Oh, Canada!
Experiencing views that felt a world away
For months, Colby’s parents told us we were going on a trip…but to where we did not know. Pack warm, layered clothes and a swimsuit. That was it. Oh, and hiking boots!
After an enormous amount of speculation…like, if you know me, exhaustive amount of research and Google searches looking for all the possibilities…we were told our destination a mere six hours before our flight. Jasper, Canada. Never heard of it. Geography minor from an accredited university and still no idea where in Canada we would be going.
Upon a proper search, I was shown images of hiking trails, mountains, glaciers, mountains, a castle, crystal blue lakes, oh and did I mention mountains?
So with a six-hour notice of location, we were off.
First stop, Calgary. The thoughtfulness of this place was something to awe at. Canada’s Home on the Range, impeccably clean and with little spots of parks and gardens strewn throughout this major city.
And then there was Monster Jam. I would have never thought how many times I would sit there, jaw open, in complete shock with what I just saw. But it happened. Now I must decide between the ever-present Grave Digger or Calgary’s own Northern Nightmare. Still can’t decide.
Following Canada’s western front, we headed to the Banff Springs Hotel…or as I like to call it, a castle. While here, we enjoy the most amazing spa day with a mineral pool, and finish the evening at their steakhouse, 1888, tomahawk-style.
Next stop, Lake Louise. Spectacular. Really don’t know how else to describe this spot because words truly could not add up to the level of peace felt here. Expansive, still, quiet, open. Just awesome. Once we knew it was time to move on, we headed to Jasper.
While here, the boys played golf while the girls walked the grounds. Everywhere, and I cannot stress this enough, everywhere you look is beautiful. It’s some Ansel Adams shit 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
Next in Jasper, we took a gondola ride up the Jasper SkyTram. According to my mother-in-law, this is the highest gondola ride in Canada…and seeing how high we went…I totally believe her. Also, I would be lying if I told you when she told me we were going on a gondola, I didn’t think it was going to be a fancy canoe. Yeah. I did that.
After dinner at one of Jasper’s local breweries, and speaking with our waitress, Rheeanne, we decided to make a pit stop at Peyto Lake on our way back to Banff. So glad we did. Lake Louise was beautiful, but Peyto Lake was angelic. The water was unbelievably blue. Glacier water. Something I never knew I needed to see until then. Just gorgeous.
Once we were back in Banff, it was time to do some shopping in their picturesque town. Super quaint with so many shops. Two shops that blew my mind was the sweet shoppe and a gemstone store. The sweet shoppe was something straight out of Willy Wonka and the gemstone store allowed us to add to our fluorite skull collection.
To continue our relaxation, we took full advantage of the heated pools/springs at our condo. The view was something you would expect Robert Frost to be taking in while writing his poems.
As the day came to a close, so was our trip. In seven days and six nights, we managed to see parts of Canada I never really knew existed. Some days were go, go, go and others were more slow-paced, but the entire trip was an experience I am beyond appreciative to have been given to myself and my husband. So much gratitude. And we cant wait to go back.
