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Two weeks ago, as many of you already know, my husband and I took a romantic weekend trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. Actually, as I was working at around 6:40AM in my office and the thought came to me that I would surprise my husband with the trip. So, after I had some plans in order, I called him up. Asked, “Hey, babe, would you like to flee the country tonight?”
What else could he say but yet? He was thrilled – but then again what husband wouldn’t be? Five hours later, we were packing a bento to go, finalizing the babysitter for our furry babies and then jumping into the car. It had to have broken a record for planning a weekend trip to another country.
We got to Canada before the sun set and could not have been happier. Earlier in the day, I had booked a Deluxe Falls View Suite at: Sheraton On The Falls– Canadian Side. It was seriously directly across from the falls, which really made the room’s balcony worth all the money it cost. We opened the balcony door for most of the night just to listen and watch the falls. In fact, we watched the test fireworks blast off and the multicolored lighting show straight from our balcony in our comfy clothes and socks.
The first night we just walked around the entire Canadian side of the falls for about two hours. We looked in all the shops, drank coffee, and purchased souvenirs for family & friends while chatting. Then we headed for dinner at Rainforest Café which is connected to the Sheraton and Crown Plaza on the first floor. We ordered a salad with vinaigrette on the side. Secondly we ordered a Natural Rainforest Burger which is made from garbanzo beans and other herbs. Our server was more than generous in advice since she has works with someone whom is also vegan. It’s much easier when someone knows another person that is vegan. She made suggestions and really helped our restaurant experience simple and delightful. We weren’t sure if it is customary to tip in Canada but our helpful server got a generous tip for being so helpful. Hooray!
The next day we got up early and decided that we were going to go ahead with our planned run. It was our intention to get out early to enjoy the atmosphere before all the other tourists adventured out of their rooms. We ran for around 2 miles in the gentle mist from the falls. This run was one of our best memories. Not only did we get exercise but we were able to run right next to the falls and see all the sights. We decided that next time, we are going to take along my iPod so that we could stop and take photos along the way. It was just a very emotionally lifting experience and highly suggest for others to exercise on vacation.
Niagara Falls Run
Tired from our run, we took showers and decided it was time to eat breakfast. Two bananas were leftover in the bento and then we also got two bagels to eat in the gorgeous English garden just in front of our hotel. Everyone was starting to move around but thankfully most were over by the falls admiring the view. So, we had the gardens pretty much for ourselves which was pretty impressive and relaxing for us.
We freshened up after breakfast and then got our LaraBars and raisins ready for a morning of adventure at the falls. From the handful of tours, we chose to go into the tunnels behind the falls and look through the portals and go behind the falls. It was a bit pricy but we were glad to have experienced it once in our lifetime.
Next we chose to head off for lunch and then adventure back into the states to view the American side. We drove about 20 minutes to a restaurant that is supposed to be owned by a vegetarian and a vegan. Unfortunately it was closed at about 2pm and we never got to experience it.
Disappointed we decided to drive over to America and get through customs before the late afternoon crowd. To get into Canada we paid $3.00 USD and the process took about 5 minutes. To get back into our home country, it took about 1.5 hours but was free of charge. But by that time we were starving and I was my normal grouchy self (when hungry) so we chose the first restaurant on my list of vegan places. It was:
Orange Cat Coffee Company
Thankfully it was open and rather easy to find with our GPS. It was a small coffee house but serves premade cookies, muffins and scones. Then if you want something more, they can prepare soup, salad, and sandwiches which are all vegetarian/vegan. We got one sandwich and one wrap. The price was pretty inexpensive but the food was pretty unimpressive. We were thankful the coffee house was available but we would have preferred to stay with just with frappucinos (which were delicious!) The frappucinos were made with soy milk, free of charge if you chose a vegan option. (See, it can be done Starbucks!) We took everything to the USA side of the falls to have a vegan picnic.
Our next stop was CVS where we picked up some yummy but sugar-laden treats such as starbursts and Pringles. Yum! We took these to go on the road just in case we got stuck in traffic or construction again. It’s always smart to have something as a backup when traveling. At last, we made it home and our furry babies were so thrilled. It was just the perfect weekend trip to have alongside with my husband.
Genki Kitty's Blog 
Sounds like a great getaway!
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