Oh my god!! I have had the most amazing day! Today i went down to Niagara falls - to actually see the falls. From the hostel im staying in its about a 30 min walk - but in all stopping to take photos and just generally admire what was infront of me it took me about an hour to get down there. The day couldn't have been anynore perfect - clear blues, sunshine and thin covering of snow, temperature was about -6. I walked down 'river road' which runs right alongside River Niagara -ee she's a beast!! I really can't put into words all i have seen today but im going to try. Parts of the river are frozen, like really frozen and ontop of the ice the snow has fallen and styed, its about 6 inch depth of snow, pure white, inbetween all that the river still runs through it and you can see it in parts, it looks amazing. As i was walking down the road i could begin to hear the 'thunder' of the falls, it really is like thunder too! Obviously as i got closer it got louder and then the first glimpse of the falls came into sight - oh my word! The first thing you can really see is the mist of the water splashing up from the falls. The spray comes right up.....into the sky really..its awesome! When i got there - right down to where i could see the whole of the horseshoe falls - i was.....dumbfounded - its such an amazing sight, really beautiful, it really does put you in your place in the world!! Nature is just awesome!! I got right in as close as i could to try and get some good photo's and some video, which i really must now get on my diary along with some of my other photo's. Its difficult to get time - i think i will have to dedicate a couple of hours to doing that. I just want to go out all the time though its amazing how fast the days go by.

As i got closer into the falls i could see all the icicles formed round the edges - stunning. As i stood and watched for a bit longer i could see new icicles forming, its ace. 'Maid of the mist' boat only sails May-Oct so i couldn't do that today so i did'journey behind the falls' instead. That was a tunnel that has been blasted out behind the falls. But intrestingly the wall it was blasted out of hasn't always been there - the falls are slowly eroding and so they are moving. It is comtrolled now to move only 30cm per year - and i can't remeber now how fast it was going before, it was a vast amount more than that though!! In the tunnel there are dated photos and facts about the history of the falls on the walls. i hadn't realised that the falls actually run between 2 lakes; Lake Erie down to Lake Ontario anf they are 54-58 metres high depending on the weather and where you measure them from. Also - i find this totally amazing - On a summer day - 174 million litres (34 million gallons) per MINUTE flows over the brink of the falls! Oh me oh my thats a lot of water!! I've only eaver known gallons be used for counting how much beer the Hardaker men have consumed at a party!! haha! As you enter the tunnel there are pictures of famous people who have visited - taken on a backdrop of the falls, there is a good one of Marilyn Monroe looking all glamourous! As i was going down the guy got me to 'just stand on the green cross there maam' 'ok look me and smile'. Then i realised iwas getting my photo done at the falls - so i look like a special person on my photos!!! i bought them anyway because today one of my dreams came true so i wanted the memory - i don't care if that makes me a cheesy tourist!!! haha!!

From the tunnel i was able to get out to a look out point which is i guess as close as im going to get to the falls and its right behind them so i could see the water flowing down and the icicles all around! Wow! When i came out to walk back up to the hostel, the sun had moved round so..... a rainbow had formed right across the falls! What a sight - i hope i don't ever forget it.

Anyway last night i had fun. By the time i had checked into the hostel and got sorted i needed to go and get some food for tea over the next few days, so i asked the guy that works her if there was a shop where i could get some stuff. "there's a variety store just down the road there - should have ll your looking for" Hmmm, so whats a variet store then??? Well.... i managed to find out - just... it was 10 mins to close when i got ther and there was no one around (its really quiet in the area as its low season). A variety store sells - Beans, Tuna 2minute noodles, 3 apples, 2 wrinkled oranges, soup, potatoes, 4 t-shirts, antifreeze, icepops, sunglasses, gum, deodrant. So i have a large bag of spuds, some tinned tuna and some beans!! I will have to write a recpipe book an the various ways to cook potatoes!! Boiled, mashed, fried, roast!!! It will be fun!

Its teatime now i think. I am a lucky lucky gorl and i have had super duper day.

I hope evryone knows how much i love themx