Dog Islands

 Hanging out in the Dog Islands that are in Hebron Fjord watching some very interesting lenticular clouds.  The puffy, pancake-like layers are formed when wind flows across obstacles such as mountains.  The saucer-like shape often causes them to be mistaken for UFOs. 

There is a beach landing this afternoon to a former mission but we're going to skip that and enjoy the  beautiful weather and stay on deck.   It's reached 17°C. 

Tonight we have a loyalty party with other Seabourn Club members at 5:15 and we'll be having dinner at 7 PM with one of the submarine pilots.  Yes, this ship has a submarine. It hasn't been used yet on this itinerary since the Canadian government has not allowed Seabourn to launch it.  We got to tour the "garage" where they house it and take a peek inside on a prior cruise. 

Lake Louise

Today we had an excursion that took us all around Banff!! We got picked up at the Fairmont at 9:30 and were on our way on a small minibus. There were only a total of seven guests plus our driver/guide Robbie. We met two very nice couples from the UK. After talking to them, we quickly learned they would be joining us on part of our upcoming adventures. No spoilers. More to come on that later.  

 We first stopped at Two Jack Lake which has an amazing view. 

Then we went out to Lake Louise. It still had quite a thick layer of ice since it is the highest point within Canada. Did you know that Lake Louise is named for the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria? That's fitting since its backdrop is Mount Victoria. In the summertime the lake is known for its turquoise blue water. The color comes from the glacial flour since the lake is fed by a glacier. It's also much more crowded in the summer. While we didn't get to see the beautiful colors, I was glad to avoid the massive crowds. We walked a good distance around the lake through halfway melted snow and slush and got close to a frozen waterfall.   

After Lake Louise we had our lunch just outside the lake. There were several spots to pick from. We ordered The Gobbler which was a turkey sandwich on Focaccia with cranberry, red onion and honey mustard. We also had a Cajun chicken Caesar wrap. It had been awhile since we had a sandwich (they aren't really a thing in Japan). They both tasted really good. Also tried some chocolate banana bread which was a good balance of the two flavors . And we heard from Kyle that KitKat bars in Canada aee so much better than the equivalent in United States. And he was correct!! The chocolate was more flavorful and there is a better ratio to the wafer. 

Then it was time to head to Kicking Horse River Valley. This had a beautiful and large glacial fed river that led to a larger area. Even though it looks like it's a lot of water now, when the melting really starts in about a month, it will be a gushing river and the level will be more than two times higher.  

We then headed to an overlook which was high above on a mountain. You had such a great view of Banff. And if you look closely, you can see our hotel the Fairmont Banff Springs sitting between two mountains.

 Spectacular view!! We were also joined by some Bighorn sheep who were drinking muddy water from a large puddle.

 I think we all know that a collective of sheep is a flock. Trivia time: What is a collective of owls called? Answer below.   

After this Robbie brought us back to downtown Banff where we went for some dinner at Park Distillery. We tried G&T's which were very good with their house made gin. Must have something to do with the water. We also has chicken sandwiches and Caesar salads. All very good. Then we walked back to the hotel. We may check out one of the other hotel bars tonight "for science".  

Tomorrow we have a full day of activities at the hotel starting at 11 AM with a history tour. Then at 12:30, we have a hike. And at 6 PM there is a crafting activity.  

A collective of owls is referred to as a parliament.

Banff, Alberta, Canada

Today we arrived in Banff!! It was about a ninety minute car ride from our Airbnb in Calgary. We hired a driver. We're staying at the Fairmont in Banff Springs. Such a beautiful and large hotel. 

I think it has seven restaurants plus numerous bars. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived at 11:30 so we walked to the downtown area. It was about fifteen minutes and we found Banff Ave Brewing. There was a restaurant called The Lodge which was next door and they served their beers. They had a great looking menu. We shared a beet salad and also a Detroit Style Pizza called The Gatherer.  

The beet salad was the best one I have ever had. Three kinds of beets (red, yellow and pink) which were on top of a deliciously tart yogurt sauce with feta. But what made it great was the crispy kale. It was just the right accompaniment to the beets. Gave the salad some crunch and texture.  

The pizza was also very good. How can you go wrong with mushroom ragu and parmesan cream? Such a great combination. And the crust was similar to focaccia. Doughy and pillowy at the same time. And the bottom crust and the corners had some wonderful crispy cheese bits. I had only had Detroit style pizza one other time and it was from Pizza Hut. I'll guess that this one was more authentic. 

After lunch we walked around the downtown area and found the hotel we'll be staying in on Tuesday night. We also found the office where we will check in on Tuesday for the next part of this adventure. No spoilers. We also found the Three Bears Brewery and tried a couple of their beers. We got a text that our room was ready so we walked back to the hotel and found our room. They had upgraded us to a mountain view room!!

 We then got ready to head to the pool they have both an indoor and outdoor pool. The outdoor one is heated to 32°!! I imagine it is nice on chilly evenings.  

We then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. We were eating at the Waldhaus tonight which is one of the hotel restaurants. This had a Swiss/German style menu. It reminded me of when we were in Zurich last year. 

We weren't exactly sure how to get there so we took the hotel shuttle - actually a golf cart. We ordered a cheese fondue to share and both ordered the veal schnitzel. The cheese fondue was so tasty, especially with the Emmental cheese. It was served with bread cubes, granny Smith apple wedges, baby onions and gherkins.   

The schnitzel was well breaded and fried, although a bit too dry. It was served with a lemon wedge, warm German potato salad and braised red cabbage. It also came with a delicious traditional mushroom gravy. The sauce really made a difference once you had squeezed some lemon on top and then dipped the schnitzel in the gravy. 

After dinner we headed to the Waldhaus Pub which was downstairs. We tried the Okanagan cider and a Rodenbach Sour. 

Both very good. We had a really nice conversation with the bartender Joe. He is from the Netherlands and came to Banff about 32 years ago. He had some great stories. We then headed back to the hotel up about 100 steps!! Maybe next time, we'll take the shuttle back. 

Tomorrow we have an eight hour excursion to visit Lake Louise and the ice fields. It is a small group excursion of a maximum of fifteen people. We'll be picked up by 9:30 AM.

Calgary

 April 24, 2023

Our flight to SFO was delayed so we had some time to explore the Haneda airport. It's huge! Our terminal had a mall and several restaurants. It was fun to explore until our check in was available about 2 1/2 hours before departure. We checked in and got access to the ANA lounge because we were flying United Polaris. the lounge was decent, but getting very busy by the time we left. We had a great flight to SFO. We were very happy when we landed to find out United had found us another way to get to Calgary since we missed our connection due to the delay. We spent an hour in the Centurion lounge at SFO and then flew to Vancouver and then onto Calgary. We arrived in Calgary about 6 hours later than originally planned, but happy to be there. We checked in the AirBnb and tried to get some sleep. 

April 25, 2023 

I worked most of the day. Glenn got us lunch and when grocery shopping. We watched some Netflix (Dead to Me) and headed to bed. 

April 26, 2023 

Another work day. At night though, we had dinner plans with Kyle and Laura. We met Kyle in 2019 at a resort. We went Rouge. 

4.21.18 Hurtigruten Cruise on MS Fram with Bethany

I was offered a chance to take a Canada/New England cruise with Hurtigruten on the MS Fram. Since Glenn had to work, my college roommate Bethany stepped up to the plate to join me on the journey. 

The highlight was definitely our time in port. We arrived a day early to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our tour guide, Jay White, picked us up at the airport and we headed off toward the Bay of Fundy. We visited Grand Pre and a winery along the way. The big deal about the Bay of Fundy is the tides. The tide has reached a 55 feet differential in some places. Whole harbors go dry at low tide. 

That night we had dinner at a restaurant close by - Salty's where we had an incredible lobster chowder. Bethany pulled out a whole lobster tail from her bowl at one point. 

Sunday, we got up and headed to the Citadel. It was closed for the season, but the ground were open for a walk around. 

Then we headed down to the beautiful waterfront for a walk, terrific crepes at the Farmer's Market, a beer sampling and a stop at the Maritime Museum on our way to back to the hotel. Oh! And Bethany left a trail of sprinkles all over the market from her dessert. But it was okay because, in her words, "Sprinkles make people happy."