More beautiful Banff.

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C: We've been in Banff for 3 days now and are really enjoying it. Yesterday we made a second attempt to drive up to Lake Louise - success! The road was much better and the clouds were higher so we could see most of the mountain tops. The lake itself was very impressive, huge, and beautifully framed by the Victoria glaciers and surrounding mountains. After taking the obligatory photos and wandering round the lake for a bit we headed to the ski area where we had been told that ski lifts were available to take us up the mountain. Unlike in the Alps they were not at all prepared for the possibility that you might want to go up on the lift for sightseeing and not skiing and the man operating the chairlift looked at us like we were very odd, eccentric Brits...I suppose we are a bit. Eventually though they did decide it was possible and we were allowed on. Roger is not the biggest fan of chairlifts and he did look slightly nervous most of the way up but he definitely thought the views were worth it, and they were!

On the way back we stopped off for some snow angel fun, and attempted to go along the Icefields Parkway, but gave up after about 20 mins of driving very slowly on ice and grit. It probably only got worse from there. We will find out on Thursday.



Today we awoke to a beautiful blue sky and -8c! It was gorgeous outside, the best day yet, and the scenery looked absolutely stunning in the sunshine. Banff was originally a hot springs resort and they still have one pool open all year round so we went up to it for a soak and a swim. Wonderfully warm, 39c water overlooking the mountains was a great place to reflect on the first week of the trip and made us feel extremely glad we were here and not at work, sorry everyone.



After that we walked back down towards the town via the attractive Bow Falls. The photo of Rog looking at the information board and not at the view here is very representative as everywhere we have been he has been eagerly searching for them! Now back in the hotel, going to head to the little Banff cinema and see some James Bond in a bit, need a bit more eccentric Britishness. Popcorn was served in enormous bags, with liquid butter squirted over the top from a giant vat... Mmmmmm.

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Photos

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Posed in front of Lake Louise (we actually trusted a person with our camera - no selfie stick required!)

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Hot springs in the sunshine (-1c)

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Rog "learning"

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Lake Louise and glaciers from the other side of the valley

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Bow Falls

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Driving the Icefields Parkway

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Missed me!

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Snow angels!