Villa Le Corti Tuscany Italy, the wine cellars and the fabulous Chianti Classico wines

The Wine and Cellars at Villa Le Corti

By: Girl in Niagara
Tuscany, , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments on The Wine and Cellars at Villa Le Corti

It was a  beautiful sunny Tuscan day, the kind you dream about, or read about in books. Our driver wound his way along the Via Raccordo Autostradale on our way to Villa Le Corti in San Casciano in Val di Pesa.  Set on 230 acres in the Chianti countryside about 25 kms out of Florence…

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Bertie Hall Fort Erie, Niagara

Haunted Bertie Hall and the Underground Railroad in Niagara

By: Girl in Niagara
History in Niagara, In Niagara, Niagara's Nooks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments on Haunted Bertie Hall and the Underground Railroad in Niagara

On the corner of Phipps St. and Niagara Blvd in Fort Erie stands a Greek Revival mansion named Bertie Hall. A legendary Niagara home with a long history, Bertie Hall was a safe house to slaves escaping into Canada via the Underground Railroad.  The house has seen many lives pass through its doors and tales…

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The ditch

What Do You See

By: Girl in Niagara
In Niagara, Life in Niagara, , , , , , , 12 Comments on What Do You See

It’s that time of year when winter seems to be dragging on. Add to the ice, snow and cold, the misery of this pandemic, and life may seem as bleak as the grey salted asphalt roads. Out for a walk the other day I saw a ditch. A ditch? You ask laughingly. She’s going to…

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The Story of Josiah Henson and his escape to Niagara

The Story of Josiah Henson and His Escape to Niagara

By: Girl in Niagara
History in Niagara, In Niagara, Niagara's Nooks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments on The Story of Josiah Henson and His Escape to Niagara

Josiah Henson was a black man born into slavery in Maryland, USA on June 15, 1789.  He is a popular figure in Niagara history and the history of the Underground Railroad to Freedom.  His journey to Niagara was long and arduous and included unimaginable experiences that he circumvented and conquered. In his narrated autobiography which…

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Believe Everything you Read: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, In Niagara, , , , , , , , , , 23 Comments on Believe Everything you Read: Friday Fictioneers

“Have you seen my pills?” “They’re on the desk.” Dorothy said pointing. “Where on the desk?” “There beside the things!” “What things?” “The things I tidied up, in the corner.  Don’t make a mess.” Cecil ambled over, feeling around with his thin wrinkled hands.  At 92 he was slower than Dorothy, but as sharp as…

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Hope: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , , , , , 36 Comments on Hope: Friday Fictioneers

Hail pelted the windows. Large golf balls, smashing glass, denting vehicles, turning the streets to an icy wasteland with shards pointing skyward. Some ran inside to burrow, wondering when the misery would end.  Some battled, thinking their path out of the melee was the only one.  Some brave souls weathered the storm, picked up the…

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Gone But Never Forgotten

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , , , , 13 Comments on Gone But Never Forgotten

I’d been driving for hours. My brain and body aching for sleep.  Searching, searching, for anyone.  For any human life. But I am surrounded only by dirt and trees on these broken roads. The rusty door of my pickup truck creaks as I push it open to stand on the dry soil at the end…

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Coutada Velha 2018 Portugese Red Wine Alentejo

Coutada Velha 2018

By: Girl in Niagara
Wine Tasting Notes, , 3 Comments on Coutada Velha 2018

This rich dry structured red Portuguese wine from the Alentejo region is full of dark ripe fruit on the nose.  The palate confirms flavours of blackberry jam, soft floral notes, and rich earthy soil.  It does well with a very light chill bringing out the flavour profile even more. Interesting to note that this blend…

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Coutada Velha 2018 Portugese Red Wine Alentejo

This Wine Needs a Label

By: Girl in Niagara
Wine Stories, , , , , , , 1 Comment on This Wine Needs a Label

Abilio pulled the leaves off the vine giving the grapes space to breathe.  He checked each cluster with a precise eye, imagining the wine that would come of his labour.  His hands, dirty and dark from digging at the dirt, checking the root stocks, and testing the grapes between his fingers, waved excitedly as he…

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The Man Who Knew Infinity: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , , , , 34 Comments on The Man Who Knew Infinity: Friday Fictioneers

Srinavasa’s pencil moved quickly across his paper.  He worked briskly, rushed, with urgency, trying to get the thoughts out, and the numbers out of his head.  Calculating, desperately searching for the answer, moving in circles around his desk covered with papers.  Rubbing his chin, eyes to the ceiling, the electricity of his thinking palpable in…

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Bienvenidos: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , 20 Comments on Bienvenidos: Friday Fictioneers

Simone was in awe. Her head swiveled in every direction trying desperately to take it in.  The flowing white curtains, the sun, the sand, the immense pieces of art on the wall reflecting on the highly polished marble floors. She walked through the gargantuan lobby mesmerized by the view of the Caribbean beyond.  Azure waters…

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Niagara Wine Country

Niagara Winery Red Wines for your Holiday Table

By: Girl in Niagara
In Niagara, Wineries in Niagara, , , , , 2 Comments on Niagara Winery Red Wines for your Holiday Table

Here are some great suggestions for red wines for your holiday table that will get you in the Christmas spirit. All are VQA wines that I have personally tasted and are sure to please. These wines are sure to amplify your holiday memories and we certainly need some amplification this year. I’ve posted this as…

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The Daily Escape: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , , 22 Comments on The Daily Escape: Friday Fictioneers

Felicity wrung her wrinkled hands as she peered through the upstairs window.  Every afternoon as the sun went behind the house the shadow of the chimney glared at her like a sentinel, ensuring she remained locked inside. It had been fifty long years.  How would they know she had been beautiful before this merciless pandemic…

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20 Bees at Lakeview Winery

By: Girl in Niagara
In Niagara, Wineries in Niagara, , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments on 20 Bees at Lakeview Winery

If you are looking for a fun winery experience with an extensive variety of great tasting wines, Lakeview Wine Co. in Niagara-on-the-Lake is your place. The Winery Located in the popular winery zone on Niagara Stone Road, Lakeview has a good-sized tasting room that has plenty of space for wine tasting and shopping.  The friendly…

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An Apple a Day: Friday Fictioneers

By: Girl in Niagara
Fiction and Books, , , , , , 20 Comments on An Apple a Day: Friday Fictioneers

Everyday at school Rachel uncovered the dreaded apple packed neatly at the bottom of her brown paper lunch bag. Everyday, mom’s fruit of choice was an apple. “How boring,” Rachel thought as she tucked yet another apple into the bottom of her locker. Everyday Rachel lied to mom when asked if the apple was eaten.…

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Uli Stairs Hamilton Ontario a handmade dream

Uli’s Stairs a Handmade Dream

By: Girl in Niagara
Hamilton, Ontario, Travel Beyond, , , , , , Leave a Comment on Uli’s Stairs a Handmade Dream

I don’t know Uli.  I’ve never met him, though I wish I could.  I have walked his stairs down the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton, and his story fascinates me.  There are plenty of stories surrounding Uli’s stairs.  His name, Ulrich shortened, is sometimes not remembered, just the way he likes it.  The lady I met…

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