Day 3 – Banff

It was another beautiful crisp morning in Banff with the temperature down to -10c and we started the day with a visit to Bow Falls. Again due to the weather the majority of this was frozen solid but a small part was still flowing, as well as the surrounding Bow River. It was a slightly twitchy arse walk down to the waters edge due to the large blocks of ice everywhere, but you’ve got to do it for a decent photo 😉

Back into the warmth of the bus and we were taken to a nearby ranch for a horse and sleigh ride. Armed with hot apple cider and blankets we were taken around yet another frozen lake and were lucky to see a coyote having a wander about. Fire pits and marshmallows greeted us after the ride; it was pretty funny to watch the majority of the group burn theirs to a crisp by sticking it directly into the flames 🤦🏽‍♀️

What’s the best way to warm up after freezing your tits off all morning.. a dip in the hot springs of course. Unfortunately going from -10 to +40 meant my ginger skin/body didnt cope very well. Those who know me know how badly I do with extremes of temperature (Fern I hope you’ve read this) 😉 Once I had eventually got in after boiling my legs alive we were treated to beautiful views of the mountains and enjoyed a float around in the warmth.

This afternoon was free to do what we wanted and we managed to stumble across a lovely walk (Fenland Trail) through the forest along the river. It was so peaceful apart from the creaking of the trees as they swayed in the wind and the odd tapping from the resident woodpeckers. We finished off with a few more shops, a new Pandora charm and of course a Maccies for tea. Just can’t get enough of their chicken and maple burger!

Tomorrow we start the journey to Jasper so will be mostly on the bus.. thank god for a good book!

Day 2 – Banff

After a night of broken sleep we got to see our first proper view of the mountains; and they are amazing – although it’s really making me want to go skiing which I won’t get chance to do 😭

Our first stop was to a viewpoint to see the Fairmont Banff Springs nestled in the trees. At around 800 dollars a night we decided we would need to sell a kidney to stay here.                              Next stop was to Two Jack Lake, which due to the super cold winter temperatures, was frozen solid. Surrounded by the mountains it was another beautiful place to get lots of snaps. The final lake for today was Minnewanka (which we obvs found rather amusing) and we were able to walk out onto this one. It was so peaceful. If it wasnt for the -8 we could have sat here all day!

After all the frozen lake hoping it was time for the highlight of the day as we took the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. Visability was amazing which meant we got the best views; it really was stunning. They had a lovely seating area with fire pits but we decided to take on the boardwalk to see more of the views, and they didnt disappoint. Although its made us realise just how unfit we actually are 😂

After a spot of souvenir shop hopping we went for a walk to the Banff Springs to see what we can’t afford. It was art deco inside and with the views you can see why it’s on the pricey side! Had a posh piss in there though. Got to be done!

We had welcome drinks tonight (free wine.. yay!) & then headed out for something to eat. Sorry Santa… we ended up in a brewery and we both had a coke 😉