Niagara Falls: Canada vs. America

Did you know that there are actually three falls at Niagara? One third is exclusively American and has been aptly named ‘American Falls’; Canada owns ‘Horseshoe Falls’; whilst the smallest ‘Bridal Veil Falls’ is a shared natural wonder. I didn’t know any of that, nor was I aware that 681,750 gallons of water rolls over Horseshoe every single second, hitting the base with 2,509 tons of force. Equipped with that information, it seems unfathomable that in the past century, fifteen people and a turtle have decided to take the plunge, although I’m almost certain the turtle was coerced.

The falls themselves are rather impressive, especially at night when the water cascades over the edge in ever-changing colours. We had timed our arrival to coincide with the winter festival, which opened with an acrobatics circus performance, two magnificent fireworks displays and the ‘flicking of the switch’ for 5km of city sponsored Christmas lights. After a walk down ‘mini-Vegas’, our eyes had been sufficiently tested and so we hit the road, in pursuit of some city slinkin’, Toronto style.