Banff

Hoodoos – beautiful pillars formed from glacial material

Bow Falls

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Wednesday, 1^st August, we hopped on the coach to explore Banff, Bow Falls, the viewpoint of Surprise Corner along Tunnel Mountain Drive and the wind-shaped Hoodoos overlooking Bow Valley, before boarding the Banff Gondola.

Situated in the heart of Banff National Park, the gondola ride is a must-do. There are 40 gondolas, each taking 4 people and we had a breath-taking ride up to the summit where we found lots to do – grab a coffee, eat at the restaurant, buy souvenirs, visit the theatre, explore the interpretive centre or take a walk on the boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak. It was quite a climb – lots of steps. So pleased we had plenty of time here to take in the beauty of Sulphur Mountain and the stunning views of the six mountain ranges. Perfect weather once again.

Banff Springs Hotel

The summit and the start of the boardwalk

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Sanson’s Peak

As for Banff itself, it’s a very pretty town surrounded by the mountains. We spent the afternoon in town and it was a good opportunity to catch up on the laundry as well. We walked from our hotel but later found that a bus went by the door. Good to know as we are here for two days. The town was bigger than I expected with wide streets, lots of shops and interesting places to eat.

That night, we met for dinner in the restaurant at our hotel where we had a “Meet a Mountie” local specialist presentation from a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. He was very entertaining, and he answered all our questions. Such an interesting insight into his time with the RCMP and we enjoyed learning about its history.

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Rocky Mountaineer – Day Two

We continued our journey to Banff today, following or crossing seven rivers. The landscape has changed, it looks more lush and we’ve seen some rapids as well.

Fine Dining

Luxury Seating

It was nice to be able to stand outside from time to time on the viewing platform to take in all the sights and sounds.

The scenery was everything we thought it would be, and more, and we had a very happy day just relaxing and taking it all in. What a great experience!

Rocky Mountaineer

30-31 July: This morning we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer for two exciting days’ travel. We only had to take a small bag each for the day as our other luggage will be taken by truck and waiting for us each night at our accommodation.

V to Kamloops (2) V to Kamloops (5)

Most of our group chose Goldleaf service but some of them went Silverleaf which meant that they ate their meals from trays at their seats on the lower level. Whereas Goldleaf guests are seated upstairs and go down to the restaurant car to dine. It was an extra expense, but we thought it was worth it.

V to Kamloops (7)

The journey so far has been excellent; the staff could not have been more attentive, and the food has been plentiful and delicious. What luxury, travelling along sipping wine and admiring the scenery. The chairs are most comfortable and can be adjusted into many positions, including a leg rest. The landscape looks fairly dry so far, even though we have been following the river.

V to Kamloops (4) V to Kamloops (3) V to Kamloops (11) V to Kamloops (10) V to Kamloops (9) V to Kamloops (8) V to Kamloops (6) V to Kamloops (1)

At the end of the day, we arrived in Kamloops and were taken to our hotel. The weather was very hot; around 40 degrees Celsius – we weren’t expecting that! We were told that there was music being played in the park opposite, and we headed over to have a look. But it was so hot and humid (with lots of mosquitoes) after a few minutes we decided to go back to our air-conditioned hotel and get our bags ready for tomorrow’s train journey.