Family Outings and Niagara Falls!

                                            Our host, Mr. Prasad and  family

For the last leg of our trip, we went to Canada, where my sister-in-law’s brother’s family stays and had graciously invited all of us for two week’s holiday. This was the most enjoyable of all the visits during this trip, for they really took good care of us. We stayed in their beautiful house, the hostess got up early to cook delicious south Indian breakfasts, each day a different dish, and treated us with sumptuous lunches and dinners.

   Three families together-Mr. Raja and his wife Rajini also joined

In the mornings the lady of the house and one of her two lovely children will take us for shopping and in the evenings the husband returns from the office to either spend time with us at home chatting or take us out to see nearby places, parks and falls. Weekends the whole family along with two more families of relatives will all troop out to distant places and enjoy the company of each other and the wonderful places we visited. So this blog is going to be only about that, the family outings!

 
Four Families at birthday party at another brother, Mr. Balan's place













  The beautiful house of Mr. Prasad where we         stayed



As the flight came closer to Ottawa, the capitol of Canada, and as we descended one saw plenty of water bodies, strewn like blue jewels on the landscape. I wondered whether these are all left over waters of the sea for the Atlantic Ocean has made many a deep fissures into the land. But I was pleasantly surprised to know that these are all fresh water bodies, not to mention Lake Superior and Lake Ontario, both of which looked like sea! It was as if contrary to the exclamation of the Ancient Mariner “water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink,” one could say “water, water everywhere, all well suited to drink!”

                                                                                      

                                                                                    Paul Chomedey's statue in Place                                                                                                            d'Armes

     Notre Dame Basilica

One week end we went to Montreal, Quebec, in the French speaking part of Canada, and visited the amazing Notre Dame Basilica. The Basilica was started in 1672 as a small parish church built when the town was founded. It was built on a grand scale in 1824 which got completed only in 1843. It is built in Gothic Revival style, with vaults beautifully colored deep blue, and decorated in blue, reds, purples, silver and gold. Intricate wooden carvings adorn the walls and notches, along with stained glass windows. Day time when we visited a wedding was going on and we gawked at and took pictures of the groom and the bride arriving in bridal dress, as if it was our own family wedding!

                                                                                                        "Aura" inside the                                                                                                                         Basilica

In the night we attended the breathtaking programme “Aura,” a light show with laser beams illuminating all parts of the inside of the Basilica in beautiful colours. It was splendid to watch. We hung around the church, in the Place d’Armes, the central city square and the monument of the founder of the city Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve right in the centre of the square and the other buildings. During the day we visited the Insectarium and the Japanese Garden and took innumerable pictures amidst the beautiful flowers and other sights.

                                                                                

                                                                                               The boat club

One evening we went to the Britannia Beach in Ottawa, Andrew Hayden Park with a boat club, Hogback Falls, and Mooney Bay Park. Though not a regular beach, the waters of the lake are so expanse that waves have formed and sand is pushed on the coast. The boat club had innumerable boats and they were just setting sail and it was a wonderful sight to behold.

       Britannia Beach                                                     Hog Back Falls

Canadian Geese and family!

Everywhere we went we were greeted with many Canadian Geese, with their young ones, busy pecking at the grass. I think it is their breeding season. The parks are all so well maintained with manicured lawns, meticulously kept clean, fresh and beautiful. To get a falls right in the middle of a busy city is enervating, but Hogs back falls was right there and extended as the Mooney Bay Park. The two kids, who were with us, enjoyed the outing as much as the adults and we all had a wonderful time.

In Meadow Breeze Park

Every day morning my brother and me would go for walk in the park next to their home known as Meadow Breeze park, and walk around the small lake that was there, chasing the hare, black squirrels, sea gulls, cormorants, and the Canadian Geese families, which either visited the lake or made their home there. We used to sit in the gazebo in the park and chat for a long while before returning home for a very nice and hot breakfast. It was a wonderful routine which we could follow almost to the end.  

                                                                                                                Parliament Building

One evening we went to the Parliament house and the buildings around. Having worked in government, I was amazed to see hardly any security arrangements worth the name. Everyone was free to wander about. The central massive building sported a Peace Tower with a clock Tower, in the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliamentary building. It houses the House of Commons, Senate Chambers and many offices. 

   Sunset near Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal running nearby is an amazing structure built in 1832, connecting the Ottawa city and the Lake Ontario, of 202 km in length. When India was rapidly sinking into the bondage of British rule, with Sepoy Mutiny just 25 years away, a poor and exhausted civilization, these young nations in the newly found lands were building canals using far superior technology unimaginable in India of those times. Bravo! Not for nothing did they rule the world for hundreds of years!

The last week end was eventful and mesmerizing. We packed and left for Oshawa, a city in Ontario, where the daughter of our host family was graduating from University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The parents were there for the graduation ceremony and then we all left to visit Toronto Canadian National Tower, CN Tower for short. The Tower is a major tourist attraction in Toronto, the financial district of the province Ontario.

         CN Tower                                                                     View from Glass ceiling in                                                                                                         CN Tower

 Ontario island airport - flight landing

It is 555.5 meters high, a concrete communication and observation tower built in 1976. We went up its 150^th floor and had a spectacular panoramic view of the Toronto city and the beautiful surroundings. We noticed the Toronto Island and the island airport and filmed as a plane approached the airport, landed and then took off in the air over the Ontario Lake. Fabulous! We stood on the all glass floor and were able to locate the trams and cars going down below in the streets and a stadium. It was similar to the glass floor we experienced in Freedom Tower in New York City. 

Dinosaur Park-fire belching animals!

 The next day we went for the final haul, the breathtaking Niagara Falls. I had seen Niagara Falls from USA side with my son in 2004, but to see it from Canadian side was a mesmerising experience. We walked though Dinosaur Park with animals belching fire, bought some souvenirs, had some tea, stocking up energy to see the Falls in all its might. We went by a boat up to the very centre of the Horseshoe Fall wearing red rain coats, but as we approached the falls the mist and spray were so much that we completely got drenched. We screamed with delight like little children!

      The group on Canadian cruise 

One could see the American falls and also the Bridal Falls on the American side. Boats were going from there too, with people wearing blue rain coats! The Niagara Falls is situated on the border of Ontario on Canada side and Buffalo district on American side. The Niagara River drains the waters from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The cascading waters aare used to generate electricity and it falls at its vertical best 50 meters.

        Horse shoe Falls in color                                                   Fire works

As the night approached our excitement and expectations grew. It was almost palpable. Suddenly the waters were lit up by colors, the cascading waters taking the hue of orange, red, blue, pink, violet and so on. It was beautiful beyond description. The magic of the moment

                                              Cascading waters

could only be experienced. By 10 pm fireworks started to adorn the sky and we had a visual treat to the eyes and slowly without wanting to, tear ourselves away from the falls to have dinner and then go back home. It was altogether a wonderful and a once in a life time experience.

        Cruise in 1000 Islands

After rest and recuperation, the next day we went for the last of the visits, the 1000 Islands in a cruise boat. It was serene and thrilling at the same time to sail around the islands watching all the beautiful homes, trees and other boats. I learnt that a piece of land surrounded by waters had to have at least two trees to be called an island! There were some which just couldn’t make it to the list! 

All things, even good tours have to end and we also had to return home after three long weeks. We bid good bye to our host family at the airport and boarded the flight with a very satisfied and happy faces and hearts, thanks to our relatives and families who gave us a wonderful and delightful holiday.

And a big thank you to our Lord Jesus Christ, for giving us this enjoyable holiday and a safe trip. Thank you Lord and bless every one who made it so thoroughly enjoyable to us.