Visit to Canada (North America, not a Province in China)

So I know this does not follow our adoptions, but this trip and one to France happened in between our adoptions.  After our first trip, we had received credit from Southwest Airlines.  We only had a few months to use the credit.  We took a look at their flight locations.  We settled on Buffalo, NY.  We did this due to it's proximity to Niagara Falls.  Neither of us had ever been there and we wanted to see another wonder of the world.  We had already visited the Great Wall of China.  We arranged for our tickets.

At the airport, we rented a car and drove to the Falls.  The area around Niagara is like Myrtle Beach, Seiverville, TN (Dollywood) or I-Drive in Orlando, FL.  It has eateries and tourist shops/attractions.  The main attraction is the Falls.  We walked around and looked at them.  The kids loved it.  Funny thing is once you are done, you try to find other things to do.  We don't gamble and the shops are all the same.  They also tend to be expensive.  When it came to eating, we drove up the road looking for a place to eat.  What we discovered is that in Canada, they tax their fast food.  The food was expensive.  At home, we could get 4 roast beef sandwiches at Arby's for $4.50.  We paid $10.00.

After that, we found a grocery store and stocked up on supplies that can be made in the hotel.  We did not have to worry about breakfast, the hotel provided that.  At some point, we wanted to go further into Canada.  We took a drive to look for a mall or shopping area away from the tourist attraction.  We did find one.  It was an old style mall, but it fit our needs.  We walked around, did some shopping and settled down at the food court.  While we sat there, we saw some employees causing a commotion.  It seems that Alice Cooper was at the mall.  Sure enough, he comes walking by.  The employees were asking for autographs and he was graciously giving them.  We did not bother him.  He looked like he was on vacation.

It was a great experience, but I don't think I will be going back.  I'd rather see other parts of Canada.  It was nice to see and we got to see snow.  Also, they light up the Falls at night.  It rotates like every 30 to 60 minutes.  We did not stay long because it was cold and windy.