Tag: Snow

Day 7 – Lake Louise

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We started the day with the poshest breakfast on our trip – I was in pastry heaven! So it was only right that I had rather a lot of them, with a cheeky Eggs Benedict on the side.

This morning we went out with a guide snowshoeing around Lake Louise. He kept saying how young and fit I was (clearly needs his eyes testing, I think he should have changed the i for an a…) and suggested I went ‘off piste’ to properly experience the shoes on deep snow. It was all going fine whilst I was mooching around in the trees. Then I got onto the lake.. it all went downhill from here as the snow was rather a lot deeper than I had anticipated and ended up with a very very cold minky.

We headed back to the room to get ready for an afternoon at the ski resort and discovered the lovely housekeeper had left us not 2, but 10 Lindt chocolates!! Obviously these lasted 2 minutes. Went down a right treat!

This afternoon we boarded the shuttle to Lake Louise Ski Resort where I finally got to ski in Canada. Yes it was only for a few hours but was totally worth it. I basically had the mountain to myself! The views (even with relatively poor visability) were amazing and the runs were perfect.

Momma had a go on the tubing – her face was an absolute picture 😂 although a lot of our group decided to have a go so by the end the run had become that slippery they nearly shot off the end into the car park!

This evening we had farewell drinks around a log fire. Cant beat a free glass of wine! We had dinner with a couple who’s children went to the same primary, secondary and college as me – such a small world!

The white stuff is coming down rather heavy tonight so will be interesting to see the surroundings in the morning. Definitely going to stock up on posh breakfast before our final stop in Calgary.

Day 6 – Lake Louise

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A relatively short one today due to a day on the bus! This morning we left Jasper behind and travelled to Lake Louise along the beautiful Icefields Parkway again. It really is one of the most scenic drives I have ever done. We had a few photo stops along the way which were made even more spectacular by the bright blue sky behind.

We arrived in Lake Louise village centre for some lunch and a stock up on snacks. We paid 4 quid for a very small box of shortbread in Jasper; madness! There was some cute little shops here and I accidentally treated myself to some Canadian gin.

Before heading to the hotel we took a detour to Emerald Lake, located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. Another province to tick off the list! I think this has got to be one of the prettiest places we have been so far. I did however get a bit cocky trying to get down to the lake and fell straight on my arse. Thank God for decent padding. I feel I need to give a special shout out to the toilets. I have recently got back from India and I can honestly say the ones in Delhi train station smelt 10x nicer. This toilet gave off a stench that I wont ever forget…..

We’re now at our final hotel for the next 2 nights – the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel is essentially a mini (but super expensive) village and I’m looking forwards to properly exploring the grounds tomorrow as we start the day with some snowshoeing. We managed to have a little mooch earlier, but underestimated the real feel temperature (a scorching-16) and was therefore not appropriately dressed. Yay for the big thighs to keep me slightly warm.

 

Day 5 – Jasper

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This morning the temperature had dropped and the clouds were in for our first stop of the day; Pyramid Lake which lies at the foot of Pyramid Mountain. Although the sky was completely white, the grey of the low cloud added drama to the surroundings.

Our next stop was Old Fort Point, which coinsidently was where we walked to last night. It was lovely to see it in a different light however as by now the sun had started to break through the cloud. There was some beautiful reflections in the Athabasca River and we managed to find a high up view point which we completely missed yesterday (probably a good thing as it was very icy at the top so one of us would probably have been off the side in the evening light)

After a quick swing by Jasper Park Lodge for a mooch around their grounds (basically here’s a look at another hotel we couldnt afford to put you in 😂) and we headed back into downtown for a spot of lunch. We found this amazing cafe called Bear Paws Bakery. 10/10 for the food and lattes and would 100% recommend if anybody ever comes here!

This afternoon was all about Maligne Canyon. Armed with our cleats (not clits as I had originally thought) we set off for a walk around the canyon. I’ll be honest, I thought we would get to walk around the Canyon floor however we spent the walk up high looking down into the canyon. The photos just dont do it justice and dont show how deep it actually is – 160ft deep in parts! It was still a stunning walk with more frozen falls, ice climbers and snowy surroundings. Thank god for the cleats as it really was super icy in parts. Thank God nobody make the domino effect happen, especially as most of the group are over 65 (I really hope I’m still having these adventures at 65!!) After the walk we were treated to hot wine and s’mores. What more could you want to end the day!

Day 8 – Hammerfest

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We’ve reached the world’s northernmost town! A town completely destroyed in WW2 with the graveyard chapel the only building left standing. We opted for a bus tour to enable us to see as much of the town as possible. We were taken up high for the best views of the town which is blanketed with snow (much like back at home!) Back on lower ground and we were taken to the ‘Struve Geodetic Arc’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve who determined the arc of the global meridian (all very sciencey!)

Other than that today has mostly been about sailing (and playing Scrabble) but we have stopped by some pretty fishing villages to pick up the fishy treats.

To brighten up our evening, we’ve just had a visit from two Norwegians to fix our rather stiff door 😉

 

Day 3 – Trondheim

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Woke up this morning to the white stuff, and lots of it! Luckily we packed our salopettes so were well prepared for today’s adventure. Hopefully lost at least a stone today, it’s hard work wading through snow that is at some points up to your knees!

Trondheim was extremely quiet, considering its meant to be a student town. I think they all looked at the window and thought sod that. That for us however meant we had the place to ourselves. We visited Gamble Bybro (old town bridge) which had plenty of pretty Norwegian buildings creating reflections in the water below. The Nidaros Cathedral, the largest medieval building in Scandinavia, was also specular against the falling snow. I decided to pretend to mess around with my camera so I could earwig on a nearby tour… Cheeky!

On our way back to Richard the sun decided to come out so we were able to capture the same photos, however this time with much better lighting.

On deck today was the tasting of local blue mussels. Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate fish, but decided to give it a go. I’ve had worse things my mouth (skips  😂) but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I wouldn’t rush to have another anytime soon though.

Dinner tonight was Rudolph, sorry Santa 🎅

Cody to Yellowstone

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Woke up this morning to a blanket of snow! Hard to believe that yesterday we were having drinks in the sunshine outside. We headed to the Buffalo Bill and Cody museum this morning; a Wild West, Firearms and Taxidermy heaven! Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.

We then headed to Yellowstone (something I have so been looking forward to) however it was a complete whiteout and as we had expected, the pass into the East of Yellowstone was closed. The only option for us was to begin a 6 hour drive to another entrance.. However an hour into the drive the pass decided to open, so; back we went!

The weather on the journey back to where we had originally gone had now much improved and it meant we could actually see the surrounding area, and it was beautiful. Lakes, mountains, snow covered trees and Elk, what more could you want!

We have another day in the park tomorrow but decided to have a little taster today, despite getting there a lot later than originally planned. Aside from the fact that the whole place smells like eggy farts, what we have seen already is just wow. From the mud volcano to Norris Geyser Basin. The vivid colours and the plooms of steam. And the angry Japanese tourists. As John Muir once said.. “A thousand Yellowstone wonders are calling, look up and down and round about you”

We are looking forward to another day in the park tomorrow!

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Nothing on draught tonight so had to settle for a can.