A Dream Come True

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After enjoying the rest of Highway 93 and finding some week end adventures to explore for later in the year I was trying to make my way to the Radium Hot Springs to complete the full length of Highway 93. I also wanted to enjoy Lake Louise the place I would be staying for the night and not just any place in Lake Louise, the Fairmont Chateau. I hesitated about whether or not I could do the 260km journey return and try and see some of the key landmark features on the way to the springs. It was around this time I saw a cop car out the corner of my eye. I suddenly thought I was in a 50 zone and I was going 90. I slammed on the breaks and slowed down to 50 hoping I may avoid the dreaded sound and sight of flickering sirens. I looked in the rear view mirror to see the cop car move from its position and enter the highway. Was it me? It had to be me! I drove at the speed limit of the other cars hoping I would be inconspicuous while keeping an eye on the cop car in the rear view mirror. It ever so quickly moved up behind the back of my car and there they were, the flickering lights reflected back into my eyes via the rear view mirror.







I pulled over and I am not going to lie, I was very annoyed with myself. I aggressively opened up the glove box and snatched the license and registration. A part of me actually wanted to hear the cop say it, as you see it in the movies and for some reason when I was younger I thought that was pretty cool. Most of me was thinking about how my insurance premium was going to go through the roof as fines increase insurance rates over here!!! I didn’t actually give her a chance to say the line as I handed it to the female cop straight away. After a small chit chat about where are you heading and all that jazz she got straight to the point. “Do you know it is an offense to drive to slow on Canadian highways?” I replied with a puzzled expression on my face. I did hear a whisper that this law was going to be enforced by I was more puzzled about the to slow part. She informed me I was going 54 in a 90 zone. I honestly thought I had seen a 50 sign as I had just past a small area or entered a highway or something like that and actually told her as much. She decided to let me off with a warning and told me to be more careful. There was my luck for the time being and to tell you I was relieved was an understatement!!



My mojo for driving was gone so I decided to turn around and drive back to Lake Louise were I had been longing to go since I first saw a picture of it in the Sunday Mail travel section back home a number of years ago. Then it was a dream, something I thought ‘that would be nice’ but on this day, it was becoming a reality.



I drove up to the front door of the Fairmont Chateau were I was greeted by a friendly man dressed in a Swiss outfit. I didn’t click at first why he was wearing it, I just thought he had lucked out on the uniform department but the hotel has a Swiss/German feel about it based on its historical creation. He advised me of how to check in and looked after my keys for me. The check in desk was as friendly and helpful as I have ever experienced giving me information in a nice helpful manner and suddenly I knew this was not just any hotel. It wasn’t just the 1930’s style décor of the main entrance that made this place special. It was the service and the unique experience of having a series of shops, bars, restaurants and rental places, all in the one. Walking around this stylish and very well presented hotel, you felt like you were the super rich and since I am not that, this was a pretty unique and special feeling to experience at least once in your life.



This place had a nice gym, a pool, spa and sauna area and some very nice, Victorian style dining rooms that were so nice to have a glimpse through the windows. The hotel room was just like any old room really, with a hint of a mid 1900’s feel about it. The view from the hotel window, if you were lucky enough to have a room with a view, was nothing short of spectacular. I was lucky enough to be asked for an upgrade for this experience and although it cost me $75 Canadian I decided to take this chance up, as it was fair to say, I would never be able to stay here again. The restaurants all had unique styles, with the Glacier Saloon having the old style saloon feel about it. The Lakeview Lounge had a more relaxed setting where you could sit by the arched windows and look at the majestic view of the frozen lake and the mountains that surround it. A more modern looking bar also accompanied the restaurant, which also wasn’t a bad place to have a beverage and admire the view. They also had the Chateau Deli, which was more suited to the conservative budgets. All the food looked amazing and you were definitely spoilt for choice.



Lake Louise surprised me by what it had to offer for the winter season. The frozen lake gave opportunity to experience ice skating as well as seeing a number of people walk along the icy surface and disappear into the horizon of the mountain range. There were also X-Country tracks on and along the surround areas of the lake, which I considered trying but felt I should be still chaperoned while skiing at this point in time. If it was the right part of the season, you could experience horse drawn sleigh rides as well, but the sledge had been put out to pasture for the season. The one thing that did surprise me was the number of amazing hiking trails that were in the surrounding area. There were three basic walks that they recommended for my short stay but many more I wanted to come back and do when the weather was a bit better as the tracks were again very slippery and quite steep.



Today I walked along the lake and then through the valley of the mountain, which was more the path for advanced X-Country skiers, and a valley that would flow running water in the summer months. I decided this was more adventurous and ignored the instructions to follow the track. The views of approaching mountains and the Victoria Glacier were again quite amazing, with the odd frozen waterfall located throughout the walk. I also did the Mirror Lake and Lake Agnus walk the following day, even though I was advised not to do the Agnus route due to recent avalanche activity. Again I took the chance and saw two amazing views but both, although beautiful in winter would be more amazing in summer. I followed up those hikes with the very steep Fairview walk, which gave me a nice view over looking the Chateau but boy was it, a slippery journey. These walks forced me to actually buy Yak tracks to have that extra grip and without them I may have been in some kind of trouble, particularly walking down hill. These were just some of the 200km plus of walking trails in the area, some of which I will go back and explore at some point in time.



Before I complete my reminiscing of this awesome place I must tell you of the final restaurant I purposely failed to mention to you before. Even though I may have not realised it at the time, I don’t remember seeing the Fairview or Poppy Brasseire (apparently great for breakfast) but these were two other restaurants I didn’t get to experience the pleasure of dining at. The one I did have the pleasure of dining at though was the Walliser Stube, a mixture of Swiss and German cuisine and one famous for its Swiss Fondue. Mum and Dad used to make Fondue on the odd occasion when I was young and it was a taste I become more accustomed to the older I got. The service from the start was just divine, as they were informative, gave great recommendations, checked on you on regular and appropriate moments and were just extremely professional.



I was lead to a room that looked more like the library from the house of ‘Jamunji’ except replace the books with a very extensive wine rack that covered the wall and went all the way to the roof. There was even a slide ladder to climb and retrieve particular drops of the varied price range of red and white wines. Again, I felt like I was a king as I was recommended to try the fondue of course and the schnitzel. They do offer a three course Fondue with the first course being vegetables and bread, the second, a choice of meat and the third a chocolate fondue but that was a huge meal and after tasting my fondue well worth the $98 for a minimum of 2 people. I had a half size portion of the first course of fondue and the schnitzel. This half portion would have been enough for 3 people but it was delicious. I didn’t know how I was going to fit in my $45 schnitzel. Yes expensive and probable over priced by again, this may be an experience I only have once. I was at the Fairmont Chateau!



I remember the first bite of schnitzel nearly caused a tear to role down my more weathered cheeks. My grandma was well known for her ability to make schnitzels to the point where neighbours would walk over and ask her to make them for their dinner. The schnitzel tasted just like hers and was very tasty. Even the glass of white wine (which I rarely drink) that was recommended to complement the fondue was a very nice drop and added to the fancy dining experience I was enjoying. Again, it was an experience I would rather share with someone else and I once again pondered the vacant chair in front of me and wondered who would be perfect to enjoy this experience with me.



I will definitely be spoiling my mum and my sister at this restaurant when they visit later in the year. The good thing is you don’t have to be a guest to experience these restaurants so anyone can walk in and explore this amazing ground floor of the hotel although booking is strongly recommended. My night ended having an in-depth talk about cricket with an Indian waiter and we discussed the potential prospect of the Indian versus Australia World Cup Cricket semi final for a fair while before I enjoyed the spoils of my hotel room one last time.



After my morning walks, which I have mentioned earlier, I did do the final drive for the Spring Break through the Kootenay National Park. This was my first venture into British Columbia and the drive continued to impress me with its mountainous views. There were a couple of interesting stopping points that I explored along the way including Marble Canyon which was not as big as the previous ones I had explored but worth checking out, particularly the falls at the end. I also stopped at the Numa Falls, more known as a place to stop and have lunch and enjoy the view of the river and mountains near by. Again, this to was another quick stop that has a nice view and has a little walk that can be done if you have the time. About 20 kilometres away from the Radium Hot Springs is an amazing Kootenay Valley View that would have been more spectacular for me if it wasn’t so cloudy and overcast on this day but also a worthy stopping point to take in yet another beautiful landmark that Canada has to offer.



The hot springs were based pretty much in the middle of nowhere and were more of a heated pool, similar to that of Banff, but with nowhere near the view. The place itself though was quite pleasant and it was good to relax, unwind and reflect on everything I had just done. Being by myself though, I felt like a creepy old man just sitting there by myself in the springs, as families, couples and friends around me enjoyed the water’s warmth as well as the therapeutic tranquility it offered. Not sure it was worth the drive but if you are in the area it may be worthwhile doing.



While still very beautiful, the Kootenay drive wasn’t as inspiring as what I had been used to over the last few days but by this time I had probably had enough driving and well, the Albertan Highway 93 is just amazing. My first big trip of the Spring Break was over, and I had one night at home to unwind before my next adventure, one that I was most definitely looking forward to experiencing.

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