To kick off our long-awaited trip to Western Canada, delayed due to Covid, we started with a city tour of Calgary which included visiting the Olympic Park and the stadium that hosts the Annual Rodeo Stampede. The fastest route to Banff was via Highway 1 - this took about 1.5 hours with ever changing scenery along the way! Here we are in the Banff National Park with the Two Jack Lake behind us. Banff is a bustling Town which is surrounded by towering Mountains which helps it to retain the feel of a village! It really does offer something for everyone!
Whilst staying in Banff, you can’t help but be impressed with the scenery that surrounds the Town - it’s stunning! We took a Gondola/Car up the Sulphur Mountain which reaches 2500 m high to enjoy the view across the Banff National Park.
Fir trees cover the mountains and reflect on the Bow River below, which passes through the town. Banff offers many activities both in the summer and the winter, restaurants galore and an abundance of shops. Without a doubt, it is worth a visit!
Today was spent visiting Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefield - Both offering breath-taking scenery! Lake Louise is watched over by the iconic Fairmont Chateaux Lake Louise Hotel with unrivalled views of the lake and surrounding mountains - it was difficult to leave!
A massive Ice Explorer vehicle takes you to the Athabascan Glacier - the most visited Glacier on the North American Continent. Because of climate change, unfortunately the glacier has been slowly melting for the last 25 years!
Boarding the iconic Rocky Mountaineer in Banff, we followed the ‘First Passage to the West Itinerary’ their flagship route which did not disappoint! As your journey unfolds, you travel along an emerald green, glacier-fed rivers and lakes, taking in the spectacular scenery.
Highlights include the Spiral Tunnels & Stoney Creek Bridge both of which are engineering masterpieces. The service on board is excellent as is the food and drinks menu! Slowing down occasionally to let the freight trains through this makes for a rail journey of a lifetime, which I am glad I did not miss!
Arriving in Vancouver today we had a whistle stop tour of the sights of this City, including Gastown, Chinatown and the lovely Stanley Park.
Following this, we then caught the Ferry across to Vancouver Island which took approximately 90 minutes and continued with sightseeing around Victoria. I really liked this area of Vancouver, especially the famous Butchart Gardens and Bastion Square where you will find an abundance of Bars & Restaurants and shops. For me, I could have spent a few more days exploring Victoria as it has a really nice vibe to it!
After saying goodbye to Canada for a week we finally boarded the Holland America Zuiderdam for our 7-night Inside Passage Alaskan Cruise. This cruise ship holds just over 1900 passengers and my Inside Cabin was very comfortable. With a great variety of restaurants on board, you certainly won’t go hungry!
On sea days there are activities starting every half an hour, ranging from tai chi or learning how to line dance or ballroom dance! But if this it too energetic for you, then you could go to one of the many lectures instead or take a visit to the Spa! The list of activities is endless! I am looking forward to our first stop tomorrow which is at Juneau - the capital city of the state of Alaska!
Aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam, we have arrived at our first Port of Call - Juneau - the Capital of Alaska! Juneau is unreachable by road, if you want to visit you will have to either come in by seaplane, Ferry or Cruise Ship. Steeped in history it is a great place to visit to see wildlife, take walks or take the Cable car up the mountain for a fantastic view of the area. The highlight for me was going on a local boat trip and seeing a Humpback Whale and sea lions - something I will never forget!
Yesterday we spent the day looking around the town of Skagway. This town has a colourful past and was made famous for the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. It still has buildings dating back to that era making you feel you have walked into a Western movie!
It offers plenty of excursions- ranging from Yukon Dog Sledding or Zip Line Adventures - not to mention searching and panning for Gold! A great place to visit on our Alaskan adventure!
Today is all about Glaciers! We travelled through Glacier Bay where we reached our destination- Johns Hopkins Glacier. One of 7 tidewater glaciers this is one of the most photographed areas in Alaska.
A spectacular sight that is both beautiful and eery with the occasional crash as chunks of ice fall into the water. The National Park Service limits the number of vessels during the summer months to 2 Cruise Ships each day. I’m totally in awe of this magical place - the photos don’t do it justice!
Our last port of call in Alaska was Ketchikan, before we returned to Canada I opted to do an excursion to see the Black bears at the nearby Rainforest Sanctuary and it did not disappoint! We watched bears feasting on salmon, from an elevated wooden Boardwalk in the Forest and baby bears climb trees while their mother went off to feed. It was well worth the money!
Ketchikan’s Creek Street is also worth visiting where you can watch the salmon run or alternatively try the local Lumberjack Show which I understand was very entertaining!
