I was born and raised on the west coast of Canada, in Vancouver and I have three generations behind me to transplant me out here. Before I met Joanna I had never been to Ontario and like a lot of west coasters, including some I related to, I never saw the point in heading out there. There was no ocean, no beaches (or so I thought) and very little in the way of cool weather in the summer and no end of snow in the winter.
Then Jo and I planned a big trip out to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where all of her family is from, to meet my soon-to-be family members and for Jo to see family members that she hadn’t seen in a long time.
I was ready for a true family vacation and we definitely were hosted, wined and dined as any family member would be but I remember there was one thing that stuck out in my mind. The absolute pride and passion that Jo’s family and everyone in NOTL has for their city.
NOTL one of the birthplaces of our great nation
Along with all the festivities of meeting new family members we also got a tour of NOTL, a history lesson of the area and I quickly found out that Jo’s family have a long-established history in the region. I mean, when you have a street named after you in a town and many of your relatives were born on that street you know it is something special. NOTL is home to Fort George, a major training ground for soldiers during the War of 1812 and the grounds have been established as a heritage site in Canada. The region around NOTL is also famous for Laura Secord‘s journey to warn British soldiers of eminent American attack and as one of the stops on the Underground Railroad.
Along with its history the Niagara region is gorgeous. Not to be mistaken with “The Falls” NOTL is not where Niagara Falls is and, in my humble opinion, NOTL is a place with a lot more soul and character than the glitzy “kitch” of “The Falls”. The people of NOTL, and I’m not just saying this because I am related to most of them now, love their city and so they should. It’s home of Brock University, The Escarpment, the Shaw Festival, the wine region, Hunter Road and most importantly a community where everyone is welcomed with a smile.
Where is CJ? 