Renewing Vows on Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls and Our Bed and Breakfast
Written: May 12 '02 (Updated Jul 11 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: BEAUTIFUL scenery! Lots to do
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: LOVELY area, go when uncrowded. LOTS to see, could spend a LONG time here, in this idyllic setting.
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My husband has never been to the Eastern half of Canada. It has been 20 years since I have been to Niagara Falls. Our 10th Anniversary was approaching, so therefore we felt a visit to Niagara Falls was in order.
We arrived in early May of 2002, just the tip of the iceberg as far as tourist season goes. There were just enough people to make it comfortable. I cannot imagine what it is like in the midst of the tourist season in July and August.
If you decide to go to Niagara Falls during the late summer, be sure to book your room IN ADVANCE!
You Callin' Me Loony?
I gave a cashier a $20 bill and expected to get $13 back in change. The cashier gave me a $10 bill and a few coins. I looked at my hand, then back at her, and suggested she may have shorted me. She explained she had given me a Loonie and a Twonie. Canada has no $1 nor $2 bills. They have coins instead. Loonies are gold, twonies are silver, with a gold center. I mentioned to our bed and breakfast hostess they tried dollar coins TWICE in the states and weren't successful. She said they should have taken the $1 bills out of circulation and they would have been successful.
Why Are Those Green Signal Lights Flashing at Me?
Well, they indicate that you can safely make a right or left hand turn. The opposing traffic will stop. There are also turn arrows at some intersections. You can make right hand turns on a red light, as long as there are no street signs to the contrary.
The single yellow line in the middle of the road makes me uncomfortable. I like the safety of the double line we have in the states. Canadian drivers drive on the right side of the road. Canadian drivers are some of the most polite drivers I have come across and will go out of their way to be polite.
Distance in Canada is measured in kilometers. 10 kilometers is .62 miles. You can look at your speedometer for a quick reference, or multiply a desired destination by .6. 100 km would be about 62 miles. 65 km is about 36 miles -- roughly. Puts you in the ballpark. Just multiply your distance in kilometers by .6 and you will be close to your miles equivalent.
Renewing Vows
We searched and searched for a LOW COST place to renew vows. You can inquire at:
http://www.infoniagara.com/gateway.html
for a plethora of ideas on what to do and where to go while there. In the meantime, we were still searching for a low cost place to have the wedding, consisting of my husband, an officiant, two witnesses and myself. One place wanted to charge us $200 CDN just to stand there for 10 minutes and exchange vows. We considered the boat, Maid of the Mist. This boat goes out on the water and veers near the falls. We also considered the Minolta Tower, which has a view of the Falls in the background, in case the weather was inclement. We finally found Reverend Derek Rymarchuk.
http://www.infoniagara.com/d-services-weddings.html
Reverend Derek
As he likes to call himself. Although the website shows him with a Van Dyke, he no longer has one. He has been happily married for 11 years. We called him on his ever-present cell phone and he agreed to renew our vows. He took down our credit card number to confirm the reservations, 2 weeks in advance. He agreed to renew our vows aboard the Maid of the Mist
http://www.niagarafallslive.com/niagara_falls_maid_of_the_mist.htm
We parked at the Falls, the closest parking about 3/4 miles from the boat, at a cost of $10 CDN (Canadian). Derek later suggested that we park at the Casino to be a little closer. My husband dropped me off and told me to look for a man in a suit, with a briefcase, with a Van Dyke mustache/beard combination. I found him, without the facial hair. He is a charming man. My husband eventually joined us and we got on board the boat. Reverend Derek informed us that immediately upon boarding that he would start the ceremony, and the ceremony would end just before we got closest to the Falls and the wettest. He would go to the lower level in hopes of staying dry, following the ceremony as he had another couple of weddings to officiate before the day was done.
Reverend Derek was very good at arranging to find a couple to snap photos of us. The couple also signed our Renewal Certificate. The Reverend then left us with a copy of our vows.
Got Water? Free Raincoat
Upon boarding, you are presented with a hooded souvenir raincoat. This WILL come in handy. If you are carrying a tote bag, you may want to slip it in a plastic bag first, to keep it dry. It may be hard to find a dry spot on board. Other than heeled shoes, you may want to carry a pair of comfortable shoes in a handbag. You will be walking and standing for a while. The ride takes about 20-25 minutes.
Our Bed and Breakfast*
There were four sleeping rooms in this new B&B, two on the second story and another two on the top floor. We had the "best" room on the top floor. The bed was hand made by the hostess's father in law. It has HUGE spirals and you need to take advantage of portable steps to reach the tall mattress. The sink is in a wooden cabinet, hand made by her father in law. In fact, all the uppermost level is new, but made to look old. Our room had a television in an armoire, as well as a couch, coffee table, a thermostatically controlled fireplace and a jacuzzi.
The windows had olde tyme woodwork, along with mini blinds and sheer curtains. There is a window air conditioner, if needed. The hostess told us that Niagara Falls usually misses the nasty storms which frequent Buffalo, New York. She is a good conversationalist, who is never at a loss for words, but will not talk your ears off while your eyes glaze over.
Getting to know the hostess, I asked if there was prejudice in Canada. I saw MANY different ethnic groups represented. She said when she grew up, maps showed countries that were controlled by England were in pink. The kids felt sorry for any areas that weren't in pink, such as the United States. Interesting how one's perspective varies, depending where you live. She said the English traditionally view themselves as superior. The view of superiority made them feel sorry for anyone who wasn't English. Prejudice isn't an issue. In Canada, we saw Sieks with their turbans from India, met folks from South Africa, China, and virtually every 5th person we met had an accent of one kind or another. (Canadian accents didn't count.)
Everyone we met in Canada was VERY pleasant, even the drivers. The only time I got tooted at was when I was in Casino Niagara and didn't realize there was a car following us as we walked along the drive, wishing to get around us. He tooted politely, and we moved out of the way.
Tighter than a Virgin on Her Wedding Night
"Honey, I want to go to the casino." My husband enjoys moderate gambling. About the only time he visits the slots is when we are on vacation. He feels we are luckier then. Whatever. The first clue that we weren't going to walk out richer than poorer was when we had to pay for parking. $8 CDN or $6 US. The exchange rate seemed a bit high to me. OUCH! We were going to gamble with $60. We had put a good $10 into various machines before we even hit a 2 credit cherry. We kept our winnings, taking $10 home. My husband found the slot machine with our house number on it. He put 10 - $1 coins in it. We got NOTHING! Didn't hit once.
Taxes
I asked our bed and breakfast hostess about taxes. She said a worker at a car plant who makes $45,000 may actually take home $29,000. That, is in addition to the 14% sales tax, property tax, gas tax, among several other possibilities. They consider some day in July as their "Independence from Taxes Day." She is proud they pay so many taxes and get FREE medical care.
Our home community wants to legalize slot machines so our taxes will be lower. I asked a resident if their taxes were lower as a result of the casinos coming in. "No," he replied, "they went HIGHER!" So much for that theory.
Niagara on the Lake
Do you like pretty things? Very nice, prim and proper things? You will LOVE Niagara on the Lake, a community perhaps 9 miles from Niagara Falls. The drive is gorgeous and there are LOVELY estates and vineyards to intrigue you along the way. Once you arrive in the city, there are various storefronts that will transform you and you will KNOW you are in a different country, even though you ARE in Canada.
My husband sought out a cigar shop, Customs House Cigars,
http://www.niagara.com/~wilsons/
. The shopkeep took a lot of time, took my husband into the humidor and explained the various cigars and their attributes. He spent no less than 15-20 minutes with him, even though others came into his shop. After purchasing his Monte Cristo Cuban cigar, we went to the government run liquor store and bought some cognac. YUCK! It must be an acquired taste.
We also visited a LOVELY Butterfly Conservatory and garden, North of Niagara Falls.
http://www.infoniagara.com/d-att-butterfly.html
The results were fantastic. The butterflies landed all around us, and occasionally upon us.
We ate dinner at nearby Queenston Heights Restaurant at the park. We happened to see a car from our home state's county in the restaurant's parking lot. We were amazed that someone had driven over 1,000 miles and decided to dine at the same place.
The restaurant was classy and laid back. It overlooked the river and one could see the Toronto skyline in the distance. LOVELY!
ATMs
Although ATMs are plentiful, you may have a problem with VISA ATMs. We finally found one that would accept our ATM card at the 7-11 at 5104 Victoria Ave. Our bed and breakfast hostess said, later on, that she could recommend a few locations that would accept it.
Duty Free Shop
Going back home, we visited the Duty Free Shop. You need to be leaving the country. You need to have your car in the parking lot. You pick out what you want. I'm not sure how much liquor you can bring back, but we brought back 2 bottles of wine, and a tiny bottle of cognac. We purchased our items and the clerk gave us a receipt. We were to give the receipt to the gal who handed us our packages at their drive up window. That is the point of no return. You MUST go to the US at that point.
Goods and Services Tax, GST
Remember what I said about the 14% sales tax? You can get some of that back, upon leaving the country. Keep your receipts. Each receipt must be $50 or more of merchandise or lodging. You CAN collect on accommodations or items taken from the country. You CANNOT collect on meals or gasoline and a few other items that do not come to mind. Make sure the GST number is on the receipt. You can only get a refund once a day. You can also mail the receipts in.
Customs
Once we crossed the bridge, we were asked questions by the customs agent. He asked what we purchased, if we had any fruit or vegetables and lifted the back window of our topper, looked inside our cooler, and a few other places. We passed. WHEW!
*I originally gave the hostess and bed and breakfast a "plug," but since she refused to acknowledge my emails, I have removed all direct references to the bnb.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
remnjava
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Member: Carol
Location: Hildegaard 4-96/04-06 I MISS YOU!
Reviews written: 333
Trusted by: 149 members
About Me:
Zekiah born 11-3-03 6lb 14 oz 19 3/4" dark curley hair blu eyes
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