Proud to be Canadian!
After spending a weekend with our new friends at their home in Marietta, Georgia, USA we wanted to reciprocate and show them some true Canadian hospitality. Where better to awe the Americans but in the Rockies? With help from our daughter, Jenn and her boyfriend, Doug, who reside in Banff, we arranged for a 12 day adventure in Alberta, exploring Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. We managed to get reservations during this busy time of year at both the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Fairmont Jasper Lodge. Our trip happened shortly after the major flooding had occurred in Alberta and the water damage was evident throughout our travels. Those tough Albertans had obviously worked hard to get the highways open and traffic continued to flow through the National Parks without detours or delays. We covered a lot of highway to see as much as we could in two weeks. We impressed our American friends with the truly natural Canadian scenery, including the majestic Rockies and the ever present wildlife. We took them up the Gondola at Sulphur Mountain and looked back down on the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel; we even had a drink on the patio at that hotel just to soak up the spectacular view. The beer never tasted so good! After a few days spent enjoying the laid back relaxation at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge and its pristine lake hikes, wandering elk visits, beautiful outdoor pool and delicious food, we headed on the highway towards Lake Louise with a stop at the Columbia Icefields. There we walked on the Athabasca Glacier and drank the pristine glacier water. What an experience! At Lake Louise we checked in to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise where we were welcomed by a yellow lab named Marcus, the friendly hotel mascot. We hiked to the tea house at Lake Louise and then further, up to the Six Glaciers look out point and dipped our toes in the bone numbing water flowing down the mountain. We even treated our American friends to a snowball fight on the 4th of July - giving them stereotypical memories of wonderfully Canadian summer fun. Every Fairmont we stayed in was an integral positive part of a truly memorable Canadian adventure for us Canadians and for our American visitors. Thanks, Fairmont for being part of our bragging rights this summer!