We were honoured to be invited to attend the wedding of our friends Sam and Becci in Edmonton, smack bang in the middle of Canada, in August 2011. As well as witnessing their big day, it gave us the perfect excuse to explore a country we hadn’t visited before.
Over 11 days we only just scratched the surface of this independent travel in this huge, wonderful country. We fell in love and just want to live there now – but so do thousands of others so it’s near impossible to get a visa. So we’ll stick to London for now.
Edmonton city centre
As well as the wedding itself, highlights included:
Edmonton: catching up with friends including Si, Postie, Krip, Tash and Jimmy from New Zealand who’d travelled over for the wedding, plenty of laughs and partying.
Edmonton: catching up with friends including Si, Postie, Krip, Tash and Jimmy from New Zealand who’d travelled over for the wedding, plenty of laughs and partying.
The drive from Edmonton to Jasper National Park: The gps told us to drive straight for 361kms, and straight it was.
Driving from Jasper to Banff: so many things to see along the way. Even in cold rain, the lakes were an amazing azure and the wildlife abundant. A particular highlight was spotting a bear on the roadside, quite close to our car. Here's a taster.
Banff: An awesome resort town full of great bars and restaurants. Could happily have stayed for weeks. As well as the town atmosphere and excellent hikes close by, the town sports a natural hot spring, so we soaked our cares away there one morning.
Lake Louise (the lake itself, not the town): honestly the most beautiful site, even allowing for favouritism given the name
Rafting down the Kicking Horse river: Ranging from level 1 to level 4 rapids, even getting to jump out and swim (get swept through?) two freezing cold level 3 rapids, with Jimmy and Tash from New Zealand.
Glenbow museum in Calgary: we didn’t have long here which was a shame, it provided an excellent overview of the history of Canada. We were especially interested in its hunting past, given we’d enjoyed an evening of hunting stories and felt the skins of wolves, beaver and mink the night before staying with family friends.
Vancouver: we could see why it’s voted one of the best places to live. Easy to get around and plenty to see. We spent a couple of hours walking through Spencer Park, popped to Granville Island, and generally wandered around to take in the atmosphere.
We did a fair bit of hiking, enjoying the fresh air and unique scenery. Top hikes included Johnston’s canyon to the inkpots just outside of Banff (12 kms); A full day around Lake Louise, including a steep climb to the foot of the glacier, and visits to a couple more lakes on the way (14 kms); and the Grouse Grind with Lou’s relatives in Vancouver, pretty much a 2.9km grind straight up hill. The kids put us to shame with their energy.
Driving from Jasper to Banff: so many things to see along the way. Even in cold rain, the lakes were an amazing azure and the wildlife abundant. A particular highlight was spotting a bear on the roadside, quite close to our car. Here's a taster.
Banff: An awesome resort town full of great bars and restaurants. Could happily have stayed for weeks. As well as the town atmosphere and excellent hikes close by, the town sports a natural hot spring, so we soaked our cares away there one morning.
Lake Louise (the lake itself, not the town): honestly the most beautiful site, even allowing for favouritism given the name
Rafting down the Kicking Horse river: Ranging from level 1 to level 4 rapids, even getting to jump out and swim (get swept through?) two freezing cold level 3 rapids, with Jimmy and Tash from New Zealand.
Glenbow museum in Calgary: we didn’t have long here which was a shame, it provided an excellent overview of the history of Canada. We were especially interested in its hunting past, given we’d enjoyed an evening of hunting stories and felt the skins of wolves, beaver and mink the night before staying with family friends.
Vancouver: we could see why it’s voted one of the best places to live. Easy to get around and plenty to see. We spent a couple of hours walking through Spencer Park, popped to Granville Island, and generally wandered around to take in the atmosphere.
We did a fair bit of hiking, enjoying the fresh air and unique scenery. Top hikes included Johnston’s canyon to the inkpots just outside of Banff (12 kms); A full day around Lake Louise, including a steep climb to the foot of the glacier, and visits to a couple more lakes on the way (14 kms); and the Grouse Grind with Lou’s relatives in Vancouver, pretty much a 2.9km grind straight up hill. The kids put us to shame with their energy.
On top of the world after tackling the Grouse Grind
Most memorable eating and drinking experiences include:
Dadeo diner and bar in Edmonton: a retro feel with great southern style food
Saltlik in Banff: amazing steaks
Magpie and Stump in Banff: drink out of jars and throw your peanut shells on the floor
Cactus Club Cafe in Vancouver: delicious food, great service, funky vibe in the centre of town.
Canada: we will be back!
The incredible Lake Louise
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