As a Christmas gift, Nick's parents got us a gift certificate to Ontario's Finest Inns, so that we could have a little getaway. We booked the Charles Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake. NOTL is becoming a special place for us, since we went there right after we got married, and now right before the baby. The Inn is charming; every room is different and the style reminded me of an estate you might find in Georgia.
We arrived and walked around town for a little while. We had made reservations for afternoon tea at the Inn, so we headed back there. It was absolutely delicious. Afternoon tea is one of our favourite treats, although, somehow against the laws of nature, the Englishman opted for coffee instead of tea :)
The spread: smoked salmon, turkey, and chicken salad sandwiches, grapes, Canadian cheddar, fig chutney, chocolate pate, jam, clotted cream, scones. You know, a light snack.
I've been craving scones with cream and jam for weeks (Nick ate the raisins that I picked out).
Our room was lovely; cozy with modern touches. We had a huge balcony and a view of the golf course. It was perfect. Even these little critters were waiting for us.
We took time to walk through the golf course, and came across a historical landmark. We also gained some good karma by finding someone's lost iphone and returning it to her.
Telling the baby all about Fort Mississauga.
We went for a late dinner in town, and then headed back to the Inn to wind down. We took advantage of the 24 hour hot chocolate/coffee/tea on demand (just saying, I'd love that in real life).
Of course, upon finding out that the Liverpool soccer game was going to be on first thing Sunday morning, we knew we couldn't miss it. At home, we don't have a tv in our room, so watching tv in bed is a treat. We ordered coffee to our room and lounged all morning.
We made sure to take another walk through town. Most shops were closed which made it nice and quiet; I haven't seen NOTL so quiet. It was beautiful and we had the best time.
