Canada – Alberta – Lake Louise

2019 JULY 7 —

I am going to be perfectly honest at this point. Ed and I had decided that we wanted to show our new sister-in-law a small bit of our beautiful province as well as give her a bit of history. The loop into BC was just an added treat. Throughout the trip Allan kept complaining that his feet hurt and that he was tired. He hurried through all the museums so he could find a place to sit down. Rather than letting him sit alone, Bella would join him. She missed so much history about her new country. Every time we suggested a site, he commented that he had already seen it. The point of this trip was to show Bella the sights. He was more interested in getting back to Calgary. The final straw was when we got to Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is a glacial lake situated 1,750 m (5,740 ft) above sea level. It is a small lake, only 2 km long and a half km wide (1.2 by .31 miles) but it is 70 metres (230 ft) deep. The water is a turquoise colour due to the rock flour from the glacier that feeds it. No motor boats are allowed on the lake, but canoes, kayaks and paddle boards are welcome. And if you are brave enough to challenge the cold water, you can swim.

Chateau Lake Louise was built in 1913 by the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) as a vacation destination to lure wealthy travellers west on the new rail lines. It is a sister hotel to the famous Banff Springs Hotel. It is an elegant building that truly deserves the name Chateau. It was originally built as a summer hotel and was only winterized in 1982. One wing burned in 1924 but was replaced a year later. A new, modern wing was opened in 2004. The Chateau is not open to tourists. Registered guests only please. Rooms run around $1000 a night.

Bella had commented that even in the Philippines they had heard of Lake Louise. It was high on the bucket list of places to see. (I’ve been there many times and it is still the place to see!) Allan had taken Bella there last summer on their way back from Vancouver, when she flew in from Manila. He said they drove all the way to the top of the mountain only to be turned around because there was no parking. They did go back in the winter, however. Lake Louise looks different in every season. There is a reason why there is no parking in the summer – it is gorgeous!!

We decided we to go up anyway. The entire drive up had Allan complaining that it was probably a waste of time and that we would just be sent back down. Ed got a bit frustrated with his twin brother. When we were approaching the Chateau Lake Louise, Ed told Bella and I to get ready to jump out of the car at the next stop and to call when we were ready to be picked up. He and Allan would head back down to the village and wait.

When we were forced to stop, yet again, due to traffic Bella and I jumped out of the car and headed toward the lake. She was gobsmacked by the beauty. She wanted so many pictures taken of herself with the lake and glacier in the background it was kind of cute. There was a young woman taking selfies, reviewing her self portrait, and taking more selfies while hogging the best photo spot. Shy Bella finally asked her to move aside. LOL

We were walking along the lake path and I was pointing out that there is a walking trail that will take you to the other side of the lake. A lady said there is a tea house on the upper trail where you can have a different vantage point of the lake and Chateau. I did not know that. Just then my phone rang. It was Ed. Where were we? They had found a parking spot and came to join us.

When the Parks people saw Bella and I get out of the car they made Ed buy a day pass for the Park. Apparently if you leave the highway you have to buy a pass. We didn’t know that, but it wasn’t expensive so it didn’t matter. As he was being directed back down the mountain, with the new Park pass stuck to the windshield, he motioned toward a parking area. The Park Ranger shrugged his shoulders and let Ed into the parking lot. Ed found a spot, much to the chagrin of his twin brother. Ed has magic parking powers and always seems to find rock-star parking.

We took a few more pictures then began our return trip to Calgary. We made a stop in Canmore for lunch. Bella wasn’t too hungry so she just ordered appetizers. They were huge. We teased her about always ordering the smallest thing on the menu and getting a platter bigger than the rest of us.

All in all, we had a great time. Yes, we had seen all the sights before, but it was fun to watch Bella’s reaction to them. I can’t wait to find a new adventure with my new sister-in-law!