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Rainbow in Horseshoe Falls

Last year July when summer was in full swing we went to Niagara to explore its stunning beauty. I had heard about the prettiness of this falls a number of times before and had craved to enjoy it. And I definately to say, it didn't disappoint me. Moreover some other attractions and rides have added excitement to this experience. Clifton Hill, Queen Victoria Park, Rainbow Bridge and Marineland are also other favoured promenades in Niagara. To experience a different beauty of the falls I stayed at night and enjoyed the nightly illumination when the falls lit in the colors of the rainbow. If you want to thrilled by fireworks over the falls schedule your journey friday or sunday. Special displays are also hold on U.S. and Canadian holidays.

American Falls and Rainbow Bridge from our room

Summer being the peak season we booked for a hotel before our tour. We decided to stay two days there. Our journey started off quite well from Greyhound bus terminal in Kitchener. We reached Niagara via Hamilton after three hours. The journey by that modern, comfortable bus through the city was really a pleasure. The weather in Niagara was very nice on the day of our arrival...it was completely a sunny day.

From bus terminal in Niagara we grabbed a taxi to hotel Marriott where we had our reservation. We got a room in 17th floor with falls view. One can find a number of expensive hotels here, like Hilton, Embassy suit, Casino, Sheraton with different attractive packages.

American Falls with little Bridal Falls beside

Rainbow on Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Behind the Falls:
You can feel the thunder of Niagara at Journey Behind the Falls. To get a better look how the mighty falls collapse from 13 stories above, a journey deep below and behind the heart of Niagara and standing in the mist is a stunning experience. But we were having problem to keep eyes open, so couldn't take good pictures.

We were approaching the falls

Maid of the Mist:
If you are bit adventurous you can have the ride maid of the mist. I had enjoyed this ride most. It's a half hour tour and quite exciting ride. A large boat will take you from the Canadian docks past the base of the American Falls, then into the basin of the magnificent Canadian Horseshoe Falls. When the boat approches the maid of the mist it starts agitaing horribly due to the violent wave created for the collapsing of the fall. So, you've got to be very careful although the authority provides safety precautions. It's a breathtaking journey and I have enjoyed it so much.

Maid of the Mist of Canadian Falls

In the mist it was difficult to keep eyes open

The street across the falls is really very lovely

clifton Hill

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Musee Du Louvre Pyramid

Inside the Musium

On sunday morning when we reached the entrance of the museum a long queue of the visitors came into view. It was good that the day was the first sunday of the month, so we didn't need to buy ticket. On any other days tourists need tickets depending on the packages they want to see. There are three accesses: Richelieu, Sully and Denon. If you don't wish to see the entire museum or are bit short of time you can choose some selective items first and then collect a guided map which is available in the information desk. Then decide which gate will be the best access to see your selected items. Cameras are allowed, so you can snap photos of the ancient arts and sculptures.

Painted ceiling inside the Museum

Code of Hammurabi: Fisrt Babylonian dynasty, reign of Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C)
Found at Susa, Iran. Origin: Mesoptamia, Iraq. This tall stele was discovered with other Mesoptamian war booty at Susa. The king of Babylon is portrayed at the top listening to the god Shamash,who is sittting on a throne in the form of a temple. The text, written in cuneiform script, is a code of laws regulating every aspect of daily life from agriculture, medicine and family affairs to theft, false evidence, ans assult and battery, the punishments for which vary according to the social status of the guilty party. The principle of '' an eye for an eye, atooth for a tooth'' was adopted by the jews exiled in Babylon.[1]

Some sculptures from Africa

The great Sphinx: This momumental sphinx, guardian of the temple of Amun-Ra at Tanis in the northwest of the Nile Delta, is one of the largest now outside Egypt and posssibly one of the most ancient. The sphinx, a lion with a human head, symbolized the majesty of the pharaoh and was a ''living image'' of the king, whose feature it was usually given. It also symbolized the scared bond with the solar god.[1]

Seated Cat: C. 700-600 B.C. The profusion of ex-voto effigies of the goddess Bastet, represented by a cat, attests to her fervent worship, practicaly in her town, Bubastis, but also throughout Egypt.[1]

Sarcophagus of Tamutnefret:19th Dynasty, 1295-1186 B.C.

In Egyptian religion, the preservation of the mummy was primordisl in ensuring eternal rest in the ''house of eternity''. The bodies of the wealthiest, such as this singer of Amun, were placed in mummy-shaped coffins fitting inside one another and painted with symbolic scene, texts, and amulets ensuring their protection and the perpetuation of their name.[1]

Most of the oldest sculphtures are from Egypt.

Mummy: Ptolemaic period, 3rd-2nd century B.C.

Seated Scribe: 4th or 5th dynasty, 2600-2350 B.C. Sitting cross-legged with a papyrus on his knees, this high-ranking royal dignitary, whose name is unknown, is portrayed with striking realism. The eyes, insert with rock crystal, and the flesh tones are extraordinarily lifelike.[1]

Statue of Amenhotep IV: 18th dynasty, C.1350 B.C. Better known as Akhenaton, Amenhotep IV, husband of the beautiful Nefertiti, revolutionzed religion and art, and founded a new capital at Amarna. This fragment of a pillar showing the pharaoh holding his royal scepters obeys the new official canon with its androgynous overtones.[1]

Offering Bearer: Early 12th dynasty, C. 1950 B.C. The tombs of dignitaries were filled with statuettes of servants accompanying their deceased master in the afterlife. They provide a varied picture of daily life. This servant girl, whose elegant figure is characteristic of the art of the middle kingdom, is carrying a leg of beef and a water vase.[1]

Karomama, Divine consort of Amun: 22nd Dynasty,C.850 B.C. Amun's wife. the most beautiful bronze ever discovered in Egypt. The princess, granddaughter of Osorkon I, is shown with the attributes of the pharaoh and would have been holding sista to awaken the passion of her husband.[1]

Frieze of Archers: Achemenid dynasty, 522-486 B.C. Susa, Iran.

The wall of the palace of Darius I at Susa were covered with glazed terracotta brick reliefs whose purpose was to show the power and grandeur of the Persian Empire in keeping with an ancient Babylonian Tradition. The marching archers wearing ceremonial costume in this fragment could be the Immortals, the personal guard of the Great King described by Herodotus.[1]

Milo of Crotona: France, 1670-82.

Milo, hero of his town at the Olympic Games, wanted to try his strength on a tree but got his hand trapped and was devoured by wild beasts. This theme provides a pretext or a spectacular depiction of pride defeated by fate and of suffering.[1]

Aphrodite of Melos, Known as the Venus de Milo: C. 100B.C.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace: C. 190 B.C.

A monument commemmorating a Rhodian naval victory,Victory was originally stood on a base in the shape of a ship's prow in a sanctuary at the top of a cliff.[1]

CN Tower & Roger's Building

In Canada though we had been staying Waterloo, thought it wouldn't be appropriate to leave the country without seeing Toronto. So decided to visit the provincial capital of Ontario. As it is only 100 km away from Watreloo we chose to back on the same day. From Charles St. Transit terminal we started our journey for Toronto by Greyhound Bus. It took only one and half hour to reach the city.

When we entered the city so many modern and high rise buildings came into view. For these tall buildings the city gets little sun shine. Toronto is very hectic city and the financial capital of Canada. It is growing upwards like NewYork city.

Toronto City Center

Our bus stopped in the bus terminal nearby the city center. Getting off the bus we first collected a map of the city from the tourist information center. Then started walking along the street to discover it by foot. On the way we saw a parade with flags of different countries. We found a number of interesting tours and sightseeing assistance available. As we didn't have that much time to observe all the attractions we took a canal cruise. It brought us to some nearby sites and islands of the city center. The tour was much enjoyable.

Island

After the canal tour we were looking for some Bangladeshi or Indian resturants to have lunch. We heard before that there are a number of resturents of the subcontinent. But unfortunately we just wasted our valuable time in searching and got all of them closed. So treated ourselves with McDonalds burger. Again we started walking to see the CN Tower. CN Tower is the most popular tourists spots. It is the world's tallest building, about 553 meter (1,815 feet) high and Canada’s National Tower, also center of tourism of Toronto. It was built in 1976 to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry by building a tower taller than any other in the world. To see the panoromic and extensive view of city Toronto from the top of CN tower is an awe-inspiring experience. For more enjoyment one can find arcade, motion theatre ride and The Height of Excellence, that is a 20 minute documentary of the building of the engineering. There is also a marketplace where you can buy souvenirs and other canadian stuffs

CN Tower

I felt tired walking for hours at a stretch. Still we had a nice time exploring the city. After a while entered a shoping complex. It was pretty large and beautiful with so many expensive brand stores.

Shopping Street

Market place

Suddenly in a street opposite of a movie theatre a large crowd caught our sight. We were curious to know and asked a woman about. She said Brad Pitt might be there but she was not preety sure. We also waited little while to see the celebraty. But couldn't stay long as getting late for return.

People waiting to see Brad Pitt(?)