To Marineland....and Beyond!!!

So you may have noticed no mention of Niagara Falls.  Except for the magnificence of the falls themselves, there is little to say about the city.  We had access to a nice pool in a medium-nice hotel, and time to recover from the drive.

Marineland, however, was such a different experience.  The day we went was a very hot day, but it wasn't crowded at the park.  Sarah had researched very well and we had everything we needed.

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The hand with the blue ring that you can see in this photo is Julia's, but we all took our turn feeding and petting the Belugas, and I was amazed at how warm I felt towards something I would have, all my life, considered a beast.  They were responsive and playful, and we all delighted in throwing fish at them and stroking their surprisingly textured heads.  I say surprisingly, because in my wrongheadedness I expected them to be slimy.

Wheeeeeeee! ( I hoped)

silently screaming, I joined Emma on the baby roller-coaster, only to find that it was actually quite pleasant, and I was not about to die, with my granddaughter having to cope.






Both Julia and Emma loved feeding the deer; we spent a couple of hours in that part of the park:

Julia showed a never-before -seen-by-me patience tempting these reindeer with various treats until finally, even she could feel the futility and we finally moved on

We took a breather, had some lunch, danced to a polka band and then
with this memory seared into our heads, each personalized,

we, in this case meaning "I" stood in line for the Big Show at the Walrus theatre. In spite of being named for a walrus, the show featured dolphins---sleek, tricky, playful dolphins.

 They fascinated us with their individual grace, but the really impressive part of their show was when 5 of them worked as a team, sailing up out of the water and executing flips and twirls with an amazing synchronization.

I didn't say we were synchronized.....

The next day, at the Toronto Zoo, we had again been beautifully organized by Sarah and the fun began:

Julia as Lawrence of Arabia

Emma as Princess Jasmine

 

the Toronto Zoo has a wonderful pool of stingrays, with a shark as well.

Lorna sees a shark!!

And pets a stingray

Meanwhile, Sarah and the girls get adventurous and feed/pet stingrays.  All of this just seems surreal to a woman who can't pet a dog.

We see some adorable rabbits:

Can't flip it, but can't leave it out either.....

Get adorable:

Only one dalmation

A lazy tiger (sorry!)

Domestic and wild life at peace

Julia, is an artist, and she also has a piquant sense of humour:

More swimming, more eating, alcohol for the over-7s and we were back home before we knew it, but I got a very clear sense of how to have a great vacation---go with some of your best friends.