Travelling all the way to Alberta has taken me back to my parent’s living room. These same snow-capped mountains used to grace an entire wall of my childhood home in the 1980s.

My parents have redecorated since then, but the Rockies continue to draw tourists from around the world, including from Quebec. Some come as visitors, and other young people come as seasonal workers. “There used to be a lot more of them,” our taxi driver informs us on the way to the cable car. “Lots of them would party into the wee hours of the morning and then would not show up for work the next day.” Oops.

On the cable car ride up Sulphur Mountain, we watch the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel gradually disappearing into the vast expanse of green. We can spot a few hikers below us. Maya is delighted with the view, while I madly snap photos to drive out thoughts of the catastrophes that could occur as we dangle between heaven and earth…

When we reach the top, we get out and explore. A hiking trail climbs even higher, but there are too many stairs for a stroller, so we decide to stay at the main observation area.

Back at the bottom, we take a dip in the Upper Hot Springs. There are old-fashioned women’s bathing suits (skirts and all) for rent, and I am always keen on playing dress-up. If the suit came any higher, it would be a turtleneck. People give me strange looks when I get into the pool, but a few minutes later, two other women show up in the same attire.

“It’s hot!” complains Maya, who loves swimming. “It’s great!” I reply, happy to have finally found a pool that doesn’t give me hypothermia after five minutes. Open year-round, this site must be especially magical in winter, with Mount Rundle in the background.

We do some shopping in town before boarding the bus. Banff is truly delightful. A place to relax and forget your worries. And with its wealth of winter and summer activities, it is never boring.

***

On paper, exploring Alberta from Calgary to Edmonton in four days seemed like a great idea. But we are proven wrong on the five-hour trip from Banff to Jasper. From my window, I can see dozens of landscapes reminiscent of the one on the wall of my childhood home. Breathtaking panoramas. But despite the incredible landscape, five hours on a bus with an impatient infant is too long. To make matters worse, we arrive in Jasper just after the cable car has closed for the day. Exhausted from trying to convince Maya to have a decent meal (the story of our life), we go to bed without even exploring the area. The next morning at 7 a.m., we’re back on another bus. Our impressions of Jasper? It seems great…

The ride from Jasper to Edmonton is much less scenic, but we are relieved to finally arrive in Edmonton. Although we’ll be catching a plane at 1 a.m., we’ve taken a room at the Fantasyland Hotel in the famous West Edmonton Mall.

The hotel’s 120 theme rooms transport guests to Hollywood, the Victorian era, the Arabian Peninsula, Africa, Rome or Polynesia. Our “Western” room creates just the right mood for the Stampede, which will soon be in full swing in Calgary (from July 4 to 13).

As soon as we enter, Maya jumps onto the “stagecoach” bed. She loves climbing up and down the ladder and finds her reflection in the overhead mirror absolutely hilarious. As our time is short, we have a quick bite at Café Europa (an excellent buffet) and head for Galaxyland. I soon realize that our daughter is in not in the mood for “thrills and spills”. She clings to me when I lift her onto the carousel horse, and cries and calls for her daddy on the little train that winds through the amusement park.

We decide to return to our fabulous hotel room, with its whirlpool bath. Ah, la dolce vita!

A bit of shopping and we’re on the bus to the airport… In just a few hours, we’ll be in the Maritimes.

P.S.: I never did get to see that bear.

For more information:
Travel Alberta: www.travelalberta.com
Banff Lake Louise Tourism: www.banfflakelouise.com
Banff National Park: www.pc.gc.ca
Banff Gondola: www.banffgondola.com
Banff Upper Hot Springs: www.pc.gc.ca
Whistlers Inn, Jasper: www.whistlersinn.com
Fantasyland Hotel: www.fantasylandhotel.com
West Edmonton Mall: www.westedmall.com
Galaxyland: www.westedmall.com
Stampede: cs.calgarystampede.com

We would like to thank Air Canada, the Canadian Tourism Commission, Travel Alberta (especially Maude Laliberté) and the Whistler Inn (Jasper) for making this trip possible.