Canada Day 2 - Niagara Falls

For a long time, my dad has been saying that 2 of the places that he wants to see in the US are the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. My parents are retired and they usually spend 3 months in Colombia and then 3 months in Tampa. They travel often and enjoy seeing new places. They are over 70 and enjoying life, except this year because of Emma they are staying in Tampa. I love traveling with them, so we decided that our first trip with Emma would be to Niagara Falls, Canada via Buffalo. The Grand Canyon was another option, but considering the longer flight we decided Niagara was a good start. I didn't care much about seeing the falls. It's one of those places that I didn't have at the top of my list of places that I want to see or in my bucket list. They were more beautiful than what I expected plus I was really happy to visit a new Country for all of us and I was extremely excited about visiting Toronto. 

Since we decided to go to Niagara, I knew that me and the baby would not be going on the "Maid of the Mist". Andre wanted to go but he was getting sick and didn't want to get wet. My parents just decided not to go. If I ever return to Niagara, I would definitely like to see the falls from the boat. The mist was so much from the sidewalk I can only imagine how it is when you are in the water.

My favorite sight was at the top of the falls. Seeing all the water before dropping was really spectacular. We stayed in that area for a while admiring the force of the water and feeling that the trip was worth it. 

My dad's dream and our first family trip were really wonderful. We spent the night in Niagara. Andre and I drove that night to see the falls illuminated. We didn't even realize that less than a block from our hotel there was a nice place to watch the falls and fireworks. Emma was very upset when we got back to our room. My mom was babysitting but we have some (serious) issues with her only wanting me at night. I didn't know they were so bad until that night. The following day was Andre's birthday and our plans to go out in Toronto we're not looking that good. 

Canada Day 1

We planned this long weekend trip at least 3 months ago. Less than 2 weeks away from our departure, Emma got really sick. I was really close to canceling this trip several times. I was really happy that our plane tickets were from southwest and you really never lose the money with them but we were definitely losing the hotel money because I prepaid to get a better rate. That week was probably the worst week I've had since Emma was born. We took her to the doctor and she had some tests doen. When the lab results came back (a week later) they showed that she had salmonella. She was already doing really well when I heard back from the doctor telling us that she needed to test her blood. Since there are different bacterias that cause salmonella, some of them need antibiotics. In order to determine that, Emma had to have a blood test. I consulted with my uncle who is a pathologist and he said she was most likely ok, but she really needed the test. Apparently, when doctors say results take 48 hours, it could turn out to be over one week turn around. As a bonus that same week, she also got pink eye probably from the doctor's office. Another week passed when I received a call from her doctor saying that we are still waiting for test results!!!!! Basically, while we were in Canada, I was anxiously expecting a phone call from her doctor. I'm happy to say that she never called. I'm glad I didn't cancel the trip. 

We planned this trip because one of my dad's dreams was to travel to Niagara falls. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take our first trip with Emma. A relatively short flight to Buffalo and a short drive to Niagara and Toronto made it a perfect long weekend trip. Also, having my parents around would be really helpful with Emma. We took advantage of a Southwest Airlines sale and purchased our plane tickets for less than $200 round trip. 

Our flight was delayed for 2 hours in Tampa but we used the time to eat lunch at the airport. Emma had a perfect flight. She took a nap at the airport and didn't even cry during the 2.5 hour flight. Her ears were OK. On our way up, she ate and on the way down I gave her he pacifier and made sure that she kept it in.  

After getting the rental car, driving towards Canada, and crossing the border it was time for dinner. We drove by the falls on our way to the hotel, but decided to have dinner and go to bed early. We were all exhausted after our first air traveling experience. We ate at an Outback steak house located outside our hotel. We were surprised to see that the prices were double of what we pay in the U.S. and that there is an additional sales tax for non-Niagara Falls residents. As we discovered the rest of our trip, Canada is very expensive.