Hey friends! Long time no see. I can't wait to share the rest of my summer adventures with you guys, and I couldn't think of a better way to kick off my summer vlog series than with a trip to NOTL!
To be very honest, I forgot to record the majority of the first day of my trip...I'm new to this whole vlogger thing, so bear with me LOL.
That being said, I'm so glad that I managed to capture the essence of the beautiful garden I went to after breakfast the second day in NOTL. Me and my family ate at the Pillar and Post Inn, and after went for a walk through The Gardens at Pillar and Post. I loved the various types and colours of flowers that covered the garden, and I thought the bridge over the little pond was so charming. I could tell people often got married there, not only because the gardens were immaculately maintained but there was an altar that overlooked the pond, and what looked like an enclosed dining and dancing area for a reception afterward. I can only imagine how beautiful a wedding would be at such a lush location.
We then visited Wayne Gretzky's Estates and went on a tour hosted by a very knowledgable guide. We tasted several types of alcohol that are made at the estate, such as a premixed Old Fashioned, Cream Whiskey and multiple types of wine.
Naturally, I forgot to take pictures or videos in the estate or during the tour, but I managed to get one picture from a balcony overlooking the tasting area of the estate that was decorated with stamped barrels.
Being a hockey fan myself, I really enjoyed seeing hockey memorabilia in the estate and little touches of the sport all over the shop, tasting area, patio and more. The tour guide even told us that the pond on the patio turns into an ice rink in the winter!
For lunch, we went to Trius Winery & Restaurant. The menu was rather short and limited, but I ordered rice balls as my main meal and I rather enjoyed them. There was bread with hummus and butter as a taster plate, and the butter was whipped with red wine; I'd never had that but it was delicious!
For dessert, I had a smoked brie wheel with ice wine soaked pears, honey, walnut crackers, candied walnuts, apple butter and sprouts.
It was unusual to have something like this for dessert, but I enjoyed it so much, I probably would have been okay with it as my lunch!
The restaurant was beautiful as was the patio, very fancy and elegant. Personally, I'm more of a casual person, so somewhere this high class is kind of out of my element, but I'm lucky and happy to have had the opportunity to visit Trius.
Of course, I couldn't go all the way to Niagara on the Lake and not visit Niagara Falls.
I've seen the Falls so many times over the course of my life, but every time I go is like the first; the wonderment, gratitude and happiness that wash over me as I observe this natural wonder is breathtaking.
Looking around the viewing area at the Falls, I loved seeing many people visiting from other countries - who have probably never seen the Falls before - take so many photos and smile uncontrollably. It's beautiful.
Also, being able to stand in Canada and look over and see America so close is also amazing to me; one day I would love to cross the border and shop in Buffalo!
If you want to see some of the highlights of my trip, be sure to check out this little carousel I posted on Instagram.
I know many people like to get out and about during vacations, and as much as I did that, I was also feeling under the weather the last day and a bit, so I binge watched the Netflix series, Surviving Summer and I absolutely LOVED IT. If you are looking for a fun, beachy, teen romance and friendship show to watch this summer, I highly recommend it.
Also, I had to include It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han that I finished re-reading at the AirBNB I stayed at; the house gave me the perfect Cousins Beach house vibe, so I couldn't resist. Since there's no new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty this year, the books will have to quench my Conrad deprivation.
If you've made it this far, thank you so much for sticking around! I appreciate you so much. I hope you enjoyed this post, and if so, stick around for more coming soon! If you want to see exclusive content and updates, be sure to join my Instagram Broadcast channel, Meli + The Jets!
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A presto,
Melissa xx
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