Girl time was on the menu this week. My dear friend Louise and I packed our bags and took a 4 1/2 hour flight to Calgary to visit my sister.
The 3:30 am drive to Hamilton’s John C. Monro airport in the pouring rain was stressful but once there, parking was only a short walk to the small terminal which was quick and easy to navigate. The West Jet flight with its delightful singing pilot was smooth and non-eventful. Unfortunately I only slept through half of it.
Arrival in Calgary was a shock to the system. It was rainy and 11 degrees (going up to 16) when we left Toronto but arrival in Calgary presented us with a snowstorm and a teeth numbing -10 temperature.
We spent the day catching up with each other, doing some last minute shopping and preparing for our trip to the mountains. By late afternoon, Louise and I were exhausted due to the time change and lack of sleep.
The next morning roads were rough with many accidents in and around Calgary so we waited until after rush hour to head to Banff National Park.
Louise had never been to the Rockies so it was disappointing that the mountains were shrouded in snow clouds when we arrived in Canmore.
Canmore is just outside of the park gates, so it has a different feel to it than the town of Banff; a little less touristy. We decided to check out the unique boutiques on Canmore’s Main Street. Fortunately, the clouds had started to break up when we left Canmore and the skies were clear upon arrival into Banff.
Louise was awestruck by the beauty of this place. I have visited these mountains since childhood and The Rockies still leave me breathless. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
We checked into our condo on Tunnel Mountain before.heading to Banff’s Main Street. Our first stop is always the quaint Banff information building where we get informed about the local weather reports, animal sightings, what’s open, local events and conditions of the numerous hiking trails.
Banff has a gorgeous downtown; quaint shops and restaurants surrounded by majestic mountains. I love the Christmas store and the olive oil store. The Hudson Bays store here is always brimming with Canadiana goods.
Still catching up on the time change, we had supper at the condo in front of our wood burning fireplace and hit the hay.
You are right. Sometimes we do forget, or maybe take for granted, how beautiful CANADA is.