We last visited Niagara Falls almost exactly two years ago so it was definitely time to return. This leg of the trip was the start of a much larger journey through South America (we’ll be sharing about that very soon). We ended up flying with Qantas the flying kangaroo this time versus Air Canada and both found the seats and flight much more comfortable…the empty seat we each ended up with next to us probably helped with that!
Due to some flight changes, we ended up with 8-hour layover in Los Angeles which makes a long ‘day’ even longer. When we landed in LA, we were unable to check our luggage into the Toronto flight and there is literally no where to sit and wait until you go check-in and security. We were both feeling tired and hungry and pretty annoyed until I spotted the Hyatt bus. We flagged it down and ended up spending much of the day in the Hyatt’s restaurant and bar area. The Hyatt we were at was still in the airport grounds and we felt fortunate to find a safe place to take shelter for the day. Just 20 minutes down the road, there were riots in the streets of LA with thousands protesting the immigration raids occurring in the United States. As we watched the protests on news television, we heard Hyatt staff warning one another to be careful what they said aloud to one another as you never know who’s listening. A statement that made us feel both sad and sick at the same time.
One glorious Cobb salad later (we don’t have ‘meal’ salads in Australia), a few drinks, and a full baseball game, we made our way back to airport to catch our overnight flight to Toronto. Neither of us slept too much on that flight so a Tim Horton’s stop on our drive to Niagara Falls was definitely needed. I think the more time we spend in Australia, the worse Timmy’s coffee tastes! (I may be risking my Canadian citizenship with that comment!!). We are just too spoiled here with great coffee here in Australia.
All kidding aside, we have never seen Canadian spirit displayed as fully as it was while we were there this visit. Everywhere you looked were displays of Canadian pride and signs encouraging people to shop Canadian. Coming from a border town, it was common for people to regular cross the border to the United States for everything from petrol, groceries, alcohol, clothing and goods, and entertainment. It was clear to us that this is just not a ‘thing’ anymore. American products have mostly disappeared from the shelves (especially American liquor) and the bridges to cross the border sat completely empty the entire time we were there. It felt strange, but also inspiring and we were pleased to see Canadians rebelling against the ‘new’ America and standing up and taking pride in being Canadian.
For this visit, we stayed in Chippawa with the Manders. They were all at school and work when we arrived which gave us a quiet afternoon to rest (but do everything possible to not sleep!). In typical Manders’ fashion, they went all out to ensure our room felt like home.
We always feel pretty wrecked our first day/evening in Canada so we had not made any plans for our first night. Jer decided it was the perfect night to squeeze in our international euchre playoff. It’s become a bit of a tradition with us. Only one game, no warm up, cold turkey euchre. Jeremy and I have been the reigning champions since our first tournament seven years ago. We flogged Rob and Mary once again (Rob claimed jet lag) and Rob nearly cried having to handover the championship shirts he had made. I didn’t think to take a picture of the champions in our special shirts but did capture Jer’s boast on the chalkboard the next morning.
Staying at the Manders meant waking up and enjoying coffee with a gorgeous view of the Chippawa creek each morning. However, it also meant an extra dose of pollen which was particularly bad while we were there. When we were driving into Niagara Falls from Toronto, Rob actually asked if he was seeing snow because of the white ‘flakes’ floating through the air. It was cold when we arrived but definitely not that cold! His running eyes and congestion quickly reminded him what seasonal allergies are like. He suffered terribly with allergies the whole time we were in Canada.
Our visits to Canada are always hectic with daytime and nighttime catch-ups with family and friends each day we are there. The last time we visited, it had been five years since we’d seen anyone due to COVID and also a few years since we’d really been around people so we both felt a bit of pressure and anxiety. This year, visiting felt much more relaxed and we both really settled in and enjoyed the time we were able to spend with everyone.
On our first day, we had a lovely afternoon with my parents, but of course I never thought to take any photos. I actually didn’t get a picture with my parents the whole time we were there. I was too busy enjoying catching up with them.
We then headed over to Rob’s parents to celebrate his dad’s 92nd birthday. Rob’s sister-in-law Erin always remembers photos and shared these with us.
I also had the chance to spend a wonderful day with my sister. She organised high tea at my favourite greenhouse, followed by a visit to a winery and then a lovely catch up by her pool. We had glorious weather too. It was truly a perfect day!
My perfect day was followed up with a fantastic evening with the Manders and Colavecchias. Our get togethers with this crew are always filled with laughs and no matter how much time passes, it always feels like we were all just hanging out yesterday. Thank you Ange for the Italian dinner and for hosting us. (not like we invited ourselves 😉
We have been so fortunate with the people in our lives – both friends and family. So many of our friends have been so pivotal in our lives that they feel more family than friends. We so appreciated the time we were able to spend with all of you while in Canada. We were so busy enjoying the moment, we generally forgot about pictures. Fortunately, some of you are much better at remembering to capture these special moments and shared some pictures with us. We were sad to miss out on a picture with the D’Elias though (I’m making this your mission next visit Deanna!!)
The end of the week was filled with family visits including a family dinner at my parents. In typical twin fashion, my sister and I accidentally showed up to the dinner wearing nearly identical outfits! She finds Canada summer much warmer than me apparently though 🙂
We had a lovely dinner and catch up and fortunately, someone thought to take this wonderful photo of my mom, nana, and sister, and I.
All of the ‘kids’ in our lives are now well and truly adults. It was so cool to be able to spend time with them and their significant others and hear all about the amazing lives they are each living and building. We even had the privilege of seeing our oldest niece get married. We were so pleased it all worked out and we were able to be part of hers and Devon’s special day (thank you for giving us so much notice Amber!). We are down one Zupan but up one pretty cool nephew so it’s definitely a win-win!
Congratulations Mr and Mrs Fielding!!
The morning after the wedding, Rob and I were able to make it to my nana’s new home. She’s been living there just over a year and it was so nice to have a visual of where she is. She has previously given me a video tour during one of our WhatsApp chats, but being able to see her place in person was wonderful. We had a lovely visit on her balcony overlooking the canal and that extra time with her was really special.
We spent the rest of that day hanging out at the dock with the Manders family and Cory to celebrate Rob’s birthday. Mary and Jeremy knew just how to make his day extra special too, gifting him Crest toothpaste and of course, some Kraft Dinner.
We rounded out the visit with a wonderful evening with Gary, Cindy, Zoe, and Griff. It felt just like old times hanging out on the deck with drinks, great food, and of course a bonfire. We have definitely missed those summer evenings with all of you!
Our trip to Canada was a pretty short visit this time and we knew we wouldn’t be able to fit in individual visits with all the people we wanted to see. A HUGE thank you to Cory who organised a venue for us to have a drop-in event on our last evening in the country. We were truly greatful by how many friends and family showed up to say hello, and only wish the evening was longer so we had more time to talk with each and everyone of you! Being able to see you in person and give you all hugs meant everything! Thank you to all of our friends and family for making time to see us and making our trip to Canada so special!