











































After seeing stunning photos of the turquoise waters of Lake Louise, a lake fed by the Victoria Glacier in the Canadian Rockies, AND seeing that you can ice skate on it during the winter, we were SOLD. Flying from the east coast to Alberta, Canada only took two flights and then a two hour drive from Calgary into Banff National Park...easy...except that we weren't expecting the darkness to hit as early as it did (the Rockies are massive and the sun sets behind them) and be hit with big, fluffy, view-blinding snow while driving. However, to be at the hotel, covered in snow and decorated for Christmas with holiday music and watch the cleaning of the famous lake over the week was so worth it- it was a surprise we came home. Our week was spent at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise with regular visits to the nearby Fairmont Banff Springs hotel for their indoor mineral pools, outdoor hot tub (view the Rockies while its snowing on you) and billiard tables.
Alberta's Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is beautiful, with so much snow it is a dream. Unfortunately for us, an 'extreme weather' snap came through the day after our arrival and it was too cold to do much of anything outdoors- soda and water would freeze within minutes, and it was even too cold to ice skate (the skate's blade requires the ice to melt in order to glide over it). To make do we enjoyed several short walks (including Jameson's first time on a frozen lake!) and made daily use of the hotel's spa amenities.
Bonus: A Tesla spotted in oil country!