“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy the sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.”
Nathan Phillips
What a way to wake up! I took my tea and sat on the patio of our hotel room at The Buffalo Mountain Lodge while the family slept. I brought my wrap with me as I sat enjoying the chill from the morning autumn air. I love autumn, leaves are changing, the air is crisp and I can enjoy my favourite fall drink, a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks. I sat looking at the mountains for quite awhile. I watched as the sky turned pink and the sun came up. Sunrises are something I have taken for granted when working. I started at 6:30am so I am no stranger to seeing the sunrise, but taking the time to appreciate it, I didn’t have the time, or should I say MADE the time. So I am feeling such gratitude on these days having slowed down so I can truly appreciate the natural beauty around me.
Now, how did we spend our day? Very leisurely. We headed into town around 11. I know…late, but we all needed a slow start haha. We stopped at JK Bakery got caffeinated and an easy breaky, Spinach and Bacon Quiche for me….soooo delish. We walked through the street window shopping and absorbing the mountain air and view with every step and happened upon the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Chris and I asked Moose and Bowie if they wanted to check it out…so we did. A quaint museum with a beautiful collection of paintings, the current exhibit was “Canoe” and historical items related to The Rocky Mountains.
From there we just strolled. Banff is the easiest town to navigate as a pedestrian. One thing I really liked is the crosswalks…I know, but here me out. When you hit the button to cross and the little walk guy lights up…ALL direction’s cross together, not this side, then that side…Traffic stops together and pedestrians cross together. Very clever Banff, well played. Also the accessibility moving around town. Banff is a VERY busy town. There are bike riders everywhere, pedestrians, school kids, and cars. But it doesn’t feel busy out strolling. They have 2 large pedestrian bridges from either side of town crossing the Bow River and Magpies flying all around. We thoroughly enjoyed our morning walking around town. If the Jeep wasn’t so full for our travels, shopping would have been high on my list.
It was time to get moving on, but I had one stop high on my list to see, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Built in 1888, this historic hotel sits at the base of Rundle Mountain and commands your eye as you drive towards. I took Moose and Bowie for a walk around the grounds and the pictures don’t do it justice. If you have an opportunity to visit, I recommend you do even to walk around like us. You might even see a Maserati, we did!
On the road again, we headed towards Calgary. I would have loved to explore more of Banff National Park and find Moraine Lake. But we do have 6 more provinces to go through. The landscape changes dramatically from Banff to Calgary. Say goodbye to the Rocky Mountains….and big trees. The views from the road to Calgary are filled with cows, horses, hay fields and smaller mountains as it becomes much flatter. But still an enjoyable drive. Clover Leafs for easy traffic navigation as we made our way to NE Calgary to the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel.
We spent the afternoon in the pool and whirlpool while the kids spent most of the time on the waterslides. As much fun as they were having, it was time for dinner. Cattle Baron Steakhouse is right across the road from the hotel, which was on Chris’s Alberta wishlist, so isn’t that just happenstance. Chris had the cowboy steak with fries. I went for the special, a 6oz filet mignon with red wine reduction and prawns. Service was top notch and our meal was exceptional. Moose and Bowie shared a tower of chocolate cake with hearts in the coulis, beautiful.
We walked back to the hotel quite a bit fuller but satisfied, watched a movie and readied for bed. The Zoo awaits us in the morning.
Cheers xo Mel
