Day 16. Banff. Sunday 3rd May 2015
We arrive in for breakfast at the last possible moment. Even travelling we like a little sleep-in!
And what a breakfast! Rob is a shy chef producing great food at this little B&B.
Well fed we walked into town. Finally found the Visitor information we circled around and around and around without finding last night. Again very helpful – both the tourism and parks people.
Came out with a significant change of plan: firstly the tourism person showed us a live cam photo of Lake Louise and instead of the lovely green-blue colour we saw white – snow and ice. Most lakes are the same.
The helpful Parks people told us many hikes are closed and those that aren’t are at risk of avalanche, cougars and bears.
Hmmmmm no thanks.
They marked what we could potentially do safely. Set off without pause on their first recommendation. A walk along the Bow river stopping at the falls.
Then up to Fairmont hotel . The young man from Parks Canada had told us his Mum bought an icecream there just to say she had eaten at the Fairmont.
We strode through as though guests – huge place so much more than the usual photos of the main building- conference centre, blocks of apartments . The outside is familiar to most who have seen photos of Banff, the inside old, dark,, lovely. No we neither of us felt the need to pay the $500 or so for a night.
We did head down to the Woldhaus to sit on the patio for a beer and lunch. A a view towards river and mountains, blue blue sky and cute little furry animals sitting looking out of their holes in the ground. Robyn later told us they are known as Praire Dogs further East but this isn’t the prairies so they are called Ground Squirrels.
After lunch headed back to town and on up to Cave and Basin: the birthplace of National Parks in Canada we were told.
Another lovely walk through a large recreation park area, around a swamp and along a trail up to the park area.
We arrived just as the building was closing and not really knowing what we would see the man on the door let us in for a quick look
– it was a natural hot spring pool developed into a grotto with an opening above letting light in. Not used as a bathing place any more – oh so pretty tho..
Went on to walk around the park, near the Cave building was a museum and memorial to the citizens interned there during the First World War. Canada had used the internees as labour on many of the national parks. It seems such a strange thing to do to your citizens, but who are we in Australia to talk right now!
Walked on to a boardwalk that seemed to be a boardwalk to nowhere. Along the way we found a bird hide. There in front of us two Canadian geese were sitting. As we sat and watched them for ages they rested, then peered languidly around. Necks like swans.
We were later told there had been panther sightings on the circuit path!
Finally headed back into town and found Nesters Market a large supermarket where we got supplies for dinner in. Dinner in became somewhat of a challenge when we blew a fuse and could not find the problem. After calling Rob discovered the switches work differently to ours and we were soon lit up again.
