The flight to Vancouver was great with terrific views of snow capped peaks, glaciers & river valleys. Vancouver seems a nice city set on flat land but surrounded by mountains & ocean. Dinner at the very popular & trendy Cactus Club by the water.
In the morning we took a lift to the Vancouver Tower (too high & scary for me so I headed back down after a quick look), Anne took some photos. Then off to Gastown, the old historic part of town, with some really nice older buildings & a unique steam powered clock. Then off to "Fly Over Canada" a 3D movie flying across Canada with moving seats, water spray on faces etc - quite realistic & felt like you were there - really good fun & beautiful scenery. Then off to Stanley Park where we hired bikes & rode around for a few hours. A large, very pretty & scenic park right in the city. Bison balls for dinner then an early night.
At 6.15am we caught the bus to the station then all aboard the Rocky Mountaineer with the other exclusive 650 passengers. With our classy dome roofed carriage we can see it all. Things started slowly as we wound through the outskirts of Vancouver & then the local countryside before starting our climb into the mountains. The train cuts an amazing path along the banks of the Fraser River & later the Thompson River.
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views |
The line cuts back & forth across the valley & the road as it winds its way up the valleys. Some of the bridges & drop off's are scary for someone scared of heights (ie me). We were surprised to see the dry & barren landscape as we approached Kamloops but the river continued to rage down the valley - a popular rafting spot for the adventurous. We were plied with copious amounts of beautiful food & drink all along the way.
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views - Tunnels |
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views - more tunnels |
Kamloops has a population of 90,000 & is situated on the banks of the Kamloops Lake at the confluence of the north & south Thompson River's. A nice little place & we wandered down to the park to listen to a live rock band before grabbing a light dinner & bed - dead tired after a long day.
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| From Kamloops Park |
Another early start saw us back on the train at 6.30am & travelling through farmland along the Thompson River valley before skirting along the banks of the Shuswap Lake for about 30 kms. We then started to climb up multiple river valleys, through canyons & across amazing bridges before passing through the Lower & Upper Spiral Tunnels. The tunnels were built because the original line was too steep and are each about 1km long & turn about 240 degrees inside the mountain before emerging over 50 feet above where they entered. At one point the train runs directly across the top of the lower line. Remarkable! We then completed the last stage to Lake Louise with jaw dropping scenery all around.
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views |
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views |
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| Rocky Mountaineer Views |
We are staying at the famous Fairmont Lake Louise with "that view" straight out our window (a little indulgence never hurt anyone!). After taking in the view with a walk around the grounds we dined at the Lake View restaurant before an early night (we're all tired out?)
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| That View - Lake Louise at Sunrise |
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| A friendly squirrel - we have seen many |
Next morning we rose early to witness the beautiful sunrise over the lake before heading off on a walk. We loosely planned a walk of about 15kms but ended up doing over 20kms. The scenery was again jaw dropping as we headed first to Plain of Six Glaciers lookout & then to the teahouse for hot chocolate.
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| Plain of Six Glaciers Walk |
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| Plain of Six Glaciers Walk |
Then onward & upward (there was some snow along the sides of the track) to the Big Beehive which sits almost vertically above the hotel - a hard slog to the top but magnificent views all the way - Anne had to take the photos looking over the edge of course.
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| Our welcome to the Big Beehive |
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| Lake Louise & Chateau from the Big Beehive |
Then down a steep zig zag track to Lake Agnes & teahouse for sandwiches before returning to the hotel. Enjoyed a beautiful cheese fondue for dinner then crashed.
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| Lake Agnes & Teahouse at rear |
A leisurely start the next day saw us bussing to Banff through a thick smoke haze caused by forest fires. As a final indulgence we are staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel - a truly magnificent hotel in a magic setting (apart from the smoke). Took the hotel tour to see some of the amazing function areas the checked out the rest of the hotel before meeting some old Aussie friends of Anne's from her Berrigan days for dinner. A pleasant night with a few cold frosties & lots of chat.
Woke to a thick smoke haze from the forest fires & health warnings to stay indoors? Eventually we braved the elements & went for a stroll around Banff checking out the shops, Bow Falls, Banff Springs Cave & Basin (hot springs), marsh boardwalk & Cascade Gardens. A pleasant day despite the smoke.
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| Smoke haze over marshes in Banff |
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