Niagara-on-the-Lake is on the river

Horseshoe Falls*

As luck would have it, it was raining all the way from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Heavy rains and strong winds bent my umbrella out of shape as we stopped to enjoy some of the many attractions, leaving me drenched but exhilarated by the beauty of the region.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is situated on the mouth of Niagara River as it rambles on its way to Lake Ontario. The temperate climate and soil condition have given birth to a thriving wine industry. This is how we found ourselves in a wine cellar being educated in the fine art of wine tasting.

Following the example of our guide, we raised our wine glasses, peered through the crystal to check for color and clarity, gently swirled the goblet to let the wine breath, brought the glass to the tips of our noses to inhale the bouquet of the wine before finally sipping it, tossing it around in our palates as we savored its body. Last but not least, we were told to spit out the wine (for which spittoons were provided), but I only saw the guide do this. The rest of us diligently drank the wine we were given and waited expectantly for more. The best of the lot was served last. This was the ice wine which moved smoothly down my throat.

Canadian ice wine is widely respected worldwide due in part to the stringent standards and regulations which are monitored by the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). Ice wine can only be produced in limited quantities because of the demanding conditions under which the grapes are harvested thereby commanding top prices. Grape picking is done by hand when the temperature is around -8°C (17.6°F).

There’s something about learning that leaves the student famished. After the wine tasting that Bacchus would have approved, we drove to the center of town and settled at a café across from the old Shaw Theater. Niagara-on-the-Lake has been drawing visitors not only to its cellars but also to the Shaw Festival.

George Barnard Shaw is the playwright who created the much-loved characters of Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. Every year since the 1960s, the festival presents plays by Shaw as well as those written by his contemporaries. The plays run from April to early December.

The drive along Niagara River to the Falls was invigorating as we passed stately homes with sloping, green lawns. Some of these have been converted to Bed and Breakfast lodgings offering relaxing getaways. Bicycling is a favorite pastime for visitors to the area because the bucolic scenery calms the most frenzied soul.

The mist was so thick from all the rain that I could not initially see Horseshoe Falls, a 2,200 ft. stretch of the Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. The “Journey Behind the Falls” took me far below the rim and up close to the falls, so close I could hear the deafening roar of water crashing 170ft. to the basin. As I watched and admired the thunderous descent of the falls, the spray left me totally wet and shivering. Back on ground level, the sky cleared long enough to show the entire length of Horseshoe Falls. What a spectacular sight it was, well worth the soggy clothes and shoes!

Getting there: The drive from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake takes approximately an hour and twenty minutes on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). Alternatively, there are all-day bus tours that covers both the town and the falls.

Journey Behind the Falls: Purchase tickets at Table Rock Point to take the elevator down to the gorge where you’ll go through a tunnel that leads behind the falls. The ticket includes a raincoat but be prepared to get wet anyway.

Shaw Festival: For more information about the festival, check their website at shawfest.com.

Salamat gid to my indefatigable guides, Harlean and Mario Billones who made my visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake extra special.

*Image from Wikimedia Commons images under public domain.

**This article was published in the July 22-28, 2004 issue of the Manila Bulletin US and recreated here from a previous blog post.

*****

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog