Back to drudgery

The honeymoon is over and I reluctantly hauled myself into work this morning. Waking up at 5:45am was not a pretty sight. It always amazes me how quickly my body gets used to sleeping in a few extra hours. But alas…all good things must come to an end.

Our last day in Niagara-On-The-Lake was blissful. The sun finally made an appearance and we were able to take in a few more vineyards. On Sunday we decided to visit a smaller scale family estate winery - Reif. By this time, I’m sure that either Daniel or I could have given the tour, but it was still neat to see wine production in a smaller setting. The estate itself lacked the “castle-like” atmosphere of some of the larger wineries, but it did have a certain charming German flair to it. Oddly enough, this is where we ended up spending the most money…2 bottles of wine, a hand-painted terra cotta wine cooler and a funky cheese dome. I’m an absolute sucker for wine themed handicrafts. Can’t wait to entertain with these out on the table!

Following our tour at Reif, we decided that I wasn’t nearly drunk enough, so off we went to Inniskillin winery. This was probably one of my favourite places, due to the fact that the layout was conducive to exploring on your own. I particularly loved the huge wine tasting barn. We were fortunate enough to receive a free tasting voucher from our generous B&B hosts, so I partook in some more tasting. Three glasses of wine and 30 minutes later, I was well and truly drunk. I was surprised that the samples were poured quite liberally. Seeing as Daniel was driving, I also had his share of samples. I must have made a funny sight, weaving around the vineyards, tipsy as you please.

We decided to forgo any further tours or tasting session that afternoon; instead we merely dropped by other wineries to purchase a few bottles of vintages that we can’t get back home. The car was definitely heavier coming home! Our wine rack is bursting!

Our final afternoon in NOTL ended on a romantic note, with a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and a late dinner and drinks at the Angel Inn. It was the perfect evening for our last night in town, cool, crisp and clear skies. I’ll miss the relaxing atmosphere, but will treasure the few days that Daniel and I had there. And now…it’s back to reality.

Getting home was a bit of a revelation. It’s only starting to hit me now…I’m married. Now that I have no wedding to plan, I can’t help but feel a little sad. Life is moving forward now and it’s on to the next stage.