Banff is quite different to Jasper but just as spectacular. It has many more hotels, bars and restaurants, a lot more traffic and is very touristy, but the surrounding landscape, the peaks, forests and blue river valleys and the lakes make it really attractive. The gabled buildings are all very solid looking with development carefully controlled. The weather continues to be very hot with lovely blue skies.
Yesterday we took in a very appropriate exhibition for me at the Whyte Museum, entitled 'Picturing the Canadian Pacific Railway', demonstrating the CPR strategy of commissioning artists to paint the landscape, to encourage tourists to use the railway. We've also enjoyed watching the freight trains and hearing their brass band bellowing. It's amazing that the road barriers don't close until the train is nearly upon them, it helps though that the trains are moving quite slowly.
Banff has been good for hiking trails starting in the town itself. We've managed Tunnel Mountain, the Bow River, the Bow Falls and Vermillion Lakes in the short time we've been here. The photo above shows Ralph trying to spot wild life on Vermillion Lake, not the couple in front of him sunbathing! But we cheated when we took in the hot springs at Sulphur Mountain (what a pong!) by using our free passes on the public transit buses.
At breakfast time today we had the dubious pleasure of watching Sunderland get hammered by Arsenal, live in our hotel room on NBC.
Finding places for a meal is a little depressing as the town features many steak house type operations all serving monster meals full of fat, sugar and salt. And no Ralph hasn't had a bison burger yet. We did enjoy a good Indian meal last night though, heartened by the fact that the restaurant was supported by a number of Asian customers. We had a long chat there with an Indian couple living in Edmonton who were originally from Bombay. He was an engineer who had also worked in Germany and was able to tell us a lot about the local economy.
We set off tomorrow on the Brewster Shuttle Bus to Calgary airport, to catch a flight for Victoria. We've been very impressed by the Brewster operation, just as well, as they seem to own much of the tourist sector in the Rockies. On the way here we stopped off at the Icefields and Lake Louise (see our photos).
Yesterday we took in a very appropriate exhibition for me at the Whyte Museum, entitled 'Picturing the Canadian Pacific Railway', demonstrating the CPR strategy of commissioning artists to paint the landscape, to encourage tourists to use the railway. We've also enjoyed watching the freight trains and hearing their brass band bellowing. It's amazing that the road barriers don't close until the train is nearly upon them, it helps though that the trains are moving quite slowly.
Banff has been good for hiking trails starting in the town itself. We've managed Tunnel Mountain, the Bow River, the Bow Falls and Vermillion Lakes in the short time we've been here. The photo above shows Ralph trying to spot wild life on Vermillion Lake, not the couple in front of him sunbathing! But we cheated when we took in the hot springs at Sulphur Mountain (what a pong!) by using our free passes on the public transit buses.
At breakfast time today we had the dubious pleasure of watching Sunderland get hammered by Arsenal, live in our hotel room on NBC.
Finding places for a meal is a little depressing as the town features many steak house type operations all serving monster meals full of fat, sugar and salt. And no Ralph hasn't had a bison burger yet. We did enjoy a good Indian meal last night though, heartened by the fact that the restaurant was supported by a number of Asian customers. We had a long chat there with an Indian couple living in Edmonton who were originally from Bombay. He was an engineer who had also worked in Germany and was able to tell us a lot about the local economy.
We set off tomorrow on the Brewster Shuttle Bus to Calgary airport, to catch a flight for Victoria. We've been very impressed by the Brewster operation, just as well, as they seem to own much of the tourist sector in the Rockies. On the way here we stopped off at the Icefields and Lake Louise (see our photos).
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