Toronto Day 2: Graffiti 🎨 and Waterfall 🌊

After the first busy day in Toronto, think maybe I should give myself a little break? Nah, it’s packing in more and more! Two of my destinations on the itinerary were Graffiti Alley (recommended by my friend who visited before) and the legendary Niagara Falls! So it was up early in the morning and journey on! 🏃‍♂️☀️

Graffiti alley was a decent half an hour walk from the Union Station, so it was perfect to walk off the breakfast calories lol! The artistry there really was very impressive, and it were pictures after pictures with my phone! 📸 📸 These are some of my favourites below (and I still have even more pics but I thought let’s not go overboard! 😂) Which one of these is your favourite? 😉

Afterwards, I found a little spot for lunch and ordered the Canadian national dish of poutine. I won’t say it was very impressive (to my British brain, it was essentially chips, gravy and “halloumi”-like cheese 😅). But what’s not to like?

I then returned to the Union Station area as I await my pick up bus to Niagara Falls. I ordered via FlixBus online, costing me just under £40 for the return journey (it was expensive 💸💸 though it appeared to be my cheapest option from the recommendations at the tourist information centre. The only cheaper option was the seasonal weekend bus which I unfortunately would miss- apparently they are only CA$10 for a return ticket in comparison!!)

The bus pick up spot was at a weird cross junction down by the Harbourfront (8 York Street). It was hidden right behind some large scaffolding, so I almost missed it until I spot a large group of people queueing by the bus.😅 The bus itself is around a 2-hour journey to the Niagara Falls, so it was time to sit back and relax (and charge my phone lol). 😂📱🔌

Upon arriving, I took the inclined railway down the cliff (costing only CA$3 and it was super quick) to the Nigara Falls. And the spectacular views really were worth the journey! 😍😍

It was very cooling – cause the splashes even sprinkled on you on the high cliff! 💦💦

The ferry ⛴ braving the storm! 🌊 (They do tours down there in the water but I was a bit short on time plus they were a bit too expensive for me especially after spending so much already on the bus tickets! 😔)

Rainbow 🌈 at the waterfall (how lucky!)

With four hours to spend until my return bus, I decided to head over the State side of the Niagara Falls (in the state of New York) by crossing the Rainbow Bridge through to the US border. 🇺🇸 Just a short tour before my flight to Texas tomorrow 😂 and it was a straightforward crossing plus a small fee (make sure you have all your travel documents with you though!) The only extra thing right now (due to current COVID restrictions) is you will need to fill in the ArriveCAN form again before reentering Canada.

Looking over back at Canada from the US!

By the time I got back to Toronto downtown, it was already almost 9 at night 🌃 (and I got an early morning flight the next day urgh 😪). But I did manage to capture the beautiful red sky form the sunset! 🌅 (And enough to tempt me for a short wander around the city hehe!)

After a small dinner back in my hotel room (with the leftovers noodles from Chinatown I left in the fridge yesterday 😂), I made sure my alarm clock was set for my flight to Texas tomorrow morning! 🌄