When in Canada…

If you are reading this article and thinking “what does Niagara Falls have to do with Manchester?” all that has to be said is: you can take the girl out of Manchester but you can’t take Manchester out of the girl! Even one on exchange all the way out in Canada.

During my stay here, Niagara Falls was one of the many breathe taking historic sites which was a must see. When tourists come to Manchester, the mundane sites which we walk past with little regard impact travellers in various ways which we would probably never experience, even though the historic past of Manchester has a lot to offer.

The chance to see a waterfall that towers to over fifty one metres in height is an even rarer experience than the fascinating sight of Manchester’s canal side towpaths. In the same way as tourists embrace English culture, going from city life in Manchester to seeing one of the five Great Lakes was a massive culture shock.

If the site alone does not entrance a tourist, the intertwining of the past and future is intriguing to all. Since 1819 Niagara Falls has acted as a divide between the Canadian and American border. It has further continued to cause dispute due to natural erosion which has incurred over time affecting the borders of these two countries.

Even though Niagara came to being many moons ago in the ice age, it continues to act as a link between future commercial and industrial use. With thousands of people flocking to see this historic beauty and taking a trip on the infamous ‘Maid of the Mist’, the Falls brings in significant revenue.

However, what is most interesting to a tourist living in the twenty-first century is that Niagara Falls is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Thus, not only does Niagara Falls provide spectacular beauty, it further serves to remind tourists that the past plays an increasingly important role in forming the future.