Falling for Porridge

The Canadians sure know how to treat a packet of oatmeal.

Toronto to Niagara Falls by Cadillac limousine

The Niagara Falls are pipped by Victoria Falls in Africa for both height and width, though not flow volume, despite hefty diversions in the Niagara River for hydro-electricity. However, they did make it on to CBC’s 2007 list of ‘Seven Wonders of Canada’. They are now also officially on the “Fearfully Thrilling  Places to Sit Due to Their Somewhat Precarious Nature” list of Mr Porridge, Member of the Order of Good Cheer. The falls sneak in ahead of Bath’s open-top tour bus , the harbour front at Robin Hood’s Bay and the Joch Pass in Switzerland.

Americans get two falls and two islands.

Canadians get one fall and one tiny island set back from the edge. It’s a classic case of ‘less is more’… and ‘more is more’.

The Horseshoe Falls gradually creep upstream. The rate has slowed now due to water diversion.

Mr P., OGC, saw the Canadian falls from almost every imaginable vantage point – from a nearby tower:

from adrenalin-stirringly close to the top;

from behind the veil;

and from outside near the base.

This is the composure that comes from knowing one can launch oneself over the edge and not plummet into the grasp of a roiling, roaring watery mess but, instead, soar through mist and rainbows. Birds on the wing thronged above the water below the falls.

In a rare interview, given after his visit, the member was asked what he found most impressive about the falls. “The curve at the top. It’s the final moment of normalcy, of naïve ignorance, before mayhem. ”

This is what you see just before you go over.

The Niagara River does two right-angle turns – at the falls and at Niagara Whirlpool. This spot has taken lives too.

A stop at the picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake gave Mr Porridge, OGC, time for a chin-wag with some cheerful buddies.

Chocolate apples

A few sips of the famous icewine (grapes picked when frozen) at a vineyard on the return journey amplified the feeling of general benevolence so much a trademark of Mr Porridge, OGC.