Melanie+Narkunan

** Melanie Narkunan ** “Finally the school is over” I said with a big smile as I went home on the last day of school with my mom and my sister. I was glad because we were going to Canada for a week on a vacation and I was really excited. Last year, on July 13th we flew to Chicago first and after a brief break, we continued our flight to Buffalo from. In Buffalo, we rented a car and my dad was excited to drive to Toronto. As we were crossing the border, we were welcomed by the Canadian flag decorated by the maple leaf. After a brief passport and security checks we were allowed to cross the Rainbow Bridge that connects the two great nations. Here we can see both Canadian flag and American flag flying on either side of the bridge. As we drove in side Canadian territory, the land scape was beautiful. I noticed the green and the bright sun shining, you could hear the birds chirping and the flowers were blossoming everywhere and it was amazing. After an hour of driving, we entered the neighborhood a city called “Brampton” the houses were huge, pretty and had a nice yard around houses. Finally we reached Pandi Uncle’s home, one of my dad’s University mate and with whom we are going to spend our next one week, while we tour Canada. Next day morning we were all excited to visit the great Niagara Falls. On our way to Niagara, we were happy to see our popular “Costco” shop and we decided to make our necessary purchases for our next one week‘s needs. When we finally reached the Niagara Falls, it was gorgeous, the sun was out, there were water sprinkling in the air, the sky was blue, birds chirping, flowers were being watered, and you could hear the water going down the falls with huge force. There were lots of trees followed by lots of stores selling Niagara souvenir, like a little town. As we got closer to the falls, the sound of the water flow got louder and louder like a thunder. We could see two falls, one is called “American falls” and the other is called “Horseshoe falls”. We took a boat ride called “Maid of the Mist” in the river to see the Niagara Falls from a different view and from a closer proximity. From this view the falls looked very huge and we were admired by this natural wonder. The second day we ventured into the city of Toronto. As we entered the city, the CN Tower also called Canadian National Tower was very prominent and eye capturing. We took a lift to reach the top of the tower. From the observation deck we could have a bird eye view of the city of Toronto. Some of the facts about the tower is it is 553 meter high and was built in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. The following day we went to the Toronto Zoo, which was huge, and housed several rare collections of animals. Most interesting part of my zoo experience is my camel ride. It was an awesome experience and understood why they could run so fast. Because of their height and they were so tall that I had to climb at least 5 steps to get on his back! At Pandi uncle’s home, I had seen several bunnies at his back yard. I had also noticed several colorful butterflies flying everywhere. Here are some Facts about Canada, did you know that Canadian flag has a maple leaf on the middle of the flag. Their mascot is a beaver. In Canada you can see the U.S.A. across the falls, and vice versa. Also did you know that The Niagara falls joins Lake Erie and Lake Ontario? Their national sports are Hockey and lacrosse which is like soccer except you use a stick to scoop the ball instead of kicking it.
 * Our trip to Canada **