F,M) from his first wife and Patty has two (F,M) adult  children-all between 35-47 years old with spouses and subsets of grands…21 of those…point Team Marks.  Eddie would have trouble remembering names and ages, never mind birthdays and interests.    Lance is still practicing law, Eddie has been retired for 12 years…point Pickle, depends on point of view?  Both boys enjoy good food and spirits and minimal exercise.  Eddie can claim a point for as he has the best blood work money (and pharma) can buy with a team of doctors and specialists on speed dial.  Lance sees his GP every couple of years….hey, I told you it was a small town.    Travel …it is a push.  With that many children and grands from Manhattan to Seattle, they are leading in the frequent grandparent miles, so point Team Marks.  However, Team Pickle scored big in seeing their grands often.  It was a push for international, too-turns out they are avid cruisers also. In fact, we enjoyed lunch so much, they were sad to leave us, but they are packing for a cruise trip departing Sunday.  We parted with hugs and a promise to compare cruises schedules.  

Well, folks, it’s a wrap.  We travel again in August, until then, stay safe out there.  

Whining and Dining

 Eddie and I both find Canadians generally warm and friendly…exceedingly polite-that would be the tad British side, not necessarily the French side.  They don’t seem as tense and angry as us Americans have become…it has  been great to be able to walk the tree lined streets, duck into pocket parks and city parks without looking over your shoulder or feeling threaten in any way. Not much graffiti either, and no one talks about politics or politicians, Covid or the economy …Tucker, who?   It has been a throwback to a kinder, gentler time.  It is the souvenir I would like to bring home with me and keep.  

As the sun came up on Thursday, wait for it, you all know it is coming - Eddie decided to sleep in.  There you have it, our dirty little secret.  Eddie is good for usually 5 days of traveling and touring…but he will declare for himself a day off around day 6.  Well, Eddie is out of practice, call is Covid hangover, but with a dyi wine day on the books, he declare a day off. Surprise!  Day 4-Eddie, Eddie, Eddie-you must be getting old.  It must have been the thought of Ice Wine and White wines -no reds that convinced him that he needed to sleep until noon.    Thank goodness I did not book the My Wine Country van tour that picks you up and drives you to multiple wineries with a heavy Italian lunch and home for 5:00 tour…and charges you a pretty looney (Canadian for Dollar) to do so.  But you know me, I am up with the sun on most days.  So, me and Apple Watch set out for a solo adventure.  My watch was so happy :) that we were stretching our activity circle.

Back to our friendly Canadians-at breakfast.  Cruise training kicked in and I struck up a friendly conversation with an adjacent table couple.  I judged her to be around my age and the alpha-husband was older but attentive.  She had retired and become a wine something…it is a Certification below Sommelier.  She took the courses and got this do-dad certification and went to work for a Wine importer.  They spend their time traveling the world procuring wines for this importer…dang, why didn’t Eddie do that….or at least become a craft bourbon or liquor certified do-dad.  Paid for travel, and hob nobbing with the vintner, and telling him lies (or truths) about his product.  They live in Toronto, but love the Niagara on the Lake region.  They come here once a month at invitation of multiple wineries.  Gee, hard life, but someone needs to sort the good from the bad.  She was quite chatty-must be all the wine she consumes.  She said while the ice wine is good, and the white wines decent - she find the product extraordinary overpriced.  She said that  they can import (remember we are in Canada-another country) from the US west coast a better tasting white at a much more attractive price than the wines from here or British Columbia.  Hmmm, doubly glad we did not go on the pricey wine tour…has Eddie become psychic (instead of a certified liquor do-dad) in his old age?  I am getting a Carnac the Great/Johnny Carson vibe, here. Nah, he always will go red when wine tasting…and champagne has lost its  “pop”for him.  He planned this day off, you think?

Come afternoon, he was up and ready for a stroll and a bite.  I shared my morning friend’s observation.  So, no wineries for us.  Phew, I was afraid there would be a shipping wine home at an outrageous price fire drill.  So, back to our afternoon of adventure.   Like I said, tree line streets and pocket parks abound…probably need to consult the internet and see if this has been the home to a movie or two.  This all seems like a grand place to shoot a movie or Netflix series-we prefer Netflix with its dump all episodes to the drop one a week that all the other subscriptions services prefer….overshare, I know…  The town is such a step back in time.  Did our stroll take us to a winery, or at least a wine tasting room?  Nope, we ended up in an Irish Pub.  You could order flights of  local beer, cider or wine-or get whiskey…and there is some local of that, too. No charge for the Irish drinking songs.    Never a dull moment when you travel with Eddie.  

Stepping Back in Time

With Eddie dry and blue skies, we left the Water, Neon and LED lights of Niagara Falls and headed north along the River Road to the most charming little place in the world.  Niagara on the Lake is where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario.  It is home to the oldest Catholic Church in Ontario, second oldest Anglian (read Church of England) Church and the oldest surviving golf course in Canada…it is a flat boring course that I could even do well on.  The River Road is similar to lots of River Roads that wind through the original 13 colonies and southern states.  Large farming estates, plantations and homes flank the roads with century old stone stacked fences or hedge rows…with a variety of crops from cotton to tobacco to sugar cane dotting the landscape.  Here,  it is not that different.  There are centuries old homes, sprinkled with a few new out of place modern homes but almost all have grapes planted.  The number of wineries in the region outnumbered all of our fingers and toes, for sure.  And you know what Eddie says about that-“Just because you can grow grapes, does not mean you should make wine”.  So, I am sure there is a wide variety of quality.  The vines have not begun to bud, but the various wineries are open for a tasting-mostly a sweet dessert wine called Ice Wine that is produced here, with the weather more conducive to white wines grapes.  The area also has a fair number of breweries and hard apple cider houses, if you are not a wine person.  My early research said there are a few renegades that have produced some red wines, but it would be best to stick with what they are known for.  

The town of Niagara on the Lake starts where Fort George (War-of 1812 for you history buffs) was and the recreated National Park is now.  The town of Niagara on the Lake has strived to keep us in the last century or two with Vintage Hotels, tree and flower lined streets, no stop lights and shops that date back over 100 years. I have been tempted to bring home one of their landscape maintenance people…they use E-powered lawn mowers (even on the big park stuff), hand weed, and there are no blowers in the Historical section, by city ordinance.  Cool, lush, quiet and alive with color.  We are staying at the Prince of Wales, a hotel that has been here since the mid 1800’s.  Yeah, we do authentic.  High tea, served daily, pinkies out.  There are two distinct groups of people here…old and bridal party…before, during and after.  It is a true destination wedding place that brings the romantic setting to your Instagram post.  Not much in between.  

Niagara on the Lake is also home to the Shaw Festival.  It is Canada second largest repertoire company with 4 stages/theaters in the small town.  Wednesday was opening day for the summer for the Shaw Theatre.  The play-Gypsy.  Awww, come one you know the 1959’s production of the story based loosely on the life of burlesque’s Gypsy Rose Lee.  Give you a hint - Ethel Merman. Everything is coming up Roses, Let me Entertain you, Wherever We Go.  Music by Sondheim…considered one of the Greatest Musical of all times.  Most of us in the audience were old enough to remember Ethel Merman in the role or even Bette Midler belting out the tunes…except for the few newlyweds in the audience we all knew the plot and had seen at least one of the revivals or TV adaptions of it.  These poor kids (newlyweds and Catholic High school students) looked clueless at intermission.  Vaudeville, burlesque, the depression….these poor kids thumbs needed a rest from all the wiki inquires.  Eddie, of course, theatre buff and college thespian has matured into Theatre Critic…we attended the Matinee performance so that dinner could be filed with his opinions….and he had many…and so soon after his yellow bag performance.  What do they say…people in glass houses….

Meanwhile, back at Apple Watch watch.  If you give a mouse a cookie…if you change your activity level for two days, it will want you to do more on day three.  My watch kept telling me to stand up at the theatre.    Heck, we already had 8,000 steps by 2:00…lay off.  Maybe I will just leave it at home on Thursday when we go wining.  That will teach it a thing or two.  I don’t think you get activity points for moving your elbow with glass in your hand.  

Water is Wet

 Unlike other trips, neither Eddie nor I did much advance historical research…Eddie, being Eddie, selected the various restaurants we should eat at, I was in Charge of what we should do when we weren’t eating-our usually division of labor.  On Tuesday we determined we wanted to take in the waters of the Falls…That means get on one of the boats that take you to both the American Falls and the Canadian Falls.  With that much water, you can be assured that you are going to get wet.  If you board the boats on the US side, you are on the Maid of the Mist and given royal blue rain ponchos.  If you board on the Canadian side you are in the Hornblower and given red rain ponchos.  I guess Canada and the Brit connection can claim the red ponchos. Everyone on both vessels (all electric and carbon neutral since 2022) had their ponchos on, it is quite the sight to see 200 people fluttering in  the elements, getting soaking wet…and paying for it.    There are a couple other players in the get your passengers wet business, but they are not the original one…and you know us we are all about authentic experiences.  There are 6 or 7 different sights on the Combo US Canadian tour, along with a history lesson or two.  Did you Google Tesla (person, not the car)  and Westinghouse?  

After Monday’s airport work out, Tuesday’s tour had my Apple Watch asking me if I was Karen or had my watch been stolen.  When I lapped the 15,000 steps and multiple flights of steps for the second day, I am surprised my watch did not contact 911…kinda like the folks on Roller Coaster where the descent is such that they think you have fallen.  I keep getting “Good Job” and “Keep it up” or asking if I wanted to change my fitness goals.  No, you can go back to your stand when we go back home…and you can tell me to stand up when I have been sitting too long, again.  Thanks, Apple….I like my earthworm status.  

Back to our tour, and of course, the Eddie story…cause that is what you read my blog for anyway.  When we booked our tour with Over the Falls, they actually call you and tell you that you are going to get wet-and what that means for shoe wear, unnecessary items, and clothing.They send you an email with same information, text you with same information.  They will not be accused of not letting you know about the water being wet.  Trip Advisor 5 stars rating are at stake… With a 6-7 hour trip, wet heavy pants, soggy feet were something that we decided we would prepare for.  Eddie had some water resistant hiking shoes, water resistant pants, his water resistant jacket with hood.  He decided that he would not need the additional poncho that is provided,  He was the only person without a Blue disposable rain poncho on when we pulled away from the Mist’s dock on the US side.  As our guide had asked us to retain our poncho as a later stop would required a poncho and the yellow one that the Cave in the Wind provided was inferior to the blue one that we would be given on the Maid.  Eddie blames the lack of hearing aides (he left them at the hotel, fearing they would get wet and die, we are after all rule followers) on not hearing the get and retain the blue poncho instruction.  Eddie’s keep dry method was fine for the “feeling the power and misting water” of the Falls.  By the time we arrived at the Cave of the Winds, close to the site of the first hydroelectric power plant in North America-hello Tesla and Westinghouse, it had gotten warm.  Especially when you are walking and climbing steps.  Eddie had started peeling like an orange, and was no longer protected from the elements with his trusty rain jacket with hood and baseball cap combo.  We descend the stairs to the elevator to go to the Cave in the Wind.  Everyone else dawned their retained blue poncho.  Poor Eddie was stuck with the really flimsy yellow one that they issue you.  Think Hefty, Hefty, Hefty (Blue Poncho) versus Wimpy, Wimpy, Wimpy and small (Yellow Poncho) Did I mention that while not high season, these places run on a schedule and there are people lined up to board the elevators to go down to the lower part of the American Falls…that is the “Cave” part.  Our tour was a “skip the line” affair, so we were hustled past the long lines, so no time to put on the yellow cleaning bag with a hoodie.  I had my blue retained poncho on, Eddie struggled to get the yellow one over his head in the crowded elevator.  I will pause for a moment so you can get a mental picture…classic Three Stooges slap stick…on message for Niagara Falls.  By the time we reach the wooden walkway and stairs, and the powerful mist and water, I turned to find Eddie stuffed into the yellow poncho, with hoodie portion firmly in the front.  No do overs here.  Onward!  To the thundering Falls and wet water.  

I now know why they print a warning on plastic bags…small children and old people should not be allowed to play with plastic bags.  Eddie got a little damp during this part of the tour,…and yes, I have pictures to use in the Christmas card.  While the Falls are impressive up close  

and personal, Eddie wet with his yellow poncho backwards..was priceless.  

We ended Tuesday with a nap and warm shower before dinner-we are not use to this much activity…my Apple Watch says so…oh yeah, laughter is truly the best medicine.  

It is all about the Falls, ‘bout the Falls

 
Yes, folks, those CrAzY Pickles are traveling again, checking off places on our Bucket List travel before we kick the bucket.  We have left you and yours in the rainy Southeast Texas region for the natural wonder of Niagara Falls.  Prior to Harvey,  Iguaza Falls in Brazil/Argentina was not only on the list, but we had our yellow fever shots, hotel reservations and flights along with a cruise down the Amazon in the travel queue…but Harvey kinda washed those plans over the dam…then Covid…so, NF became the new Iguazu Falls with the Canada/US border the new South American border like destination, and of course, Covid shots replaced the yellow fever shot card, and a cruise down the Amazon became a drive down the shoreline/River Road to Niagara on the Lake.  A lot has happened in the last 5.5 years…Niagara Falls seemed more reasonable and less physically demanding than rainforest and piranhas. 
We departed at noon Monday on an Air Canada flight to Toronto, escaping what I understand will be a wet and stormy week at home.  Sounds about right.  Water tops the lower dock when we are traveling…think Tax Day, Memorial Day flood prior to Harvey.  PTSD?…just a little.  We arrived on schedule and got our 10,000 steps (no bathrooms along the way) in from the plane to customs and immigration.  IAH needs to take notes.  Toronto and Vancouver have a nifty Arrive Canada app…if you read the instructions when you are checking in for your flight…makes the entire process painless…I took us longer to find a bathroom than it did to get through that process.  Despite the instructions, most were stuck it the queue… Hint, hint..read then follow the instructions….it is a phone app.  Bathroom, then luggage carousel #10, bags arrived just about the same time we did.  Another 2,500 steps to the rental car desk and we were on the road by 5:30…with just our Apple Car Play to tell us how to get to our destination.  Eddie did good, not great…great would have been no wrong turns and rerouting by our Lady of the CarPlay…
In planning our trip, a choice had to be made—-so we stay on  US side or Canada side.  Canadian side has spectacular views of the Falls-both of them- Horseshoe and American Falls…and for a price you can have a room overlooking the Falls.  US side has a tribal casino and hotel…period. Decision made.  We tend to eat our money not gamble it away…we want something to show for our Canadian Dollars.  So, Maple Leaf it is.    All the regular hotel chains are here, not the high end stuff, Embassy Suites, Sheraton, Hilton, Doubletree, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn…the usual.  Mom and Pop places, too, some B&Bs on River Road- it is all about location, location, location.  We decided on a Fallsview room on the 35th floor of the Embassy Suites…with Full Valet Parking available for $100 a night…Niagara’s little gotcha.  We opted for the Off Site $35 Canadian parking lot, with shuttle service.  Even Eddie has his limited on needless spending.  By 6:45 (5:45 CST) we were overlooking the View from our bedroom window.  It is spectacular…while the  Niagara River is not the Amazon, it is breathtaking beautiful.  Actually considered in of the 8 wonders of the world…when that was a thing.  The Canadian Park service has everything flowered and cleaned for the summer season…May is considered the shoulder season.  
I have heard about Niagara Falls since I was a kid…thanks to the Three Stooges…”Slowly, I turn, inch, by inch” yeah, you tube refreshed my childhood memory of that.  While  I am sure that that would be ban on TV today, my sister, Kathy and I spent many hours watching a vaudeville trio slap and hit each other.  I remember random news reports of people attempting to go over the Falls in a barrel-not a high success rate.   Wallenda’s daring tightrope walk across the falls- I think it was in ABC Wide World of Sports.     There have been tons of pictures, references to it, but I was really not sure what to expect in terms of the towns and things around it.  Well, frozen in time…not exactly, but not a Disney like experience either.  It is all about the Falls.  The visitors old and young seem to get that.  Surprisingly few people have their heads down watching their phones (US citizens without Canadian cell phone plans, I guess).  They are not snapping Instagram pics in high fashion…that would not be on message for this destination.  The fashion is interesting, kinda like COSTCO meets Amazon with a side order of WalMart.  The tourist mix here is unlike any mix I have seen in some time…Japanese tourists (check), old people on bus and casino tours, check, tons of Indian and Middle Eastern families, check, lots of Amish families - now there is a surprise, but check.  Not a lot of US families with school aged kids-reasonable as school is back in session, but lots of preschool aged kids with parents and grandparents.  There are a couple of casinos on the Canadian side along with Stage acts to include Tom Jones, The Monkees - as in Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees—which I think is down to only Mickey…and Peter Noonan of Herman’s Hermits. A Vegas like lit area called Clifton Hill  which is more about the arcades, speedways and putt putt golf courses…total family fare.  Like I said, we are in a 1960 time warp.  Gee, I left my go-go boots at home.  
Nighttime at Niagara Falls is pretty spectacular.  Starting around 8:30 each evening the Falls are lit with colorful LED lights that keep the falls illuminated until 2:00.  Starting next week there is an evening fireworks display.  The various hotels and areas are mindful of the view and arrange everything from IHOP pancakes, to ice cream, drinks or a fancy steak dinner with a view of the Falls at night.  Tomorrow, I will share what we did on Tuesday and the real reason Niagara & Falls is so special-isn’t that right, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse.  Learn something every day.