Bon Voyage

04/07/15

It’s hard to believe that today is our last day in Canada. We woke up, packed the last of our things, had one final breakfast and checked out. We had a few hours to kill before the flight so we headed to Walmart. I realise that probably sounds a bit odd but we have dollars to spend and niceys to buy! I don’t think Rory quite understood why I need so many packets of Ranch and why that extra box of Hot Tamales was a necessity but I left feeling much poorer and infinitely happier!

After a quick fuel stop we headed to the airport and dropped off our car. I was worried that we’d end up with an old banger but as far as rentals go, it was pretty great. Being an automatic made it a dream to drive, when you got out of the city that is and it allowed us to see parts of Canada we never would have seen if we’d had to use public transport. It also added a sense of adventure and freedom to what was, essentially, a three week long road trip!

 The airport itself wasn’t very big but we managed to find an A&W where we had our last Canadian meal and then it was on to the plane and back to England. Despite all the awful things we had heard about Air Transat (thanks dad), we had another great flight and landed safely in rainy England.

The past three weeks have absolutely flown by. This is a trip that we have talked about for years and planned for several months. It combined everything I love – travel, wildlife, scenic places, great adventures and of course, food! There is still so much of Canada that I’d like to explore but I think I’ve made a pretty good start. Until next time, Canada. 

Cruising to Calgary

03/07/15

We wanted to mark one of our last mornings in Canada by having a huge Canadian breakfast so we checked out and headed to town in search of something that would satisfy our cravings. I went for chocolate and strawberry stuffed French toast which to be honest, sounded and looked better than it tasted. It was too bitter for me but it certainly has potential so watch this space! We also headed back to Patricia Street Deli to get a sandwich for the road and then we were off, heading out of Jasper and towards Calgary.

In an attempt to break up the drive we stopped at the Athabasca Falls where we had a quick walk and saw the sheer power of the river. Once again we were back on the Icefields Parkway, listening to music and keeping an eye out for wildlife. It pains me to admit it but Rory did most of the driving to allow me to fully focus on the scenery and hopefully snap a few decent pictures. We’ve been here for three weeks and while I suppose you become slightly desensitized to the dramatic scenery, it’s hard to be anything but impressed. I know when we get back to the flat county of Lincolnshire I’ll really miss the mountains!

The approach to Calgary was really busy and without a proper map or a working Sat Nav finding the hotel was tricky to say the least! Thankfully Rory stayed nice and relaxed and my directions took us right to the Radisson. Well, sort of. I think we were a bit lost and just about to turn around when we saw it! Either way we got there in the end and checked in to what was an amazing room with a real life working TV.

After watching Jaws we headed downstairs for a nice Alberta AAA steak dinner. The rest of the evening was spent watching The Fall and packing for our trip home. While it would have been nice to explore Calgary we were pretty stretched for time and decided to spend our last night in Canada relaxing after what has been an incredibly busy and truly amazing holiday. 

Lazing by the Lake

02/07/15

The end of our trip is fast approaching and while we want to relax and enjoy our time off work, we also want to see and do as much as we can! We decided to get the best of both worlds by having a day relaxing and swimming in a local lake. We headed in to town, stopped off at Bear Paw Bakery and got a nice assortment of sandwiches, salads and cinnamon rolls!

Armed with a trusty free map of Jasper we set off in search of Lake Edith and Lake Annette. These lakes are the residuals of a lake that covered the entire valley during the ice age. They’re fed by an underground river system and unlike the surrounding lakes and rivers, they aren’t ice cold! We picked a spot on the shore and spent the afternoon sunbathing and swimming in the crystal clear water! It was a brilliant way to spend the day but if I had one complaint it would be that the bottom of the lake was a bit soft and squidgy – come on Nature, get it together! Naturally Rory, who is absolutely terrified of sunburn and wears a t-shirt all the time, didn’t put any sun cream on his legs. They were roaring red when we got back, something that may or may not have been made worse by sitting in the hotel’s hot tub!

That evening we faced another difficult decision – where to go for dinner. Despite being someone who doesn’t particularly like chains we decided to eat at Earls because it seems to be a Canadian institution. I was pleasantly surprised by my salad and tortilla soup – why the UK can’t master a salad I will never know! It’s not that hard – cover it in stuff that’s bad for you, make sure it’s loaded with calories and you’ll have  a successful salad! We finished the evening with a Tim Hortons – something I wish I had tried earlier and then we headed back to spend our last night in Alpine Village.