A little getaway

A number of years ago, Paul and I took a trip to Michigan to visit his sister and her husband who had been dealing with serious health issues.  We had a nice visit with them and were glad we went because just a few years later each of them passed away.  On the way home from that first trip, we stopped at Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL), Ontario, as our quickest route takes us across New York State, through Ontario, and into Michigan.  We had walked around NOTL and found it charming, a place to return to.

This summer we resolved to return, and Paul hopped online to buy tickets to plays at the Shaw Festival Theatre as soon as they were available.  To my delight, my favorite musical, My Fair Lady, is the headline play this year!  We headed over on Thursday before Labor Day (the Canadians also celebrate Labour Day), stopping at Batavia, NY, for the night, and arriving in NOTL at lunchtime Friday. 

I love all the flowers along the streets which were quite busy in the middle of the day with tourists from all over the world.  The town used to draw most of its visitors from theater goers, but now it seems the area's wineries are the main attraction.  We didn't visit any, but several wineries had retail shops downtown and some restaurants had beer and wine tastings.

We had lunch on the patio of our lodgings for the weekend, the historic Olde Angel Inn, centrally located just off the main street.  Being the oldest inn in Ontario has its good and bad points.  The innkeeper, Diana, was very friendly and helpful, telling us about free places to park, good breakfast places, and the bands they have every Friday and Saturday night in the pub, right below our historic room above the pub's door (see above).  We did manage to get a little sleep in spite of the noise.  And we loved being able to walk everywhere.   There were delicious restaurants, both theaters, and cute shops just steps away.

My Fair Lady was absolutely amazing, and everything we'd hoped for.  Our seats, in the first row, couldn't have been better.  We could look into the orchestra pit and hear all of the actors on stage well.  I loved the costumes, especially the dresses at the races at Ascot and the ball gowns.  The actors who played Henry Higgins and Alfred Doolittle were super, "Eliza Doolittle" was a great singer.   The sets moved almost effortlessly.

The following night, we saw Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution in a different, smaller theater, and it was just as good.  Again, the costuming and set design were wonderful.  I had come down with a cold, though, and sat masked with cough drops at the ready.  

On Monday morning, we packed up early to avoid long lines at US Customs, and our wait was only about 30 minutes.  We stopped in Malta, NY, for the night before arriving home Tuesday at lunchtime.  The memories of charming NOTL will linger on for quite a while.