As I mentioned last week, Sean and I were in Niagara Falls for new year's eve and, while we had a great time, it was undeniably a classic Canadian train wreck.
For starters, it was cold. We're talking -26 before the windchill cold, but the city refused to cancel the celebrations. Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal each cancelled their outdoor New Year events because of the record low temperatures, so the CBC decided to shift their broadcast to Niagara at the last minute, which I initially found quite exciting - Rick Mercer is funny, and I'd never been in the crowd when something was being broadcast on live TV. Little did I know the problems this would cause later. Sean and I arrived at Queen Victoria Park while they were still setting up for the first band and took the time to enjoy the lit falls and the Christmas lights that decorated the park along the river, before making our way back up to the stage for the concert. James Barker Band were up first and they were pretty good - country, so not really to my taste, but a good band all the same. And to give credit where it's due, those guitarists deserved a medal for being able to play so well in such freezing temperatures. So far, the evening was off to a good start. Sean and I were enjoying our snacks and drinks, huddling close to each other for warmth and enjoying the music. But standing on packed snow for half an hour will make your feet cold, no matter how good your boots are. By the time they were setting up for Jess Moskaluke, my toes hurt from the cold and it was well past time to break out the hand and foot warmers. It was after James Barker Band had finished their set that we got the impression all was not going as smoothly as it should at this event. The DJ they'd hired to provide entertainment between sets was not very good. He didn't speak clearly enough into the microphone (or have it up loud enough) for anyone to hear what he was saying properly, and he kept having to reset his playlist and equipment. Just before Jess Moskaluke was meant to start her performance, the MC came out to introduce the first fireworks display. Following his script, he prompted us all to turn to the Skylon Tower for an awesome display, so we all dutifully turned to our left and to watch as the fireworks started going off over the Niagara gorge. Behind us. Hearing the noise but not seeing the display, we all turned around to face the right instead to see them too, the MC cracking jokes about crib sheets not being updated and not having had enough beers. Jess Moskaluke is another Canadian country singer, and was also pretty good. A couple of songs into her set, I started hopping and dancing along just to try and stay warm. It certainly helped, taking the edge off the biting cold, though Sean did tease me about not even bothering to match the rhythm of whatever song was actually being performed. Despite feeling slightly more comfortable in the cold, the event was really starting to struggle from an organisational perspective. Because the CBC was now filming the performance for the channel's NYE broadcast, Rick Mercer and his team were on the second stage interviewing James Barker Band and discussing the event not far from where we stood. Our terrible DJ was back on the main stage and apologising and shushing us all quiet. No entertainment or music while they filmed for the broadcast. It was bad enough being shushed like children, but the worst part? There were two enormous TV screens next to the main stage where they were showing footage of the performers on stage; when there was no performance, they had adverts for the event's sponsors on a loop, except for the two minutes where they actually showed a brief feed of the second stage so we could watch the broadcast too. Apparently we were only allowed two minutes though, because then it switched back to the adverts and we had to stand there with nothing to do for ages while they finished on the second stage and Simple Plan got set up. Despite being on location, we saw next to nothing of the broadcast, even though they had the ability to show it. When our DJ was finally allowed to perform and, in theory, entertain us again, something else must have gone wrong because I'm pretty sure he was only meant to be on stage for a few minutes as most: certainly he had nowhere near enough material prepared. He ran out of track. Repeatedly. And failed miserably to engage the crowd in call and response - partly because we couldn't hear what he was saying (not that his music was all that great to begin with). The really unfortunate part was that, even though he must have realised the call and response wasn't working, he kept going with it. Over and over and over again. And then coming back to it a few minutes later and trying again. It got a little painful after a while and some of the the crowd turned rude. You had to feel for the guy. Sean couldn't believe the total lack of organisation and all I could do was shrug and say, "welcome to Canada". We found our own amusement in the pair of university-age students standing near us, both rather drunk, the boy desperately flirting with the girl and finally succeeding in convincing her to join him after the concert at a bar. Well done, kid. Simple Plan, when they finally made it on stage, were fantastic. I haven't listened to any of their music since high school but I remembered the words to most of the songs they played and Sean and I had an awesome time jumping around, singing along and alternating between hugging each other and trying not to trip over everyone's feet. By the time they finished it was nearly midnight, so we squeezed our way out the crowd to find a couple of drinks to welcome 2018. He enjoyed a CC and coke, while I opted for Baileys Hot Chocolate, hoping to thaw my frozen extremities. Marianas Trench played a few songs, the vocalist practically hugging the guitarist for warmth on stage (his heater had broken) and then the countdown began. As we reached midnight there was an explosion of fireworks (this time over both the Skylon Tower and the gorge), cheering, noisemakers, and, for the couples in the crowd, kisses to start 2018 off right. The crowds started to dwindle rapidly thereafter, so Sean and I took advantage of the extra space to share a dance, swaying and spinning out together, ending in a hug tight enough that we could actually feel it through the layers our ski jackets, scarves, and multiple sweaters. Now that 2018 had officially arrived and we'd toasted it, shared a first dance and first kiss of the year, we ordered our first taxi of the year and made our way back to the Air BnB, warmed by each other and content in each other's company. Despite the truly awful organisation of the event, it was a really fun way to ring in 2018 and I hope everyone else had such a pleasant start. Wishing you all the very best for the coming year; there are so many adventures still to come! tags
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It was a snowy morning today; fluffy, sticky flakes that dropped from an ash-grey sky, mingling with rain and turning to puddles on the pavement. I spent the day catching up on The Good Doctor with Sean and reading Oathbringer, but the weather reminded me faintly of being home over the holiday again.
I was very melancholy and home-sick just after I got back to England, but my trip back was a lot of fun, even with it being the coldest two weeks southern Ontario had seen since winter started! I didn't mind the cold (much to Sean's disbelief, considering how much I struggle to stay warm in England's damp weather) but when I took Sean down to the Barrie waterfront to see a bit of the lake it was actually painful. We had been in Barrie for a few days by that point and, while I was thoroughly enjoying sitting around at home and just chatting to my mom and dad, Sean was practically climbing the walls, so my mom suggested we go down to the lake and take a long walk. It was a gorgeously clear day, with skies such a sharp blue you could cut yourself just looking at them. It was also -26 degrees celsius. That wouldn't have been too bad, really, because we layered up well and would be walking. Except we were walking around a lake. I don't know about cutting ourselves on the sky, but the icy wind blowing off the water just about sliced us in half! My fingers hurt with the cold, despite being in mitts and having hand warmers at the tips and Sean had to immediately remove his Ray-bans because the metal frames got so cold so quickly it hurt to wear them. Once we rounded the bay a bit and were walking by the beach and the pier, the wind had died down and the walk became much more pleasant. Still frigid, but no longer as painfully so. We had a wander around Dunlop street (Barrie's version of a high street - though definitely not pedestrianised) and I showed Sean the Spirit Catcher (and insisted we pose for photos). Sean also threatened to throw me in a snow bank though, thankfully, he refrained, so we managed to avoid any injuries that may have resulted from me being incredibly annoyed and covered in snow. We finished the morning at a Tim Horton's, using hot chocolate and a box of Timbits to thaw out. I'm happy to report that neither of us suffered any frostbite. I hadn't quite finished exposing Sean to the wonder that is a Barrie winter though. I was determined to go skiing, and we decided to opt for night skiing at Snow Valley - a favourite haunt of mine from my short-lived high school skiing days. The day we planned to go, I got a text from my sister telling me not to, warning me that it was supposed to get down to -30 that evening. We blithely ignored her advice and, whatever the temperature actually was that night, it was far more comfortable than our walk around the lake! That being said, after an hour or so our scarves were crusted thickly with ice where our breath was freezing onto the fabric and I couldn't really feel my cheeks anymore. Though I'm happy to report neither of us suffered any frostbite. It was really good fun, despite the rather flat, very short ski runs. Apparently I have a very lazy style of skiing. Sean tells me it looks like I put zero effort into skiing down the hills. My legs beg to differ but the evidence of his action camera was irrefutable: I do ski very lazily. Next up on our list of winter visits was Niagara Falls. The Falls are definitely a must-see if you're visiting southern Ontario. The tonnes of water crashing into the gorge is a stunning sight, and the region is really well suited for tourists. At least, in the summer months it is.
The first thing we did after arriving was buy tickets to walk the tunnels behind the falls. There is an observation deck that brings you out immediately beside the falls and two viewing windows where the falls are thundering down immediately in front of you. If it weren't for the fact that you could only get within a few meters of the window, you could hold out your hand and have your arm taken off by the force of the falling water. As it is, you do get a face-full of spray while you're standing there taking a photo. To give you an idea of how cold it was, while the falls didn't actually freeze over entirely while we were there, sections of them did freeze - one of the viewing windows was entirely frozen, a thick layer of ice separating us from the thin layer of water that hadn't frozen over and was still tumbling to the river below.
Once back on the surface, we followed the river to get a proper view of both the Horseshoe falls and the American falls. The spray and mist that's formed when the falls hit the water below was being instantly turned to snow and there was a thick column drifting over the river, riming everything nearby with a layer of frost and ice. It was gorgeous. There's only so long that a waterfall can hold your attention though, so we soon turned up to find lunch. We missed the main tourist strip entirely though and ended up walking for a half hour or more before we found a little Irish pub attached to a hotel and could finally warm up and have something to eat. Let me tell you, walking a half hour in London? Easy peasy. That walk in the cold and snow, with pavements that hadn't been ploughed in what looked like days? Exhausting. Sean and I have literally walked the length of Barcelona and felt less exhausted and short-tempered than after that half hour trek. (And I won't be talking about our 50 minute walk from our Air BnB to the whirlpool cable car, which turned out to be closed for the season. Some things are better left undocumented...) That evening we stuck closer to the falls and visited a really nice taproom called the Niagara Brewing Company. It's right on the main strip as you come up from the falls and they brew their own beer on site. Sean ordered a flight and throughly enjoyed them all, while I had a locally-produced cider that was also delicious. We didn't try their food, but the drinks were good and the atmosphere great. They also had live music; I'd definitely recommend going there if you're ever in Niagara Falls. On our last full day in the city - New Year's Eve - we took some time to go round on the Skywheel, though sadly the view was not as clear as we would have liked. On a clear day you would get a stunning view of the falls, but there was quite a bit of snow so we only caught glimpses as the clouds made by the falls drifted skywards. I don't think we really needed two days in Niagara to see everything before the NYE events started. While they were stunning, even in winter, many of the attractions we would have been interested in were closed for the season so we could have done everything we wanted to in a day, probably. That being said, it was kind of nice to sightsee leisurely, rather than cramming in as much as we possibly could. The relaxed pace meant it was easy for us to make an emergency Walmart run when I realised the reason my feet were frozen was because my winter boots had cracked with all the walking and were letting in all the slush and ice. There was no way I wanted to stand outside for hours that night in the freezing cold with holes in my boots! Overall, our experience of Niagara was a really positive one, though the actual NYE event was definitely an experience. In fact, there's so much to say about it that I will actually write up another post entirely, because it deserves some space of it's own. Check back in a few days to hear about ringing in 2018 after standing outdoors in -26 for five hours. Tags
I mentioned that when I landed in Toronto I just beat the 2016 spring ice storm. Probably around the time I was making my way through security and waiting for my luggage the ice started coming down in earnest, making the roads slippery and driving conditions pretty awful. Bless my parents, they still came to fetch me at the airport despite having an unpleasant drive home and work the next morning. We didn't get to Barrie until just after midnight.
Thursday morning things didn't seem too bad though. It was miserable, cold, and there was definitely ice in the wind, but road conditions were alright and the drive into Toronto wasn't all that bad (according to my dad, that is, who generously chauffeured myself and my friend Jen into the city). Aside from the terribly upsetting biometrics appointment, Thursday was a fun day. Jen kindly came along to keep me company so we also did a little bit of sight-seeing. I had hoped to wander around the city a lot more but the frigid weather had us staying indoors. Even so, the Royal Ontario Museum and Ripley's Aquarium did not disappoint and we very much enjoyed our afternoon.
I was half-worried the storm would cause problems with the GO trains that we were using to get home, but the weather was actually fine most of the day. Though southern Ontario's spring storms haven't been just a sprinkling of ice and a frigid afternoon pretty much since I moved to Canada. As our train left Toronto the ice started to come down again and by the time we reached Barrie the rain was driving the stinging darts into your face with unpleasant force. The roads were an icy, slushy mess and apparently the weather had been bad in Barrie nearly all day. I was very glad of my new end-of-season sale TNA coat to keep the worst of the ice out and all the warmth in as we ran for the car.
That evening the storm started to cause some havoc: I wasn't back at my parents' house an hour before the power got knocked out. It was out all Thursday night (meaning cold tuna sandwiches for dinner) and most of Friday morning and early afternoon too. It was an icy few hours and I was desperate for a cup of tea. Through it all there was a constant rattle of ice being driven against the windows. It would have been cosy were it not for the lack of power. Saturday morning we all woke up to beautifully clear blue skies and a world completely coated in ice. A few branches on our trees had broken under the weight of it and our neighbour's birch was bent nearly double over their driveway. I could have gone ice skating on our road and probably would have if I still owned ice skates. It was absolutely stunning: it looked like everything was made of glass. The sun was warm though and temperatures climbed steadily. By Sunday morning everything was melted and it was as if nothing had happened. The only sign that the ice storm had come and gone was the broken branches littering our garden and, in some places along the roads, whole trees snapped in half at their trunk.
Since then the weather has been pretty mild - warm and generally sunny. I was out running in a t-shirt on Wednesday. Yesterday though, while driving back from St Thomas where my dad and I were visiting my brother, we passed through five or six different snow squalls. Barrie was pretty clear until the evening, then overnight it snowed pretty steadily and now everything is covered again. They're predicting cold temperatures and intermittent snowfall for the rest of the week; I'm just hoping it won't affect driving conditions too much as I plan on heading out to Lindsay this week to visit friends!
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