DAYS 1 & 2

Creme de la Creme Tour - May, 2018

NOTE:  For additional trip pictures and videos go to Facebook , search for Sunrise-Canada Creme.

DAY 1 - Travel to Marshall, MI. 
               The bus travelers departed St. Louis on their journey to Toronto, Canada spending the night in Marshall, MI known for its world famous Schuler’s Restaurant.  The guests were quite pleased with the tasty menu offerings and raved about the delicious bread pudding.  

                Sunrise Tours is extremely accommodating to its guests as travelers can choose to take a scenic bus ride to their destination or for those who prefer the fastest route, for an additional fee, they have the option of flying.

DAY 2 - Travel to Toronto, CA

               This was a very busy day for the “Wanderlusters”, my nickname for our tour group as the bus riders and flyers all rendezvoused at the conveniently located Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre.   I thought the hotel lobby area was stunning, especially for a Holiday Inn.

          While several of us flyers, including me, had some harrowing airline adventures en route to Toronto, ranging from cancelled flights to mechanical issues, we all managed to make it to the hotel in time for a flavorful Italian dinner at The Badali Bar and Cucina, located right in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District.  The service was prompt, the food choices quite appetizing and the scrumptious tiramisu was the best ever.

               From there it was a quick ride to our evening’s entertainment, the play ‘Annie’ shown at the historic Ed Mirvish Theater.  While Annie is the named star of the show, the true highlight of the evening was the renowned actress Lesley Nicol, famous for her role in Downton Abbey, playing the deceiving Miss Hannigan.  The show was quite entertaining with stunning stage sets, well-designed era costumes and exciting dance numbers.  We all enjoyed a fun-filled evening.

DAY 12-The End

Our Sunrise Tours Creme de la Creme Trip ended today with some of us flying home and others riding the bus back to St.Louis. It was such a fun filled experience from the luxurious hotels to fine dining experiences.

I highly recommend Sunrise Tours as they offer such a wide variety of trips and strive to provide a memorable travel experience every time.  

They hire only the best people to take care of their clients.  Ruth Smith, our Tour Director, worked non-stop not only to meet our needs but also anticipated what would make the trip even more enjoyable for us.  Always smiling David Bruning was our highly competent bus driver.

My 3 favorite attractions were:

The Parliament 

the  Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica in Quebec City

 and the Montmorency Falls

If you’d to see more pictures and the videos, go to Facebook and in the search block type in Sunrise-Canada Creme.   There are several videos there including our tour of lower Quebec and both falls.

DAY 11 - Niagara Falls

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the world famous Niagara Falls.  

Niagara Falls is actually three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Ontario, Canada and New York.   From the largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls,  the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.  The Horseshoe Falls lies on the border of the United States and Canada with the American Falls entirely on the United States' border.  The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also on the United States' side.

Located on the Niagara River, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate.  Niagara Falls is such a valuable source of hydroelectric power which has created a challenge in balancing the recreational and commercial uses since the 19th. 

Up close you can feel the enormous power of the Falls by taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat. The original Maid of the Mist was built at near Niagara Falls on the American side of the border.  The boat was christened in 1846 as a border-crossing ferry and could carry up to 100 passengers.

The ferry did well until 1848, when the opening of a suspension bridge between the United States and Canada cut into the ferry traffic. It was then that the owners decided to make the journey a sightseeing trip, plotting a journey closer to the Falls. The current Maid of the Mist VII was built in 1997 and carries 600 passengers.

DAY 10 -Travel to Niagara Falls

Today we traveled from Montreal to Niagara Falls.   We stayed in the Doubletree Hotel.  We had an excellent dinner at the hotel with a choice of salmon or steak, followed by apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert.

Here’s a few shots of the US Border area as we entered the US.