After rousing ourselves from our room, we were provided to a fantastic buffet breakfast and then shambled off to the resorts Spa where we were treated to a ninety minute massage. It had been many years since I have enjoyed a professional massage and many of my muscles gratefully subdued themselves into an almost gelatenous state. Following this we hung around for awhile in the spa’s meditation room and drank healthy fruit juices while admiring the rooms forty gallon fishtank (ok, I know I did – Melanie just nodded and smiled patiently as I discussed its merits).

Following this it was time for our first item to be checked off our intinerary – a winery tour. Since Melanie does not imbue any kind of alchohol, she left it up to me as to where we go, so I chose Jackson Trigg’s. Seemed the right thing to do as this was the brand of wine we served at the wedding. I was left with enough awe about this place so I will reserve the right to discuss it in another post. Stay tuned for that.

After the tour we had just enough time to scoot up to our next exciting destination – the local airport where we had a 1/2 hour helicopter ride reserved with Skyway Helicopters. I had never been up in one before and was seriously looking forward to it. There was another couple coming along with us for the ride, so they crammed us all into the craft (I gave Melanie the front seat with the pilot) and took off. What a blast! I managed to get quite a few pictures of the terrain below as we went along, including one fantastic shot of the Niagara Falls from 3500 feet above. It’s so good in fact I plan on doing something special with it…I’ll post the details on that once I’ve finalized them.

Sadly, as with all things when you are having fun, the ride was over in what felt was too soon. I could have spent hours up there if I was allowed to, or had the budget for. Alas, we are not kindred of the rich so I had to be happy with what we got. I will do it again though.

After a quick pitstop back at the resort, we headed back to Niagara-On-The-Lake to finish our shopping from the day before. We picked up some nice gifts and made promises to ourselves to come back later in the year to Christmas Shop. The fact that there is an actual Christmas Store in the town bodes well for our dollars being transferred that way in the future. After shopping we enjoyed a great dinner in one of the towns many diners while debating whether we would buy some last minute tickets to one of the Shaw Festival shows. Melanie was a bit tired, and really didn’t feel up to a show that night so I stopped whining and let her win – this time anyway (ok ok I’m fooling myself).

The last item on the agenda, one that Melanie had specifically been wanting to do for ages and ages, was take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the town. I ponied up (HA, I kill me) the dollars to take a 1/2 hour ride and off we went. Our driver(?) was a really nice guy and we discussed everything from the history of the town to the current market value of the homes and the esthetic rules they have when renovations occur. Melanie and I both agreed that we would happily live there if we could, because we both love the fact the town is fighting to keep it’s old world charm and unlike some other towns I know seems to be winning the fight. It felt good to see.

Dusk was upon us as we finished the ride, the bats were out in the graveyard (nice touch!), and you could really tell that the long day had taken its toll on my poor wife. She was exhausted. So, we made our way back to the car and headed back to the resort. Our last indulgence of the day was room service…some evil chocolate dish.

The next morning we found we were moving a little slower as we realized that the vacation was pretty much over. We grabbed another buffet breakfast and then packed our bags, heading out of the resort around 10:30am. Not wanting to leave the memory of Niagara-On-The-Lake a day behind, we drove back and took a little driving tour around some of the quieter streets. Some of the houses we saw were absolutely incredible in their style and/or size. You could almost smell the money spent on some of these places. I think I drooled a bit. We then parked by the lake and sat out on the path for a little while enjoying the scenery before it was time to head out.

Overall, it was a wonderful time. Wish we had weeks to relax, but reality overcomes. We have both discussed coming back in the future for vacations – perhaps try out a bunch of Bed & Breakfasts instead of one long stay in a resort or hotel. We look forward to further adventures together.