On the road to Niagara on the lake listening to a bit of Jazz and absorbing the high sky. I think NA and Australia have competitive sky heights, and it must have to do with the sheer mass of land creating the cloud formations. In Europe the sky'd much closer to the ground somehow, more present, and don't even get me started on the UK. In London you know you're short if you can't reach up and have your fingers wiggling around in the grey clouded ceiling. Oppressive.
Arriving at Niagra on the Lake we have a moment of crisis as we realise the rental company has charged us 200 dollars too much, this on top of the 200 extra dollars on the quote. We've now officially doubled the cost of the trip! And only on the first day driving! We rush back and forth to the parking lot and finally off to a payphone for clarification. The only thing really clarified however is that Hertz is a very bad company to rent a car from. More to follow on this topic... maybe they'll read this blog, feel bad and give us a discount... or at least their orignal quote.
Niagara on the Lake is quaint and pretty. The one main street has a whole load of pretty little cafes and shops, but we don't stay long and instead still our undying hunger in a little restaurant which doesn't take credit cards, but does serve vinegar with its frenc fries. Fabri had a bean soup. 'It's just like baked beans but less sweet.' the waitress explains.
Back int he car we onward onto Niagara falls and park the car in a median as soon as we can see them. No sooner have we crossed the road and focus our cameras as I shout to Fabri that I can see the parking attendant poised to ticket us. We rush back across the road only to find that it's simply a man with conspicuous behavior who happens to be wearing a day-glow fluorescent orange shirt.
We move the car and refuse to pay 18 dollars for parking before finding a place where we can pay 5 (hint... it's up near the IMAX theatre) for the whole day. We explore both the falls and get many a photo. We also get sprayed by the mist up there at the top and I am soaked through the back of my jeans and top before we decide to head back to the car and on with the journey.
We're stopped crossing the border and the quite unfriendly and indecipherable officer asks us to go intot he immigration building. He threatens us something about an I-85, some white paper Fabri should have. I can tell he's bluffing and the only concern the officer inside the building has is the 6 dollars we owe him for the processing of the visa and the fact that we didn't give himt he opportunity to practice his Italian. Poor guy.
We get into Buffalo in time for wings at the Anchor bar but first stop on a bridge to watch the goings-on in a little river. We watch some boys jump into the water from an old decrepit bridge int he centre. The wings were the best I've ever had. I still have some in the trunk of the car. That's proabably not a good idea.
From Buffalo (no touring, just wings) we drove straight onto Erie to the lovely little B&B we booked. It's calm and relaxing to finally be able to put our feet up. There's lots to think about tomorrow and the plans we need to choose to have another great day. Another treat on the road today was the sunset... all apricot, cottoncandy and lilac for a good 45 minutes.
Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa
323 km – circa 3 ore 45 min
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ACCOMODATION:
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ACCOMODATION:
http://www.georgecarrollhouse.com/index.html401 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16507
Sara's (Ice Cream) - 25 Peninsula Dr, Erie, PA 16505-2003
Oakwood Cafe / McGarrey's (Breakfast) - 38th street, Erie, PA
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