Fall under a magic spell at Canadian spectacle

A visit to Niagara Falls to watch more than six million cubic feet of water cascade down a vertical drop of more than 165 feet en route to the Atlantic Ocean has been on my bucket list for years.

Would it really provide the spectacular sight one anticipates which attracts more than 16 million visitors a year?

I was not disappointed. Even during the winter when the temperature is so low Niagara Falls freezes over, they are simply breath-taking. The thundering noise can be heard from miles away as the waters crash over the cliff edge creating dense clouds of drifting spray. Although I knew what to expect as our car turned the corner and headed closer, nothing quite prepared me for the true magnificence of this amazing phenomena.

There are three waterfalls in total, the semi-circular Horseshoe Falls standing on the Canadian side, with the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls on the American side – the Canadian side offering the best view.

My dream was to toast this remarkable sight with champagne. Instead I opened a bottle of ice wine created at the nearby Inniskillin Winery. As there is now more ice wine produced in Canada than anywhere else in the world it seemed more appropriate somehow.

Ice wine is a rare dessert wine with a concentrated sweet taste that has a higher viscosity than normal table wines. It’s produced from the juice of naturally frozen grapes that have been handpicked at night during the middle of a cold Canadian winter. The Niagara Peninsula is the only place in the world where the summers are warm enough to ripen red grapes and the winters are cold enough to freeze them.

As ice wine tastes of honey, apricots and tropical fruits it was the perfect drink to sip while gazing through the mists generated by tons of water tumbling down in front of me.

It would have been foolish to have left for Toronto before first calling into the well-preserved little 19th century town, Niagara-by-the-Lake, which is described as the prettiest town in Ontario and only a few minutes journey from Niagara Falls.

This is the picturesque little town where a horse-and-buggy ride is obligatory and the only way to appreciate fully the attractive weatherboard homes and the many hotels and artisan shops that make up the town.

Travelling by carriage swathed in warm blankets, we relaxed as a pair of superb shire horses trotted round the town, enabling us to view the sights at a leisurely pace. That really was a never-to-be-forgotten “step-back-in-time” moment to be enjoyed before visiting the wineries and then the big city of Toronto.

A two-hour drive finally returned us to Toronto and the CN Tower, which is visited by more than two million people a year. This amazing construction was also on my bucket-list. Completed in 1995, and formerly the world’s tallest tower, it is considered one of the wonders of the modern world.

I wanted to see if I had enough courage to take on the dreaded Edge Walk around the main pod of the tower, directly above the tower’s revolving restaurant. It’s the world’s highest full-circle hands-free walk. Participants are tethered to an overhead rail system high above Toronto.

Yes, the thought terrified me, but something deep inside told me I just had to do it, if only to prove an oldie old can still be 27 at heart.

Unfortunately (or was it fortunately?), it was only when I arrived, having travelled in one of the six glass elevators that take just 58 seconds to reach the top, that I discovered that the walk is not open during winter months.

The only thing I could do therefore, was walk across the glass floor, which was the first of its kind and built to withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.

As I only weigh eight stone, I was confident I could defy the challenge of the glass floor, overcome my fears and walk onto a surface that revealed the 398 miles that make up Toronto’s sprawling city.

But even so it was scary, really scary. The city lay more than 1,815 feet below and although I knew I couldn’t fall, something deep inside me suggested I might. Still I managed it, then celebrated the fact with an excellent lunch and chilled champagne in the tower’s revolving restaurant afterwards.

Canada’s restaurants excel in providing excellent food, much of it incorporating influences from the many settlers who brought their cuisines with them. The CN Tower’s restaurant is no exception.

Whilst in Toronto we stayed at the nearby luxury International Hotel where the food is equally good and walked the city with famed historian Bruce Bell.

He took us to local markets inviting us to try local delicacies including the famous butter tarts, which are quintessentially Canadian and considered one of their few genuine recipes. A little too sweet for me, but everyone else enjoyed them.

My trip included a visit to the newly opened Ripley’s Aquarium where we could see many of the fish that lurk beneath the surface of the Great Lakes and check out the fish of Rainbow Reef.

This aquarium even has a jelly fish gallery. Amazing.

There was much to see, but if I close my eyes to conjure up images of the trip, it’s those mighty Niagara Falls cascading over the cliff, throwing up a mist, which will remain my most permanent memory.

Essentials

Fact box – Ontario/Canada
* Return trip Heathrow to Toronto – Air Canada from £488 – www.aircanada.com 
* Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, 325 Bay Street, Toronto – £257 a night – trumphotelcollection.com/toronto
* Niagara-on-the-Lake – accommodation and event tickets – niagaraonthelake
* Ontario City Pass for entrance to CN Tower, Royal Ontario Museum, Casa Lorna, Toronto Zoo and Ontario Science Centre. Costs 64 Canadian dollars+tax. cntower.ca/plan-your-visit/rates/toronto-citypass.html