The International Writers Magazine: 1000 Islands

1000 Islands • Indrani Bhattacharyya The lovely sun had brought back the laughter of the sky in Montreal. The incredibly energetic city was all set to gear up for enjoying summer to the fullest. Why not me!

On a cheerful August morning , both of us (my boyfriend Mayukh & me) packed our little baggage & headed straight towards the bus station located near  the Place D’Arms metro station, our destination was the Thousand Islands & Niagara.

After spending those frustrating months of winter in an almost confined state (our movement got restricted between just home and workplace), we were feeling quite breathless and desperately looking for some fresh air.

You can explore 1000 islands from two sides - American & Canadian side. Living in Montreal, no wonder we chose the latter.  On the Canadian side, Prescott, Kingston, Brockville, 1000 Islands Parkway comes up with the best view. For us, it was Kingston.

We started at 7.30 AM in the morning & reached Kingston around 11AM. Kingston, also fondly known as the "Limestone City" is 290 km from Montreal. It was the capital of Canada in 1841.

The moment I stepped off the bus to exchange my first look with 1000 islands, my heart skipped a beat. I googled just before coming, to get a preliminary idea about this place, so I was pretty aware of the fact that 1000 islands is regarded as one of the most famous vacation spots in the world because of its beautiful picture perfect landscapes. 1000 islands struck me with an inevitable mesmerizing effect. I fell in love with her almost instantaneously.

Coming to a brief Geographical description, 1000 islands originates from the frontal region of Lake Ontario, spreads its wings over 89 km downstream to reach Brockville. In between Kingston & Brockville, presence of numerous small towns & villages near St. Lawrence River adds up to its innate beauty. We were overjoyed as we slowly started raising the curtain from the shy face of 1000 islands.

Now comes the most fascinating part of touring 1000 islands, the river cruise! These cruises are usually of 2-3 hours duration, where the enormous amount of  nature’s hidden treasures eventually is unfolded before your eyes.   The huge impact of this indescribable tranquility leaves you zapped and speechless for a while. We were lucky enough to receive the blessings from the weather god and with that everything seemed to be on the right place. The crystal transparency of the water was amazing. Simply breathtaking. While the reflection of the clear sky brought along a soothing deep blue effect on mind and soul. At the same time, the greenery accompanying the water flow created an amazing, almost heavenly background which is literally difficult to put into words & beyond any kind of verbal expressions.

At one point of time, when we reached near the renowned Boldt castle, I was trying hard not to blink my eyes so that I wouldn’t miss out on even the slightest part of that wonderful magic land.

This castle was made by G.C Boldt, the proud owner of the great Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, in the year 1900. He wanted to dedicate this castle to his wife Louise as a memento of his profound love for her. But in 1904, after Louise’s sudden death, tragedy stricken Boldt never returned. The lonely castle remained there, surrounded by an uncanny sorrowful atmosphere. To get inside the castle, you need to fulfill all the immigration requirements of USA.  That’s why, not all the boats have the permission to give a stop over there.

We came back after having a closer look of the castle. On the way back Kingston, my mind was engrossed with the thought of such intrigue true romance & lost love.

As ours was a very compact schedule, we couldn’t afford sufficient time to stay back and enjoy the equally fascinating nights, 1000 islands offers to its visitors. I was pretty disappointed with this but had no alternative.  There are adequate accommodations, camping, and amusement facilities such as fishing and other activities. All you need to do is, a little bit of prior planning to make the comfortable arrangements for a fabulous vacation with your friends and family.
After coming back from the most entertainand also with the promise of revisiting this heartwarming place, we boarded onto the bus for the next stop -Niagara!
That’s another day, another story!
© Indrani Bhattacharyya August 2011
ndrani bhattacharyya ruu924@gmail.com

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