So we arrive at our hotel..and by hotel I mean the best inn i have ever stayed at. It was called the Old Angel Inn and if you are ever in Niagara I strongly suggest staying here. We got a great off season deal and managed to get the "General Suite" that had two queen beds in two separate rooms and two full separate washrooms, plus a cozy living area. We were first greeted by Jean who pretty much took us under her wing and told us all her favorite places to see in the city,gave us a tour of the inn and remembered us when she saw us on the street later that day. She brought us coffee to our room the next morning knowing that we were probably not in the best shape and Keep in mind room service is not included...Jean was just extra special!
We dropped all our stuff and headed out for a quick bite to eat at a local pub and then scooted off on our wine tour. First on our stop was "Sunnybrook Farm Estate Winery". Probably one of the most unique that we have ever visited, maybe the most unique ever! We tried everything from golden plum to chocolate and everything in between. Quite pricey running at an average of $27.00 per bottle, but worth every penny.
Next on our stop was the "Konzleman Estate Winery". the estate was massive, it looked like a freaking castle. Inside was just as elaborate, you almost felt like you were walking into the kings private cellar. We sampled several different wines, including a birthday shot of Reisling out of a crystal slipper (shoe worth $50.00) for Sarah! The wine was tasty and moderately priced...we bought 3 bottles and drank them all that night.
So after a lovely dinner at the Tiara (blog soon to come) we woke up to our coffee (thanks to Jean), and ventured out for our second day. Walking down the main strip we found that they had horse carriage tours ( $70.00 for half an hour). We hopped on with Charlie (the horse) and Charlotte (the guide) and trotted off learning all the history of the area. Charlie happened to be a very lazy horse so our half an hour tour ended up being more like 45 minutes, not that we minded.
Did you know that the higher your front porch the higher your social standing. People back then would build their porches so they could step right off into their carriage, and we all know the bigger the carriage.......
We took a long winded drive out of the main part of the town and found "Chocolate FX" a local specialty chocolate factory that covers anything imaginable with the good stuff. Cranberries, blueberries, pretzels, nuts, coffee beans, jube jubes and anything else you can imagine. We took a walk and found the viewing windows right into the factory, and although it didn't look as exciting as Willy Wonkas it still made me smile. Even Sarah, who does not like chocolate, was excited because she found chocolate covered licorice...look at her smile!!!!
So we were on our way our of Niagara when we remembered Avondale dairy farm. They have a full farm of cows that produce the dairy for Parmalat, one of the leading dairy producers here in Ontario, and they also have a full ice cream bar on site, so we got a couple of scoops and a root beer float. We both hadn't had a float since we were wee tots, and it wasn't just the nostalgia...damn they were good. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather and the pungent cow aroma :-)
Overall our adventure in Niagara on the lake was one to be remembered. Quaint, friendly, good food, good wine, good fun, we would absolutely return and plan on doing so soon!
Stay tuned for our post on our dinner at the Tiara, and our trip to the Cheese Boutique.
love Kristen and Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment