Short trips from Calgary

Here is a list of some of the interesting visits we made around Calgary:

Banff town is in a valley of the Banff National Park. It is at the right distance from any place (Calgary/Golden/Jasper) and a good stop over for some delicious food or drink. For all the foodies, this is a go-to place as the town is filled with all kinds of restaurants, bars and cafés due to the high volume of visitors all round the year. People like us would love to just drive to this place as both the drive and the meal would be worth the visit. Being a tourist place, there is something for shopoholics too. Also, in winter, Banff is close to many popular ski lodges.

Lakes of Banff National Park: If heaven is a place on earth, it probably would be in the Canadian Rockies and Banff is in the heart of it all. This bewitching place is a must visit for nature lovers. This park is home to a host of flora, fauna and lakes. Be it the massive Lake Minniwanka, serene Lake Louise, pristine Bow Lake or the blue-green Moraine Lake, each comes with its own charm and grandeur.

Columbia Icefields Experience: One doesn’t need to fly or sail to Alaska to experience Glaciers. Situated on the ice fields parkway of Jasper National Park, Athabasca Glacier presents a unique opportunity to visit a glacier on specially designed vehicles. The trip from the base to the glacier also allows one to experience the glacier on foot once you reach the summit. Though the glacier is slowly receding over the past decades, the colossal Athabasca Glacier is still quite a spectacle.

Note: A Glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. It forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years. Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth. Glaciers move constantly. So every few years, they have to make a different approach road to the Glacier. Receding glacier is different from a moving glacier. (Source: Wiki)

Edmonton: This is the capital of Alberta province. The North Saskatchewan River flows right through the city, giving a panoramic view of downtown Edmonton. Though not many people like visiting Edmonton, we’ve always found it to be a pleasant place. We visited the Royal Alberta Museum and Muttart Observatory apart from checking out the Legislature and Old Strathcona area (including the very popular Whyte Avenue known for its resturants). There is a good arty feel about downtown as well. Edmonton houses 1 of the largest shopping malls in the world (largest in N.America) – the West Edmonton Mall. This mall hosts more than 800 shops, a hotel, an amusement park, a water park and other attractions – all indoors. We also managed to go for a late night standup comedy show as well. (Refer an older post on Edmonton here). 

Drumheller: Also known as the dinosaur valley, Drumheller has the largest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world. The Royal Tyrell Museum here is considered as an authority on the subject and is often invited to other parts of the world during excavations, symposiums, etc. Allow for at least 2 hours at the Museum (we took 3), which has an excellent collection and is very well maintained. Apart from dinosaurs, Drumheller is also known for its unique terrain – the badlands and hoodoos.

Badlands is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. Badlands often have a spectacular colour display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoria. (Source: Wiki)

A Hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. (Source: Wiki)

Saskatoon Farm, Okotoks: A 45 minute drive from downtown Calgary, this place is a 1 stop shop for organic needs. The farm is mainly known for growing Saskatoon berries and hence you get ample of jams, sauces, pies, ice creams - all made from Saskatoon berries. The farm has a huge nursery selling seasonal & perennial flowers, plants and trees. They have an interesting shop sells bits and odds including garden accessories, paintings and furniture. They also sell farm products and their Saskatoon berry food items. Apart from all the above, they have a lovely restaurant on site. We had a scrumptious brunch here before we toured the farm.

Head-smashed-in-buffalo jump: A UNESCO world heritage centre which showcases customs followed by native Indians for 1000s of years. Due to their vast knowledge of topography and of bisons in general, they killed these bison by chasing them over cliffs and subsequently carving up the carcasses in the camp below. They would use the carcasses to make food, clothing, jewelry, items for trade. Though the cliff itself isn’t a great sight, the interpretive centre is definitely worthy of a visit.

Waterton Lakes National Park: Also called as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, is to the South of Calgary and borders US. Infact the huge Waterton Lake is mostly in Canada (Alberta) and partly in the US (Montana). If you take a cruise around the lake, it is probably one the easiest borders to cross without paperwork (just kidding). This park is popular for wildlife including hosting a Bison Paddock. A variety of camping sites and hiking trails are available including Crypt Lake hike which is one of the most popular hikes in Canada!

On the way to Waterton or Head-smashed-in-Buffalo Jump (or Southern Alberta) and you have the time, it is worth dropping by the Aviation Museum in Nanton. This museum has a decent collection of war planes including Lancesters. The other place worthy of a mention is Cardston which is home to the Remington Carriage Museum. It is the largest horse drawn carriage museum in North America and gives a wonderful insight into travel before cars.

Apart from the above mentioned sights, there are a host of other national and provincial parks worth visiting. Apart from their sheer beauty, nature and outdoor lovers have plenty of activities they can choose from in these parks. Experiencing and exploring this part of Canada can easily take weekends off your calendar very easily.

Places of visit on map:

View Folks visit Calgary in a larger map

Quebec City Episode

Québec City is one of the oldest cities of North America. Capital of Québec, the French province of Canada, this small city was built on the banks of Saint Lawrence River. This charismatic city has been declared as a World Heritage Centre.

Our trip to Québec province (Montréal and Québec City) was part of our South East Canadian Trip in May’10. We decided that it should be a road trip as we both enjoy driving around so much. Hence we hired a car at Toronto. The drive to Québec City was uneventful but not very picturesque. We noticed that sign boards written boldly in French as we entered the province. We knew the journey had almost ended that way. We reached Québec City late afternoon. We stayed at a quaint little hotel 10 minutes away from the old walled city.

One of the cobbled streets of Québec City

Most of the places of visit are within the walled city. So we decided to walk within for rest of the day. As one can imagine, parking is a big problem and is expensive within the walled city. The walled city is divided into upper village (Hauté Ville) and lower village (Bassé Ville). We walked around Hauté Ville all evening, admiring the narrow and cobbled streets, old-fashioned buildings. This place had such a European feel to it – so different from rest of Canada or even North America. We hopped on a couple of pubs and settled in a lovely Italian restaurant with live music for dinner (before you ask - we were reserving Québecois French food for the next day).

The next morning, we booked ourselves to a walking tour that we had heard so much about. We decided on taking the grand tour - What better way to see the old city! Our guide was a Quebecois (naturally) Professor who spoke good English. He had thorough knowledge about local history, an excellent sense of humor and patiently answered all questions. We were a group of 8 people in the tour. Since it was a walking tour, we didn’t go into any buildings. But the guide specified which ones were worth returning to. More details about the tour can be found here. After the tour, we had our lunch at a local favourite – a French café in 1 of the back alleys of Hauté Ville.

We then returned to the places that we wanted to re-visit, as per our walking tour guide:

• Rue du Petit-Champlain - the main street in Bassé Ville for shopping, food & street performances.
• Quebec City Mural – This is a five story three dimensional painting on the side of a building in Bassé Ville that displays a very successful trompe-l'oeil (to trick the eye) effect. It depicts several notable people in Quebec history
• Sainte Anne de Beaupre Basilica in Hauté Ville
• Funiclair - old time elevator between Hauté Ville and Bassé Ville
• Le Château Frontenac - A palace in Hauté Ville overlooking Saint Lawrence River. It has been turned into a hotel & is owned by Fairmont (Surprise! Surprise!)
• La Citadelle – The Royal 22e Régiment museum. We missed the changing of the guards (10:00 am daily in summer) as we went there in the evening.

But there is so much more to write about, to see around. We couldn’t cover all that we wanted to in the 2.5 days we were there (e.g., Museum of Civilization).

View of the walled city of Quebec from the Levis ferry

That evening, our 2nd in Québec City, we took the ferry to the other side of Saint Lawerence River – to Levis. Not that there is much to do in Levis, but the view of the walled city from Levis (or even the ferry) is breathtaking! Right next to the ferry docks at Levis, there is a micro-brewery called Corsaire Microbrasserie. We tried different types of beer (I think I counted 10 or 12) before we took the ferry back to the old city.

Our 3rd morning was spent driving around L' Île d'Orléans, an island formed in the middle of Saint Lawrence River. Though we didn’t go to any of the vineyards, wineries or museums, we drove around the whole island. We found the island to be a very quite and charming place with various small villages. We noticed that wind surfing and kite surfing were extremely popular off the island beaches.

Montmorency Falls

We then headed to Montmorency Falls. Its 11 kms (7 miles) from the walled city and on the way (back) from L' Île d'Orléans. The first thing one notices about Montmorency falls is its striking height - It is higher than the Niagara (one wouldn’t expect) and quite broad too (though not as much as Niagara or even American falls). There is a nice park around the waterfalls – with few walking trails that are good.

Hurons entertaining visitors at Wendake

The last stop around Québec City was Wendake is a reserved area (for native Indians from Huron tribe). A reconstructed Huron village called Onhouä Chetek8e (where 8 is pronounced as Oua - as in ‘wh’ of what) is the main attraction there. These natives are always dressed in native clothes and perform a dance to welcome people. They sell souvenirs, art & crafts made by the tribe. Guides explain their customs, tradition, trading practices. This place also has a restaurant serving native Indian food – but unfortunately we reached just after the restaurant closed.

Thus our 3 days in and around Québec City ended - totally overwhelmed by this old-world city and its surrounding areas. But we were also looking forward to our last leg our South East Canada Trip – Montréal

Montréal Fren(ch)zy

The Montréal comes from Mont-Royal – a hill located in the heart of the city. It was call Ville Marie (City of Mary) before that. Montréal is the 2nd largest city in Canada, after Toronto. This city is located on an island formed between Saint Lawrence River and Ottawa River.

Our Montréal visit was the third and final phase our South East Canadian Trip in May’10. Hiring a car at Toronto, we first drove to Québec City and then to Montréal before heading back. Though the journey from Québec City to Montréal is just 145 kms or 2 hrs away, we unpredictably got stuck in a traffic jam close to an hour if not more. It reminded us of good old Bangalore and its ways.

There is lot to do and see in Montréal depending on interests. Here is a list of what we covered:

Montréal Olympic Stadium

Biodome – On the lines of Eden Project in UK, Montréal’s biodome is divided into 4 ecosystems – each hosting flora and fauna specific to different climatic conditions – marine, temperate, tropic and polar. Since we had seen other biodomes, we weren’t thrilled with this one. The only highlight for us was seeing Penguins. They are as cute as they are portrayed in happy feet movie but it was an EXTREMELY pitiable situation for them.

Olympic Stadium – Montréal hosted the 1976 winter Olympics and one can visit this multi-purpose stadium. Nicknamed as the big O due to its shape and cost (o=owe), this is one of the sour-spots for localities.

St. Joseph's Oratory

St. Joseph's Oratory – Located in Mont Royal, this is the biggest Basilica in the province. We were surprised to see many visitors had come there on a pilgrimage. We quickly learnt that this Basilica was dedicated to Saint Joseph who was known for miracles and hence it is a pilgrim for believers of Saint Joseph’s healing powers.

Old Montréal – One can easily spend an entire day at the very least exploring old Montréal. Apart from various heritage buildings, old Montréal also has lovely museums, bars, restaurants, shops and other attractions like the Nortre-Dame Basilica, Place Jacques-Cartier, old port, etc. We chose a walking tour of old Montréal – though our guide wasn’t as good as the one we had in Quebec City, the tour was good enough to understand basic history and facts of the place.

Inside Notre-Dame Basilica

Notre-Dame Basilica – This Basilica is an illustration of Gothic Revival architecture. The magnificent exterior compliments the exquisite and intricate interiors. This place is known for weddings and funerals of Canadian celebrities. (E.g. Pop singer Celine Dion’s wedding)

Place Jacques-Cartier – Located in old Montréal, this is one of the most popular spots in the city having host of fine dining restaurants. During summer, you can see lot of street performances and people selling knick-knacks. Place Jacques-Cartier links old Montréal to the old port.

Inside the Cathédrale

Old Port – Once a flourishing port is now a park for different sports, recreation and artists. A very spirited place always filled with people (at least in summer). Quite often you find indi-bands playing around the park.

Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde – also known as Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World. This is a very beautiful Cathedral which is a replica of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome.

Montréal's Underground City (officially RÉSO or La Ville Souterraine in French) is the set of interconnected complexes underground in downtown Montréal. This underground city is so self sufficient that one doesn’t need to go out in the open in winters apart from catching the metro between home and here.

Cirque de Soliel – Originally from Montréal, cirque de soliel (Circus of the Sun) is an extravaganza of entertainment, aerobics, acrobatics and circus (without animals). A HIGHLY recommended show, even though it’s expensive (Weekdays are cheaper than weekends). Do ensure you book in advance though.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – This is the F1 circuit of Montréal – the reason for the city to practically shut-down in June/July every year to celebrate the yearly event. We got cheap thrills of driving around the circuit – unfortunately the speed limits (in non race times) is 30 kms per hour as people use this circuit for walking, running, skating, cycling etc.

Rue St. Laurent - is one of the most popular places for shopping restaurants, bars and night clubs. It is similar to Residency Road in Bangalore I suppose.

Mado Lamotte, drag queen

Rue St. Catherine – is on the lines of Rue St. Laurent. But most weekends (in summer), parts of this street becomes a ‘no-vehicles’ zone. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Latino festival when we visited this street with Flemenco dancers performing on one side and food/tourism stalls on another side. One end of this street is known as “the village” (for gays and lesbians). We landed up going for our first drag queen (wiki) show at Mado’s Cabaret. A unique experience for us – though we had lots of fun, we only wish that the show was completely in English so that we could enjoy all the jokes.

A bixi stand

We traveled around in local metro as always. The metro is very well connected both in downtown and suburban area. The connectivity is as good if not better than that of Vancouver. We were super thrilled to learn about the bixi (wiki) concept. Bixies (wiki) are public bicycle sharing system (like cycle rentals) in downtown & old Montréal.

Montréal is such a happening city that, one can never finish covering the city in just 3 days especially if interests are as varied as ours. Some of the local attractions we wanted but couldn’t explore were Jean Drapeau Park, Île Notre-Dame, Casino de Montréal, Mont Royal and Museum of Fine Arts. Here is a good but essential Montréal attractions list we found during our research.

A self-confessed food lover that I am, I was pleased to try various restaurants/Pubs/Bars around the city (and still didn’t get enough of it). Here is a gist -

La Sala Rossa: a Spanish Tapas bar at Rue St Laurent. We really enjoyed our Sangria as well as the tapas we ordered. [Tapas – are small quantities of food].

Jardin Nelson: This place is at Place Jacques-Cartier. Known not only for its excellent food but also for live jazz, this delightful place has garden seating as well as terrace seating.

Olive and Gurmando: a bakery and café on Rue St. Paul in Old Montréal. We found this local favorite absolutely cool.

Dunn’s – Montréal is known for its smoked meat and Dunn’s smoked meat sandwich is a local favorite since early 1900s. There are many outlets throughout the city but we went to the one in downtown. I must say I didn’t enjoy it much probably because I haven’t developed a taste for it.

Jimbo’s Pub/Comedy Works – For those who love standup comedy, this is a good place to go to – It was not only in English but was of good standard as well. It is located on Rue Bishop in downtown, right next to Habibi.

Gibeau Orange Julep - colloquially as OJ or The Big Orange, is a popular hang out for locals at Boulevard Décarie (especially to show off cars & bikes). The Julep (orange milkshake) is very refreshing.

Habibi – is a Lebanese restaurant on Rue Bishop in downtown, this place bustling with activity even at 2:00am. I had some excellent kebobs. The usual Sheesha and live music was also available.

Byblos – is in Mont Royal (ave.Laurier E/Le Plateau) serving some lip-smacking Persian/ Iranian food.

Montréal Bagels – Apart from smoked meat, Montréal is very famous for the Montréal style bagels. These bagels are usually hand made and baked in wood-fired ovens. We tried bagels sandwiches in one of the many bagel establishments scattered all over the city.

No wonder Montreal quickly became one of our preferred cities– perhaps second only to London which is our most favorite city (so far). For anyone travelling to Montréal, we would recommend 2-3 days at the very least to enjoy and explore the city. Montréal is a very cosmopolitan city we think. Even though it is in the French province of Canada, it is easy to travel around. We picked up a few French words here and there, but could easily manage just speaking English. Perhaps as Indians, people pardoned our French :)  

Niagara Experience

We visited Niagara as part of our South East Canada trip in May’10. It was on eve of Victoria Day – a long weekend in Canada. As most do, we drove from Toronto to Niagara. The drive itself wasn’t too long or tiresome. We reached Niagara just to find out that there were a gazillion people there – such a contrast to the quite Calgary we are so used to now. A long weekend doubled with the fact that it was beginning of summer made people want to travel, was the logical explanation to the crowd.

Our initial feeling of seeing Niagara was that of disappointment – contrast to the natural beauty we expected, this place seemed to be infested with casinos, restaurants, bars and shops. Whatever happened to the serene atmosphere and tranquility we wondered? The first sight of Niagara Falls was overshadowed by the commercialization of the place. It was a concrete jungle practically.

We dragged our feet towards the maid of the mist – a boat tour to the heart of the falls. We felt it was one of those tourist things we had to get over with; but boy we were glad that we did - It was such an enthralling experience. The cruise takes you almost to the heart of the falls – This is as close as you can get to the falls - with the spray of the falls triumphing over everything else. You really feel awfully humbled in nature’s glory. It is absolutely brilliant! But it’s almost impossible to take out your expensive camera (read DSLR) out in this spray/mist. But I do recommend everyone to go this tour irrespective of its cost.

American Falls on the left and Niagara Falls far behind

Niagara has 2 HUGE waterfalls. One being Niagara falls and the other being the American falls. The American side has an observation deck which allows American visitors to look at the Niagara in addition to experiencing the American falls. American visitors can also take the maid of the mist cruise.

There are other attractions like journey behind the falls (a tunnel which takes you almost behind Niagara Falls), Sky Wheels (like London eye), Skylon tower (similar to CN tower). The rainbow bridge connects Canada and US borders. Children have a lot more to look forward to at Canadian Niagara, with a whole lot of attractions like wax museums of Hollywood stars, Ripley’s museum, arcades, etc.

The attractions are different from the US side. Access to Goat Island (island between the American Falls & Canadian Niagara falls) is on the US side. Prospect point takes you to the tip of the river where the rapids become American falls. This point also allows one to view Niagara Falls from the US side. We thought both the prospect point and the rainbow bridge were an eye sore amidst nature’s beauty.

But we spent rest of the day going to casinos and restaurants. Amidst all this, one of my dear Aunts visited us from Rochester, NY. Rochester is a few hours away in US, on the other side of the Canadian border. It was EXTREMELY sweet of her husband and her for this gesture as we couldn’t visit them since our Canadian Visa had expired. They visited us despite the crowd due to the long weekend. This is an exemplary illustration of family matters!!!

We returned to Toronto by road the next morning so that we could leave for the next phase of our South East Canada Trip – to Québec City and Montréal.

Toronto Stay

Canada’s largest city in terms of population and area, Toronto is built on the banks of Lake Ontario. 1 among the 5 great lakes of North America, Lake Ontario is so huge that you really can’t see the other side of the lake. It feels like a sea. Also it’s so big and deep that it doesn’t freeze even in Canadian winters. Naturally, Toronto’s downtown is set on harbor-front.

We visited Toronto as part of our South East Canada trip. It was always on our agenda of any North American travel, as much as Seattle. After all, we associated Toronto more with my dear Aunt & family than anything else. Understandably our main agenda was to spend time with family. But we also wanted cover the major tourist attractions. We knew that though it was our first, it wasn’t the last of our trips so we could afford to go slow, and take it easy.

As we prefer to do, we used the local metro and LRT extensively. Our verdict was that it wasn’t as good as in Vancouver or Singapore, forget London. But the metro is quite good within Toronto city limits and partly GTA (greater Toronto area).

Some of the local attractions we visited were:

CN Tower observation deck's glass floor

CN Tower: Once upon a time this was the tallest free standing structure in the world. When you think of Toronto sky-line CN tower stands tall and strong in the picture. This is a communications and a 360° observation tower and 1 of the main tourist attractions of Toronto. The view from the famous CN Tower over looking the harbor is delightful but one has to hope for a clear day for this. The observation deck also has a glass floor. Taking a picture of the ground far below while standing on it is a must-do.

Harbour Front

Harbor-front: The water front has been utilized to the fullest for the pleasure of visitors and citizens of Toronto. Shops, bars and restaurants are anyway a given in such a picturesque setting but harbor-front also boasts of a music garden (reflection in landscape of Bach’s music), boardwalks, skating rink and being epicenter of Toronto’s art & culture.

Old York: Also known as the old town flanks current downtown Toronto. It is home to a lot of landmarks such as St. Lawrence Market, St. James Cathedral, Oldest post office, etc.

Swaminarayan Temple

Swaminarayan Temple: This Hindu temple is worth a visit mainly due to the elaborate and intense architecture. People from as far as India were brought in for the sculpting work.

St. Lawrence Market: This market is in the heart of old York. A very vibrant place with lots of different types of shops (delis, bakeries, meat, food, knick-knacks, etc), it also hosts weekly farmers’ market and antiques market.

St. James Cathedral

St. James Cathedral Church: Part of downtown and close to St. Lawrence Market, this church is a good example of gothic revival architecture. Built in the 18th century, this church stands handsome adjacent to a beautiful park where pigeons and orchids are aplenty… in summer.

Toronto’s first post office: Apart from being a full-service post office, this is also a museum of Canadian postal history. As a tourist attraction, one can write a letter with a quail pen and seal them with wax just like the old times. Unfortunately this place was closed when we visited.

ROM

Steam Whistle Company: Situated bang opposite the CN tower in downtown Toronto, Steam Whistle is a microbrewery with an attitude! An environmentally conscious brewing company, Steam Whistle has indeed one of the best pilsners in Canada. This place has a brewery tour, samplers and great take away options, including a briefcase of beer – now beat that!

Royal Ontario Museum (ROM): Museum lovers should set aside AT LEAST a day for this. It is the largest museum in Canada and 1 of the largest in North America. It is a museum of anthropology. We spent an entire day and covered probably only half of the museum.

Though we couldn’t make it the following local attractions due to lack of time, it sure is on our TO-DO list for our next visit:

Toronto Islands: These islands are on Lake Ontario and in front of Toronto’s harbor. These numerous small islands has the city airport on 1 of the islands, a host of beaches, a children’s amusement park, a yatch club and is home to art, culture, flora & fauna.

Bata Shoe Museum: Yes, this is a shoe museum and which Indian would’ve imagined Bata to be a Canadian company! But of course, Bata is own by a Czech. This museum is situated very close to ROM.

Kensington Market: Is one of Canada’s national historic sites and is also a multicultural neighborhood of Toronto. It has variety of good restaurants, shops, galleries, discount stores, etc.

Some of the day trips or short trips one can take from Toronto are Niagara Falls, 1000 islands, Kingston and Ottawa – All are within 4-5 hours of driving. We could visit only Niagara Falls in this trip though. We also visited Québec City and Montréal.

I am certain that there are lots more to explore in and around Toronto which we may not be aware of as well. Also, though we did go to a couple of bars with my cousin, we didn’t get a chance to go on proper gourmet trips we so like to take. All in all, we thought we had fabulous family trip but we didn’t spend enough time in Toronto to feel its soul. So we’ll definitely be back.

South East Canada Trip

Ever since we reached Calgary or probably ever since it was decided we were coming to Calgary or probably ever since she moved to Canada, my aunt (theoretically my grand aunt) wanted me to visit her. She has been living in Toronto for more than 25 years. So we always knew that if not any other place, we would definitely visit her for sure. We’ve always heard of her family being great hosts and aunt being an awesome cook. So justifying that Niagara Falls is a close-by tourist place wasn’t really an incentive.

We decided to visit them in early summer of 2010 and cover Montréal and Québec City as well. Our final itinerary was: Calgary-Toronto-Niagara-Toronto-Québec City- Montréal-Toronto-Calgary. So our 11 day - 3 phase approach to most vacations was put into effect again.

The first phase was Toronto and Niagara.

Our Toronto stay was a mix of exploring the city, visiting local attractions and spending time with family. More information of our Toronto trip can be found here.

The Niagara experience was a mixed bag. On one side you see one of the natural wonder of the world. There are no words to express the grandeur of this geological beauty. On the other hand there is such a bad taste of commercialization. All around the falls you see a concrete jungle filled with restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels and casinos. More information of our Niagara experience is here.

Québec City was the second phase of our trip. The Québec City episode was heartwarming especially after the Niagara experience. This city not only has the historic value but also gives a very European touch be it through architecture, art or culture. We loved walking through the old walled city and exploring the surrounding areas as well. More information of our Québec City episode is here.

Our third and final phase was the Montréal Fren(ch)zy. It was the most fun and remarkable phase in the entire trip. We would easily rate this city second only to London – our most favorite city in the world (so far). We found this city to be pulsating. Be it walking around old Montréal or visiting local attractions or checking out various festivals (through out the year) or experiencing the foodie paradise or getting a sense of the night life… the list is endless. This city doesn’t sleep, there is something for everyone and it keeps you on a high (no pun intended) always. More information of our entertaining Montréal episode is here.

Here is a link to our album: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/akshatakaranth/SouthEastCanadaTrip2131May10#

Grassi Lakes Hike (Canmore, AB)

It was a while since we had visited the mountains, which we seem to have fallen in love with since we first saw them back in Aug’09. We had seen the Rockies a few times in summer and in fall. We loved it each time. Winter was just about setting in and we wanted to check how the Rockies looked in snow. More importantly we had just invested in our snow boots and wanted to try them out to ensure we made a sensible spend. So we chose to go on a hike to Grassi Lakes - just off Canmore.

So we set on the morning of 22/Nov/09, a Sunday. We decided to leave early and have breakfast in Canmore town – we anyways had to go to the visitor’s information centre to confirm that the trail is still open after a heavy snowfall during the week. We didn’t get enough time the previous day to research on a restaurant, so we ended up walking down the main streets of Canmore in the cold before settling on a Coffee Shop specializing in Bagels. We gulped down the hot coffee and bagel sandwiches quickly. The information centre was closed, so we went to another centre in the outskirts. We got a confirmation on the trail and the helpful lady behind the desk gave us a couple of maps as well.

As we approached the base, we saw how well winter had set in the mountains. Snow was allover and the lake at the base was already frozen. There are 2 trails to Grassi Lakes which is found around 200 meters from the car park. We had read and were also told at the information centre that the more difficult route had all the views - of Canmore and the Bow Valley. The more difficult route is not really very difficult but one has to watch their footing. Though there is a series of stairs to make the climb easier, the snow and ice made the path extremely slippery. Moreover it had completely covered the path in many places and we were clueless on where to go next. We were lost for about an hour with no signals on the phone as well. At one point we contemplated on retracing our steps. But we got stuck in a particularly difficult spot.

The spot was difficult because a brook running down the mountain had frozen and the whole place was just ice. We fell several times between the 2 of us. The situation was more hilarious than we thought – am sure we looked like bowling pins getting knocked down regularly. We managed to catch a glimpse of a lovely and quite big waterfall over the next mountain amidst our falling act. Luckily an hour into this falling and searching madness, a group of hikers came along. One of them had been to the place before so knew the “hidden” path. We followed them all the way to the top.

There are 2 lakes (springs really) at the top and a beautiful view of Ha Ling Peak. The 2 lakes atop the mountain have been named after the guy who discovered it. The lakes themselves are a sparkling sight. The water is so clear that a good reflection of the mountains, tree and snow falls very well on it. A steep but short climb at the end of the upper lakes leads to a canyon where a genuine petro-glyph can be found on a large boulder. We heard that the area was popular sport climbing as well. We didn’t climb that part as it was getting late – we had lost a lot of time earlier on trying to find the path to the lakes. But it gives enough inspiration for a re-visit at least. We got back on the easy route after the interesting incident we had on the other route. This route was quite boring comparatively. It looked like a truck route and just cut through the trees blindly.

We were thankful to come back home and that too in one piece. But despite the episode we loved the hike – it was enchanting and charming nonetheless.

Here is a link to our album: http://picasaweb.google.com/akshatakaranth/GrassiLakesHike22Nov09

More information on how to access the trail and the trail itself can be found at:

http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Grassi-Lakes-Trail-near-Canmore-AB-6066 or

http://hikealberta.com/hike/grassi-lakes-trail

Bow Pass and Mistaya Canyon

JJ wanted to go the mountains for the last time as a Calgarian and before he relocated back to London. JJ, Anne and we set out on a Sunday morning (18/Oct/09) having a quick Cafe Beano's coffee. It had just started snowing in the mountains. So we could see the snow capped mountains. But it hadn’t yet snowed enough for the Skiing season to begin. The tracks hardly had any snow.

We first went to Bow Summit which is a viewpoint for Peyto Lake and glacier. It’s on the Icefields parkway road within Banff National Park - around 30 minutes from Lake Louise. We drove up to the Bow Pass/Summit. The lookout point is a short trail from the parking lot. The path was icy and slippery. Sharan and I didn’t have shoes which could be used on this terrain. JJ being the English gentleman that he is, very kindly offered to help me walk. Sharan was on his own with his Camera. The viewpoint is that of Peyto Lake and Glacier. The lake is turquoise blue and shaped like a dog (or that’s what it looked like to us). It was stunning. We could also see the half melted glacier which forms the source of this lake. We hear it in the news and read it elsewhere but really the affects of global warming is clearly seen around these areas with glaciers melting. The lake is surrounded by lush coniferous forests. Behind the forest are the Rocky Mountains. The place looked absolutely enchanting. As we hung around having hot “Chai” (tea) brought by JJ in a thermos, it started to snow. So we quickly drank up and left for our next destination - Mistaya Canyon

Mistaya Canyon is also on the same highway as Bow Pass. But it’s further up and took us another 30 minutes to drive to that place. A trail off the highway led us to the Canyon. One cannot miss it as it is well sign-posted. Along the trail we saw the wrath of storm that lashed this region last year. Trees were uprooted and ripped apart. Mistaya Canyon is formed by the Mistaya River whose source is a glacier around Peyto Lake. The white water of Mistaya River roared down the Canyon and a spray of water surrounded the place. The Canyon was really deep and one could easily notice the path the river had taken, eroding and curving the rocks along the way. We hung around the place for a while enjoying views of this boisterous river in a tranquil background before heading back home.

We had seen the mountains in summer and fall. It was our first time in the mountains after it had snowed. The 2 places were exquisite in their own way and nothing like what we had seen before. I suppose it was a good day for JJ - to say goodbye to the mountains. I guess he’ll miss the proximity of the mountains the most for he'd be back for the skiing season(s) but that's a different matter.

More Information on these 2 destinations:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/visit1c_E.asp  

http://www.colonialvoyage.com/viaggi/canadabanffpeyto.html  

Link to our Picasa album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/akshatakaranth/BowPassAndMistayaCanyon#  

Thanksgiving Weekend at Vancouver, BC

Canadian thanksgiving is more than a month earlier than that of the US. But decades ago US and Canada celebrated Thanksgiving in October - yet another brilliant marketing strategy to cash in on the holiday season. Our choice of Vancouver was natural. Firstly it was the fall season and Calgarian Fall is not as exquisite as the rest of Canada. Secondly Sharan had his US Visa but I didn’t and the earliest date available in the Calgary US Embassy was mid-Nov. We got an appointment with the Vancouver US Embassy on the day after Thanksgiving. Lastly, we had heard so much about my Grand Uncle and Aunt staying just off Vancouver, in a town called Langley, we wanted to visit their country-side home. So we fixed the trip for 10-13 Oct'09.

After our customary research, able advice from my brother and grand uncle, we froze on our itinerary but kept it open to juggle it around:
DAY 1:
We spent the entire day with my Grand Uncle and Grand Aunt at Langley. We got a good perspective of how to lead retired life – keeping oneself busy, meaningful and yet enjoy luxuries of life.
DAY 2:
We visited North Vancouver – to see the top tourist spots of Vancouver: Capilano Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Capilano Bridge is a suspension bridge built 230 FT above the Capilano River. Longer than but like the India Laxman Jhulla, this bridge sways as people walk on it. One can approach Grouse Mountain using a Gondola (Sky Train/Cable Car) from its base – a bit over-rated. Of course the joys will be completely different if someone hiked to or from Grouse Mountain. Oh but we did “sight” 2 grizzly bears in a large enclosure which also had a pond. Once we returned to downtown, we walked around China Town (yes, it has to be there in every city) and Gastown of Old Vancouver – a lovely area with cobble stone paths, old buildings, great shops and popular restaurants.
DAY 3:
It was thanksgiving on this day. We visited the Vancouver Aquarium, Granville Island and generally walked around Vancouver. The highlights of the aquarium were the beluga whales, otters and spotting a raccoon which DIDN’T belong to the aquarium.

Granville Island is a MUST VISIT for all. It’s mostly known for the Public Market – a farmers’ market where you’ll find the freshest, choicest and most exclusive farm produce. Mind you its not just limited to fruits, vegetables and meat – you get spices, home made chocolates, jams, confectionaries, etc.

We then headed to English Bay Beach – you have a lovely view of the mountains, Pacific Ocean and some yachts. An Inukshuk also stands tall on the beach – a stone landmark made popular by native Indians of the Tundra region.
DAY 4:
After spending 4 hrs at the US Embassy, we quickly visited the Capilano Fishery before heading to Stanley Park. This is a HUGE park (5 mile circumference) bang in the heart of Vancouver. It’s a fantastic place to walk around, picnic and also see the park’s attractions like the Totem Poles, Lighthouse, lakes, etc. We spent the entire afternoon soaking in the striking fall colors. We then quickly visited Gastown and Granville Island once again (worth it) before heading to the airport.

The Vancouver Public Transport requires a special mention. We wanted to experience this as this city has traffic and commuting challenges like reducing commute time on the curvaceous mainland with a lot of water inlets and accessibility to smaller islands which are bustling with business. We were always in awe of London Underground (“mind the gap”) but Vancouver has taken Public Transport to newer levels. Public and tourists have the following options to travel: Rental cars, Taxi, regular Bus, electric Bus, Sky train (metro), Sea Bus (literally) and last but not the least Sea Taxi (small boats converted to taxis carrying up to 10 people at a time). All options are really affordable – obviously, it’s used by common man. Else it would become moot.

Vancouver is a place for foodies or we would like to think so. Most of the places we tried had lip smacking food. Some of the eateries worth recommending are:
~ The Boathouse (West End, English Bay Beach) – one of the best places for sea food
~ Steam Works Brewery Pub/Restaurant (Gastown) – A good place to wind down after a long day of hectic tourist activities. Try one of the BC brewed beer – they are refreshing.
~ House of Dosas (Junction of Kingsway and Kings Street) – For all those Indians living outside starving for good dosas, Indian tourists missing home food and anyone else who love good south Indian food. This is the place to go. Chennai dosas are waiting for you.
~ Tomahawk (Philip AVE, N Vancouver): A family run barbeque restaurant.
~ Templeton (Granville ST) – Most popular diner in downtown Vancouver known for its Sunday Brunches.
~ Trees Café (Granville ST) – Acclaimed to have the best cheesecakes in Vancouver – and we can second that without trying other cheesecakes - a sinful bliss.
~ Granville Island Brewery (Granville Island) – a good place to try variety of local beer

We loved Vancouver as we found it to be a cosmopolitan city – vibrant and cheerful despite perennial rains. We got to interact with locals – really friendly when compared to Calgary. We could see the excitement building up for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Feb’10 as well. Never know – we might return to the city for that once in a life time experience of watching a Olympic event

As always here is a link to our album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/akshatakaranth/ThanksgivingLongWeekendAtVancouverBC1013Oct09#