Our Maltese Adventure Comes to an End

Thomas and I both woke up around 6:00am. So we showered, dressed and finished packing for our flight home today. Once everything was packed and we straightened out our room we took our bags downstairs and went to have breakfast with Dave and Deanne. After breakfast we visited, worked on the jigsaw puzzle, read and relaxed. At lunch we had sandwiches and a little later we left for the airport in Manchester.

Dave and Deanne dropped us off and we said our goodbyes. Then Thomas and I checked our bags in and then made our way to security. Everything went quickly and in no time we were at our gate waiting on our flight. The flight from Manchester to Chicago Midway was good. It wasn't a full flight and we had the row to ourselves. We spent the flight reading and before we knew it we were landing. Once at Midway we made our way to our next gate and we had a little over two hours layover. So we got something to eat and spent the rest of the time reading. When it was time we boarded our plane and this time is was crowded. The other person in our row was obese - not just fat but obese. She hung over into my seat and I was forced to push up against the opposite arm rest and was up against Thomas. It was uncomfortable and I really felt like she should have paid for two seats. I eventually lifted the arm rest between me and Thomas and we snuggled up and went to sleep. The flight to Albuquerque went fast since we both dozed off for most of it. I was so happy to get off that plane, We made our way to baggage claim, grabbed our luggage and found the shuttle to our car.

I was so glad when we were in the car heading home. This had to be the worst trip for airports and airplanes that we have ever experienced. But even with those bad parts the rest of the trip was amazing and we had a great time in Malta. I would really like to make a trip back there sometime.

Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors

Today we were up at 5:30am. Thomas hasn’t been feeling well and isn’t sleeping very much. He has had a stuffy head and is coughing. We showered and dressed, got things organized for the day and then went to the restaurant for breakfast around 6:30am. After eating we returned to our room. We were both playing on the computer and completely forgot the time. At 7:35am we got a call saying they were waiting for us on the bus. It was so embarrassing and as we climbed on everyone clapped. It all turned out fine. So we left the hotel and drove about an hour out of town to the site of the Terracotta Warriors. As we drove Arnold gave us lots of information about the soldiers and the site. When we arrived he went and got our tickets and we headed into the area. So there is an entry gate and there are four pits and an exhibition center. We started in Pit 1 – this is where most of the soldiers are put back together and are standing in formation. It is astounding and I could never do it justice by trying to describe it. The sheer massiveness of the presentation is humbling. We spent quite a bit of time here and again Arnold gave us more information. I took lots of pictures and just stared at the soldiers. It is sad that someone tried to destroy them by setting fire to the area at some time. From Pit 1 we walked over to Pit 3. This pit isn’t as excavated as Pit 1 but it is still awe inspiring because of its size and just having a inkling of what is underneath. They do have some areas excavated and put back together and then they have areas where you can see them shattered. Then we went outside and Arnold showed us Pit 4. It is covered by a glass dome. When they checked this pit they didn’t find anything and they think that the Emperor died before they could make the statues for this area. So we made our way to Pit 2. This pit is even less excavated and you can see the shape of the wooden timbers that covered and protected the soldiers under the dirt. The whole thing was fascinating. After Pit 2 we had a little time to look around the gift shop. Most of us bought a book about the soldiers and a DVD and a set of postcards. Once we had all done that we walked over to the Exhibition Hall. We saw an exhibition about the Han Dynsaty and the we saw some bronze chariots they found near the Emperor’s tomb. One of the highlights of the place is a kneeling archer. They put him back together and he is on display under a glass case. They also have some bronze tools they found in the area. If this is all we had seen on this trip I would have been happy, as it is, this has been the highlight.

After about three hours here we headed out and went to a factory where they make replicas of the statues. They make small ones that are about four inches tall all the way up to life size. They also will make special ones with your face. They take pictures of your face from all angles and they will make a large life size warrior that looks like you. Afterward we had time to shop. I bought an eight inch kneeling archer to take home. Then we had lunch on the third floor of this place. They had set up a great buffet and we could even watch a man make noodles. The only complaint was that there was high pressure to buy and I couldn’t really look around and enjoy the place. Finally, we were back on the bus headed back to the hotel. It was around 3:30pm when we got back to the hotel. Thomas and I relaxed for a while and I started editing photos. Then we walked over to a pharmacy so Thomas could get some medicine and then we returned to our room. We just relaxed until it was time for dinner.

At 5:30pm we met the group in the lobby and we got on the bus and headed out to dinner. We went to the Tang Dynasty Show and Dinner. When we arrived they had five musicians on stage playing music. Once we were seated they started bringing drinks. Everyone had water and then you could order something else if you wanted. I ended up getting a beer. They also brought us a drink called Xi’an rice wine. It was delicious. Then the food started coming. We had courses – chicken in a potato bowl with some vegetables, mushroom soup, fried fish and shrimp with sesame crusted cashews, orange consommé and then an assortment of cookies and snacks. When we finished dinner they started the show. The show is a musical about a 14 year old concubine who made her way up in the palace until she rose to Empress at the age of 67 years old. It was beautifully done, colorful and entertaining. I originally thought that it might be a cheesy dinner theater show but it was professionally done and thoroughly enjoyable.

The show ended around 8:30pm and it wasn’t until 9:00pm when we arrived back at the hotel. Thomas and I showered and then began packing. We needed to get as much packed tonight as possible because our luggage had to be outside by 6:30am. Once that was done we relaxed. Thomas read for a short while and then went to bed and I spent some time editing photos and then uploaded to Facebook. I only got a little done – my eyes started closing and around 11:00pm I went to sleep. Tomorrow we fly to Beijing.

Arriving in Niagara Falls - WOW!!!

It is our final day in Toronto (well only part of the day) and then we are off to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. We started this morning by getting all of our things packed and then loaded into the car and then checked out of the hotel. Once that was done we set out to do a few more things in Toronto before making the drive to Niagara Falls.

The first thing we did was walk along Queen St. W. and looked for Rush Lane. I was looking for Graffiti Alley.

[Also known as Rush Lane or Rick Mercer’s Alley: This motherlode of graffiti art (about a kilometre of space) runs west from Spadina Ave. to Portland St. The back alley entrance can be found between Queen St. and Richmond St. Some artery offshoots also run north or south from this alleyway.]

We had no problem finding the area and it was worth taking the time - some really beautiful art and we had a great time walking amongst it. There is one main alley with a few little side alleys and most of the buildings are fully covered in art. I took lots of pictures and we ended up spending about an hour in the area before moving on to our next location.

From here we walked along Richmond St. heading east until we arrived at Yonge St., here we turned and walked south to Wellington. We took Wellington east just a few blocks to Berczy Park. At this park we took pictures of the beautiful dog fountain and then continued our walk on Front St. passing by the Flatiron Building. A few more blocks down Front St. brought us to our destination - the St. Lawrence Market. We spent a little time wandering around the market checking out the vendors and then stopped at Paddington's Pump for some breakfast. After eating we walked around the market for another little while and then headed out to continue our day.

We continued our walked along Front St. until we reached Parliament St. and turned right and walked two blocks to Mill St. where we turned left and made our way into the Distillery District. We spent a little time letterboxing here but I won't go into detail about that. If you want to read about our letterboxing adventures you can go to A Few Boxes in Canada. We checked out a few places here and took some pictures. We decided we didn't want to walk anymore and we still had our tickets for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus so we made our way to the bus stop location to catch the next bus. We rode the bus to the stop closest to where our car was parked. It was now time to say good-bye to Toronto and head for Niagara Falls.

Before we settled in Niagara Falls we decided to take a drive up to Niagara-on-the-Lake. I had read that it was a beautiful place to visit and spend a little time. When we arrived in town we had some trouble finding a place to park. The town was packed. So we continued through town to Queenston Heights Park to do a little letterboxing (go to A Few Boxes in Canada to read about that) and walk around a bit. This park is beautiful - well manicured, some wonderful monuments, a restaurant and a commanding view of the Niagara River. We took pictures and found the letterboxes and then made our way back to Niagara Falls.

[Note: When I planned the drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake I had wanted to drive from Niagara Falls along Niagara Parkway. Everything I had read said it was a beautiful drive. But we ended up following Google Maps from our phone and it took us another way and I never realized what was happening. My point is that if you are going to drive from Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake make sure to take Niagara Parkway.]

Once back in Niagara Falls we made our way to the hotel to get checked in. We pulled up in front of the hotel (Embassy Suites by Hilton) and we were greeted by valets. There is no parking at the hotel - it is a few blocks away - and you have to pay for parking (C$60/day). So, we gathered our luggage, left the keys with the valet and entered the hotel to get checked in. At the desk the guy checking us in showed us where our room was located in the building. I had reserved a Fallsview Room - it had a good view of  Horseshoe Falls. Then he showed us a room view that encompassed all the Falls (American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe). It was only C$25/night extra. We took it! Check in was complete and we headed to the elevator, took it up to the 16th floor, found our room and entered. The room was incredible (and we had splurged for the room and view) - we entered into a sitting area with a desk, sofa, chair and tv. then you walk down a hall with a coffee set up and sink on one side and the door to the bathroom on the other. You enter the bathroom and there is a whirlpool tub on the right with an opening looking into the bedroom (it has shuttered doors to close for privacy if needed) and a sink on the back wall. There is a door on the left (opposite the tub) that goes into a small room with a toilet and shower. The bedroom had two queen beds and floor to ceiling windows, a dresser with a tv and a comfy chair. But none of that really mattered - it was all about the view. A full view of all the Falls, the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, USA. I have to admit that I would pay the money all over again to stay in a room with this view. It was stunning!!! We spent about an hour just sitting and enjoying the view and relaxing.

After a while we decided to find a place to eat dinner and then take a walk to get a closer look at the Falls. We ate at one of the restaurants in the hotel and then walked along a promenade that paralleled the road and river below. Along the way there were viewing areas (but because of trees there wasn't much of a view) where you could sit and there were shops and other buildings along the way as well. We then exited the promenade onto Murray St. and that took us to Niagara Parkway and a walkway along the river with great views of the Falls. So we walked from the American Falls down to Horseshoe Falls and the Visitor Center. We probably spent an hour or so just enjoying being at this incredible wonder before deciding to head back to the room to shower and relax after a long busy day. I am sitting here on one of the beds writing this and I am reveling in the view I have of the Falls. As the day fades the Falls are illuminated - the colors change every so often and my favorite so far is when the American Falls are red, white and blue and the Canadian Falls are red and white. It is really time for me to get some sleep so we can enjoy our first full day at Niagara Falls.

An Awesome Day in Toronto

After our long day of traveling yesterday we decided last night not to set an alarm. So this morning we slept in and awoke at around 8:00am. After getting showered, dressed and organized we were ready to venture out.

I checked a map and we decided to start our day by walking to the St. Lawrence Market thinking we could grab some breakfast once we got there. So we left the hotel on Queen St. W. and headed east. We walked approximately 2.1 km (1.3 miles) along Queen St. to Jarvis St and then headed south to the Market. Along the way we saw lots of things - the South African War Memorial, the Ontario Courts, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (home of the National Ballet of Canada), the Nathan Phillips Square (with a beautiful fountain and lighted 'Toronto' display), lots of shops and restaurants, some beautiful architecture, the Old Toronto City Hall, St. James Park, and then finally the St. Lawrence Market. Unfortunately, I did not do my homework and we weren't able to visit since it was closed today (Closed on Mondays). We still hadn't had any breakfast so we decided to head toward the CN Tower and looked for something along the way. We had passed quite a few places before we got to the Market but after the Market things were not looking so good. Then we saw a Tim Hortons (which happen to be everywhere) and decided to go in. This is a coffee house that also serves light breakfast. But we didn't stay here to eat - there was a line of about 18 people. So we left and saw some more restaurants a couple of blocks down. Again, no dice - these weren't open for breakfast. So we headed back toward the CN Tower and I noticed a sign at an office building for Coco Deli. So we went in and we each had a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Just what we needed! While eating we decided to do a sightseeing bus tour of the city and found where we needed to go for tickets. It was a little after 10:00am when we left the Deli. Just across the street from the Deli is Berczy Park. We noticed a trompe l'oeil painting on the back of a building. So we walked into the park and took some pictures. The painting is on the back of a beautiful old flatiron builiding. After the pictures were taken we walked down Wellington to Yonge. We walked down Yonge to Queens Quay. Then we walked down Queens Quay to Robertson Crescent. Here we found the place to get our tickets. During our walk here we stopped to take pictures and stopped to check out a few things. It was around 11:30am and the guy selling the tickets told us that the tickets included a harbor boat tour and there was one at noon. We decided to do that first.

So we walked a few blocks to the boat (crossing the Amsterdam Bridge - used in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding). We only had a short wait until the tour began boarding and we headed out. The cruise takes you out onto Lake Ontario and around the Toronto Islands (we had wanted to take a ferry to the Islands and do some exploring but the Islands were closed and the ferrys werent' running due to the Islands being flooded). It lasted about 45 minutes and when we first started out if was sunny and warm but towards the end a little storm moved in. We got some rained and wind and it got a little chilly out on the water but by the time we docked the sun was back out and it was as if the storm had never happened. I enjoyed the boat ride and getting to see the Toronto skyline. After leaving the boat we retraced our walk back to where we bought our tickets and boarded the bus for a driving tour of the city. This is one of those Hop-on, Hop-off tours and is called City Sightseeing Toronto. There are 21 stops along the route and you can get on and off the bus as much as you want for 48 hours from the time you bought your ticket. We did the entire route without doing the on/off thing and then we left the bus at around 2:30pm to find something to eat. We had a quick late lunch at Gabby's on King St. W and decided what we wanted to do next.

After eating and relaxing we decided to walk to the CN Tower and get some views of Toronto from way up high. We went through security, bought our tickets and took the elevator to the observation floor. The elevator is quick (58 seconds at 15 mph for 1136 feet) and interesting - you get a view of the City as you head up with a window looking out, you can see down to the ground with windows on the floor and you can see the elevator shaft with a window on the side - very nice! Once at the observation floor (called LookOut) you get some spectacular views pretty much 360° through large windows. Then you can go down a level (or two) to an outside (enclosed with bars and wire) for more views. Also, on that level is a glass floor that you can walk on - it is also set up with a camera overhead and you can have your picture take from above looking down to the ground below. No, I (nor Thomas) did not walk on the glass floor, I just stood at the edge and took pictures. For an additional fee you can also go up a little higher to the Skypod but we didn't do that. And, they also have something called the EdgeWalk (Watch here!). You get put into a jumpsuit and fitted with a safety harness. Then you go outside (yes outside the building on a platform that goes around the entire building way up in the air) and you are connected to a metal railing and you walk around the building. And if you are adventurous you can lean over the side looking down or lean backwards over the edge. And, NO!!! we did not do this - too expensive and too scarey! After leaving the Tower we spent a little time walking around outside and taking some pictures before going to one more thing before calling it a day.

We walked back to Queen St. W (which is where our hotel is located) and went to Nathan Phillips Square. I wanted to see the fountain and the Toronto display and get some pictures. We arrived there with lots of other people - it was around 5:30pm and people had finished work and were just hanging around. I got some nice pictures of the fountain and the display (this display consists of the letters spelling out Toronto with a maple leaf at the end - the letters light up and change colors). After this we decided to call it a day. We returned to the hotel, showered and just relaxed. Tomorrow we will spend a part of the day in Toronto and then head to Niagara Falls (on the Canadian side).

A Vacation Centering Around Niagara Falls

For the last three months Thomas and I have been planning a trip. It took a while for us to decide on where to go but we finally made a decision and we are headed to Niagara Falls and Toronto. Actually, it is more than that but we will get to that later.

Our day started at 3:30am when the alarm sounded and we pulled ourselves out of bed. Once showered and dressed we loaded the car and our vacation began. The flight was at 6:15am and we had no problems parking, checking in and getting through security. We only had a short wait until we boarded the plane for the first leg of our flight. We flew Delta for this trip and we have used them for our trips to Italy and France --- I am really liking flying with them so far. Thomas and I were both tired so we ended up sleeping the entire flight from Albuquerque to Atlanta which made for a quick little jaunt. Once in Atlanta we had to change terminals and once we were in the right area for the last part of our flight we decided to get something to eat. I wanted to find a restaurant where we could sit and relax and ended up at Café Intermezzo. We had a nice lunch and then walked over to our gate to wait for the next part of the flight. We read the news on our iPads, did a little reading on the kindles and walked around a bit. Finally we boarded for our flight to Buffalo. During this flight we read, watched some TV and played games. It was a quick flight and once we landed I was glad to be done with airports and airplanes. We got our bags and made our way to the rental car area. It took about 40 minutes to get our car and finally we were on our way to Canada. We plugged in the address to our hotel in Toronto and started driving. Our route took us to Niagara Falls, NY and from there we crossed the Rainbow Bridge to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Once in Canada it took us about an hour and a half to reach the hotel. We are staying at The Beverly Hotel in downtown Toronto on Queen Street. We got checked in and then decided to go out to find something for dinner. We walked along Queen St. and finally decided on Café Crepe. After a quick dinner we walked back to the hotel, took showers and we are now relaxing. Plans have been made for tomorrow for our full day in Toronto.