IKEA was in the midst of their after Christmas Boxing Day Sale ... and it was PACKED. We were in search of candles for next Christmas (never too early to look), and for a quick look around ... We pushed through the crowds of people ... (why is it, that in places like IKEA, Superstores, Wal-Mart and other big block retails stores, people lose not only thier minds, but any semblence of manners as well ... I quickly grew weary of having to push past people who were stopped for no apparent reason in the middle of aisles and who were unmoved by polite 'excuse us please' comments. It got so bad I was ready to start hip-checking old ladies and pregnant women out of the way if they didn't move of their own volition) ... I was glad to head out the door and leave it behind ... But we no sooner got on the highway towards our ultimate destination for the day, than Beetle chirped from the back seat - "I really wish we could have bought the leaf canopy for my bed ..."
My head pivoted - "what? ... why didn't you say something in the store??"
She then said she had realized she really wanted it until we left ... AARRGGHH !!!!
We agreed to go back later and pick one up for her and our drive to Niagara Falls continued ...
We stopped for lunch at a rest area/restaurant near St Catherine's. Everyone got what they wanted ... Noahkila and Ms H had Pizza, while Beetle and I had Chinese food ... my stir fried tofu and sweet and sour veggies were yummy !!Our drive continued to Niagara Falls where we parked across from the visitor's centre and stepped out into the "rain", except it wasn't rain - it was the falling mist from the Horseshoe Falls !!
We walked across the road and enjoyed the vista of looking over the maw into the plunging water and turbulent cascades ... then we walked along the gorge to Clifton St to take in some of the tacky touristy sites ...
One of the first stops was the Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum ... then we walked around the corner to the Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum ... Beetle and Ms H wouldn't go through the Chamber of Horrors there, but after the Wax Museum, Beetle was insistent that we just HAD to go through the House of Frankenstein down the street.
Even though it was kind of tacky, both Ripley's and the Wax Museum were fun ... The Ripley's exhibits were interesting, and the kids enjoyed sitting and standing alongside dummies as diverse as Mother Teresa, George W. Bush, Oprah, Shania Twain and Austin Powers ... as well as dozens of others ...
After the fun of Ripley's and the Wax Museum, it was off to the House of Frankenstein ...
We tried and tried and tried to dissuade Beetle that this wasn't a good idea - all to no avail. So, we paid our admission and went into the darkened hallway of The House of Frankenstein ... Noahkila was covering his eyes and saying - "this really isn't that scary ..." Ms H was hiding under the BACK of my coat and Beetle was holding my hand tightly ... We got as far as the first exhibit, that was down a short hall, up some spooky steps and down a long dark hallway ... Then there was simultaneously a BANG, and two 'ghouls' leaping out of closests and ALL THREE kids said - "I want to LEAVE !!!!!"
Grand total of time spent in the House of Frankenstein - about 45 seconds ... Even the woman at the ticket booth was amazed ... The 'ghouls' hiding in the dark were heard to mutter as we left: "Cool!! I've NEVER had someone leave so soon before !!"
We finished off our afternoon with a visit to a very cool LEGO display with over a MILLION pieces of lego assembled into buildings, streets capes and even a replica of Niagara Falls themselves ... It was a more popular stop than the House of Frankenstein ...
We then walked back up along the gorge enjoying the display of Chirstmas lights, only to turn around and head back to Clifton St to take in a Maze that Ms H DESPERATELY wanted to visit ... We went and had a very confusing round in the maze trying to find our respective ways out ... Then it was another LONG walk back to the visitors' centre enjoying not only the Christmas Lights but the illumination of the Falls themselves with the enormous coloured lights ... After a visit to the gift shop where we didn't buy anything (Yeah !!) we hopped in the car and headed back to Grandma's House for supper and bed ...
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