Day 261: Banff
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday April 26th
After enjoying the buffet breakfast, which we were happy to find included eggs and waffles, we decided to go for a walk. There was a trail to the top of Tunnel Mountain that was supposed to be quite easy, and which provided a spectacular view of the city from the top, so we headed there. As the others were walking quite slowly, I whipped ahead. I was very glad to have worn my snow boots, with the path extremely muddy and snowy.
The uphill trail proved quite difficult near the top, but the hike was well worth it, being rewarded with magnificent 270 degree view of Banff, including views of both the city and the Fairmont Banff Springs. The Fairmont estate was huge - much bigger than the Chateau at Lake Louise.
The hike down was more difficult than the hike to the top - the black ice made it very slippery in places. At the bottom, Alan and I headed to the nearby Sally Borland Recreation Centre, which was part of the 'Banff Centre', seemingly a corporate University like campus, encompassing theatres, accommodations, and lecture halls. The recreation centre was amazing - a basketball court; indoor running track; squash and badminton facilities; as well as a pool and new weights room. At only $10 for a day pass, Alan and I agreed we would be back the next day to try it out.
Re-joining Amanda and Luke at the bottom of the trail, we headed into the village for lunch. The Japanese restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed, so we ended up at the Chinese restaurant next door. Then it was back to the hotel for a bit of R&R, including watching the Montreal Canadiens (yes, that is the correct spelling!) vs Boston.
A win by the Canadiens had us in fine spirits for an evening out. Amanda and I both dressed up in our Aritzia outfits and headed, along with the boys, to the Irish Pub to watch the Canucks and have dinner. The Canucks were playing in the 7th and final match of their series against Chicago, and it was a must-win match for them to move into the next round of the play-offs.
With the Canucks ahead 1-0 after the first-period, we decided to move onto the Pump and Tap, a local pub recommended by the Aussie maintenance man at the hotel, for a better view of the match. The pub featured 10 flavours of vodka at only $2.99 a drink, and Luke had challenged Amanda to sample them all. Whilst she didn't get through them all (I was extremely lame, only having one drink), we did manage to cheer the Canucks to a 2-1 victory in over-time after some very nail-biting minutes!!
After enjoying the buffet breakfast, which we were happy to find included eggs and waffles, we decided to go for a walk. There was a trail to the top of Tunnel Mountain that was supposed to be quite easy, and which provided a spectacular view of the city from the top, so we headed there. As the others were walking quite slowly, I whipped ahead. I was very glad to have worn my snow boots, with the path extremely muddy and snowy.
The uphill trail proved quite difficult near the top, but the hike was well worth it, being rewarded with magnificent 270 degree view of Banff, including views of both the city and the Fairmont Banff Springs. The Fairmont estate was huge - much bigger than the Chateau at Lake Louise.
A win by the Canadiens had us in fine spirits for an evening out. Amanda and I both dressed up in our Aritzia outfits and headed, along with the boys, to the Irish Pub to watch the Canucks and have dinner. The Canucks were playing in the 7th and final match of their series against Chicago, and it was a must-win match for them to move into the next round of the play-offs.
With the Canucks ahead 1-0 after the first-period, we decided to move onto the Pump and Tap, a local pub recommended by the Aussie maintenance man at the hotel, for a better view of the match. The pub featured 10 flavours of vodka at only $2.99 a drink, and Luke had challenged Amanda to sample them all. Whilst she didn't get through them all (I was extremely lame, only having one drink), we did manage to cheer the Canucks to a 2-1 victory in over-time after some very nail-biting minutes!!
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