36 Hours

 In thirty-six hours, we drove to Buffalo, ate at an Irish Pub, went to a Big Big Train Concert, visited Niagara Falls, and drove back home. It was a whirlwind of a trip but extremely enjoyable.

The drive from our house to Buffalo is very pretty. Even though it is still early spring and most of the trees were not even showing the red tinge of buds, there were some forsythia out and the sun was shining. I have seen the wind turbines before, but driving by fields of them made me curious about how they work. There were several cute towns with beautiful old houses and churches and some with dilapidated houses and junk-fill yards. We also saw the buildings left from a Shaker settlement that are now right next to a correctional facility. The juxtaposition of the link fences and the Shaker dormitories seemed to want a story.

We checked into the hotel and then walked a few blocks to the Banshee Irish Pub. Eamon ordered bangers and mash. Malcolm ordered corned beef and cabbage. Thomas ordered Guinness Stew. And I ordered a huge pretzel to share and ate little bits of everybody else's food. Then we had Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake for dessert. Everything was delicious. Not only was the food good, the hospitality was excellent as well. Reserving a table was easy, and the hostess was welcoming. Our server was very friendly and took good care of everything. The speakers were so loud when we go there that the boys put in their earplugs. But when we asked if they could turn down the volume just a little bit, the man behind the bar took care of it, and then checked on us later. 

We had just a little bit of time to walk around the block before heading to the concert. We got there in time to hear the opening act, Nick DiVirgilio, who sang several songs with his daughter. She has a rich mezzo voice, and the connection between father and daughter was beautiful. He is BBT's drummer, but also a singer and songwriter. It was nice to hear some of his other music.

The concert was amazing. The show aspect of it was fun, but not distracting. The music was loud and fun and full of energy and spoke to a part of my heart that longs for good and beautiful things. When they started Miramare with an a capella choral section, I almost cried. Love is the Light seemed very vulnerable in an odd way, as if they were sharing a deeply personal moment with us. And The Last English King touches on the timelessness of a changing world. We got to sit right in the front, and it was easy to get swept away by the music.

 

The boys have never stayed in their own hotel room, but we were able to get two rooms this time. Thomas and I had a large suite with a kitchenette. The boys each got to sleep in their own queen sized bed across the hall. So after the concert, we had a snack, said goodnight to the boys, and left them in their room. They called me on the hotel phone when they were all ready for bed to say goodnight. I don't know that anyone slept well, but poor Thomas woke up with a migraine.

In spite of that, we had breakfast, checked out, and drove up to Niagara Falls. After a bit of confusion, we were able to find restrooms and a map. From there, we walked to the Falls and around the islands. We were glad that we got there in an off season and before there were crowds of people. By the time we left, the parking lot was full, but when we arrived, less than half of the spots were taken. 

 

Seeing the Falls was one of those experiences that was both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. They are huge and beautiful, but they are also so over-touristy that some of the majesty was taken away. The moments when I could stare and get lost in the roar of the water carried me back through ages, daydreaming about what it could have been like in different eras. So many people from around the world have shared the experience of seeing what I was looking at, but there are far more people who never have and never will have seen it. Of those millions of people who have stared at the raging water tumbling over the edge, how many have been filled with wonder? Were there others who wondered about me, just like I wondered about them?

The walk around the island was pleasant. The weather was warm and sunny. There were so many different types of water birds, mostly of the duck and goose variety, which are always fun to watch. Not many other people were walking on the path, so the boys were able to run ahead and hide behind rocks fighting off enemy ships. It was also crazy to watch the blocks of river ice go rushing along, get caught on hidden rocks, then get tumbled over and broken up by small cataracts. At one place, it was easy to see why Japanese River Gods look like snake dragons; the river looked alive and the rushing water formed the back of a huge watersnake sliding.

By the end of the walk, our feet were rather tired. We were glad to sit and eat our lunch in the car, although after about two hours of driving, we were ready to be home. The weather driving home was also lovely, but since Thomas still had a migraine it was not as enjoyable. We got home a little after 7pm, so we were even able to have normal bedtimes. Even though our bodies were tired, it was a refreshing trip and we were so thankful to have been able to take a small mini-holiday.