Canada: Of Nature and Serenity.

Where the Rockies and the Prairies meet.

  At home, the summer can be the hardest on me. Everything's a frustration, the pressure of exams and assignments gets to me and all I can do is wait for them to end so I can run away to some strange, new place with exciting experiences. I don't really mind staying home during summers, but there's an unusual thrill to travelling that I have never wanted to miss. Spending 7 weeks in West Canada was the most unique, most elaborate vacation of my life, one that I relive and reminisce only too often.

Met this adorable little guy at a pet shop.
His name was Vegas!

Nothing spells summer like fresh berries.

CALGARY

  This experience was so different because I travelled alone for the first time, and it was a pretty big event for me. Before every splendid vacation there are too many things to be taken care of, extensive paperwork, filling forms at the airport, security checks and waiting. After this of course, comes really long flights followed by transit and as for me, I had a delayed flight from Montreal to Calgary. It can get lonely, airports are confusing, luggage is so hard to handle! After you get through all that there's probably jet lag, and the best way to overcome that is to get a night's sleep and not drag it through the day. When I got to Calgary I still saw broad daylight at 10:00 pm and the sun was slowly inching towards the western horizon. My uncle, aunt and little cousin were waiting for me at the arrivals and I then found out that the sun sets only after ten during the summer.

My uncle drove me to a high point to get this Downtown Riverfront view of Calgary!

  I spent the next few days in my uncle's neighbourhood taking long walks on my own, sometimes going to the park and meeting some adorable dogs. I'd take out my uncle's bicycle every night after dinner and go for a long ride. Having dinner felt like a second lunch because the sun would still be out, and I'd wake up so late to only begin my day with brunch. I'd go shopping downtown, eat some local food, explore local architecture and spend the evenings playing with my cousin in the backyard. It was Calgary Stampede season when I was here, and every store was on discount! Yes, I went to Tim Hortons a LOT. I was there for doughnuts, double-double coffees are the worst.

Peace Bridge in Downtown Calgary (Prince's Island Park)

ELBOW FALLS

   An important detail that I haven't mentioned is the view from my uncle's house, the Rocky Mountains (only about 65-70 km from the city). The mountains lower as they move closer to the city, and the Elbow River flows into Calgary. The city life, shopping and restaurants can never compare to the jackpots of nature that I hit within the next few weeks. The first was a drive to Elbow Falls followed by an outdoorsy lunch, a small distance from home. We usually packed our lunch, drinks and snacks to take with us for little picnics. This is almost every family's tradition and they just love soaking up the true zeal of the outdoors.

Elbow Falls

  I have a heartfelt appreciation for the Canadians, they must be the nicest people on the planet. They're so nice to people, they're so nice to animals. They truly understand the value of nature and wildlife, they have the utmost respect to maintain the best essence of it. Sometimes moose, elk and grizzly bears come to the outskirts of the cities closer to the mountains. The locals know best not to harm the animal and the situation is always handled efficiently. Canada is known to have 20% of the world's freshwater. How can a country be so rich in everything and also have the best people?

BANFF NATIONAL PARK

  Speaking of wildlife and water, Banff is an otherworldly sight that two eyes cannot possibly imbibe with such intensity. The feeling of oneness with nature is unfathomable, I've never spent this much time in the midst of mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers and I felt as though the clouds were just off my reach, the colours playing with my mind. We took a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain (8041 ft.) and also happened to get caught in some quick rain!

On top of Sulphur Mountain

  This is what many Canadians and Americans do for a family/solo break after maintaining a hard lifestyle too long. It could be a prolonged getaway or just a Sunday hike. I guess living close to the mountains is the ultimate boon, fresh air, cool water and clear skies. Don't forget the best possible, freshly farmed local produce! Not only do they have Banff, but the entire Rocky range is full of nature destinations and the distance is never a hurdle. Some bring their trailers ready for a halt at a good campsite and the options are plenty. Upon arriving at Lake Minnewanka, I realised that the drive is absolutely worth it, no matter how long. Although I don't have so much to say about Banff, a few pictures here will sum it up for you.

Minnewanka Lake

Hoodoos

A View from Sulphur Mountain

WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK

  Every weekend called for a nature trip and Alberta is BLESSED with topography. Waterton, a little town close to the Canadian-American border is home to the Prairies, the Rockies and a massive lake that divides the two countries (Alberta in Canada and Montana in the US).

The Prince of Wales Hotel

  We climbed atop the Bear Hump Trail - the view was beyond wallpaper-worthy. An old heritage hotel stands at the lakeshore, a popular location for weddings and movies. Since the lakes and rivers are glacial, the water is always freezing cold. A tiring summer hike only calls for a reward of dipping your feet in the 3-degree water.

Mountain top view of Upper Waterton Lake

  Two other must-see spots at Waterton would be the Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Falls. We were lucky to spot an adorable bear cub on our way and it crossed the road three times in front of us, all cars patiently parked and waiting for it to return to safety.

Red Rock Canyon

Cameron Falls

DRUMHELLER

  Drumheller is an archaeological and geological site along the Red Deer River belt where a lot of dinosaur remains have been found, now a town famous for its Dinosaur Museum. It was Canada Day when we drove here and the locals flaunted their patriotic attire. We walked on a suspended bridge, took our car across the river by ferry, the little touristy things.

Wild squirrels are in plenty in Drumheller due to picnickers having lunch near the museum.

  The Horsethief Canyon is always super windy, no matter which season it is! You can get down to the canyon and walk as far as you like and so did we, for a little while.

Horsethief Canyon

JASPER NATIONAL PARK

  Jasper National Park is a haven for wildlife and the epitome of simple, natural untouched beauty - isolated of human beings. Like I said, the people who come here are so ecologically aware that you won't find the smallest piece of junk anywhere.

  The many lakes in Jasper are known for their unique colours and clarity. You can see the rocks at the bottom if you just peek into any lake. Lake Louise is green - with the lovely Fairmont Hotel on its side, and Lake Moraine is a basin of ten mountains that supply its deep blue water. All the mountain tops turn red at sunrise and sunset, if you catch the sight at the right time.

Moraine Lake

  Jasper has just the minimum civilisation to keep the local tourism industry running, consisting of a few souvenir shops, restaurants, basic shopping and mostly house owners who are now hosts of converted homestays. There will be no further development in Jasper so as to preserve the natural resources. We stayed at a home owned by a Canadian-Italian lady named Maria.

Lake Louise

  We saw hundreds of elk (natively Wapiti, we got very close to one) and a few grizzly bears, a common sight in the Canadian wild. While driving uphill we spotted mountain goats, marmots, round-horn sheep and other minor varieties of deer. It's extremely rare, but if you get lucky you could probably see coyotes or wolves up here. My grandmother and I took the skywalk and it was such a thrill walking amidst the mountains, a direct view of the Athabasca Glacier!

Wapiti grazing by a lake

  After a tiring day exploring lakes, waterfalls and a rafting session down the Athabasca River, we took a dip in the Miette Hot Springs while the sky went red in anticipation of the sunset. 

Mount Edith Cavell

VANCOUVER

  I had my tickets booked for a bus to Vancouver on 23rd June, and my parents were quite apprehensive about my having to travel alone for over 10-12 hours in a foreign country. They kept insisting that I fly down but I wanted to get the feel of travelling without the crowded airports and planes, and I didn't want to miss a journey through the mountains. My parents agreed and when the day came, I was prepared to board the bus at 6:30 am. My uncle dropped me off, my aunt had packed me some snacks, cherries and chapathis so that I wouldn't have a hard time finding food, you know how amazingly good Indians are with their hospitality, no matter where in the world. I was delighted that I got a window seat and I could enjoy the ride through Banff and Jasper all over again, mountains and everything in sight. We stopped at a Tim Hortons on a mountain highway (AMAZING view) so I got a doughnut and a coffee. Ah, bliss.

  By 9:30 pm, I finally made it to Vancouver! The next ten days were made so special by my cousin and his wife - we went to every touristy spot, roamed downtown streets, had some amazing local beer and food amongst other things.

Private boats along the Vancouver coast

A sunset scene from the edge of Vancouver with parked seaplanes

  We rented bicycles one Saturday and rode through Stanley Park - the largest park in North America, with a direct view of the cool blue Pacific waters. Stanley Park is home to the Vancouver Aquarium where you feel absolutely surrounded by these freely floating, colourful creatures. There are also sea otters, penguins, sharks and whales that are looked after with utmost care. Vancouver was also hosting an international fireworks festival around this time, and like most locals we went to the beach at night to watch it!

Stanley Park and Vancouver Aquarium

A Summer Ride Through Stanley Park

  If in Vancouver, you must go to Granville Island just off the coast (a quick ferry ride). This is a farmers' market where you can find the best produce, baked items, meat, stationery and pretty much anything. My sister-in-law and I took a little evening out and had a tasting of 9 beers at the Granville Island Brewing Company. There was also a shop here that exclusively sold fancy, decorative brooms!

Granville Island Brewing Co. Beer Tasting Map

GROUSE MOUNTAIN, CAPILANO RIVER

  We took on the Grouse Grind, the world's most hiked trail. I had no practice of climbing or hiking and I just struggled to catch my breath through the entire climb, but finally made it through. We walked about 15-16000 steps that day. Phew! Although so tiring, the satisfaction of finishing the climb is just divine.

A totally apt signboard at the top of the Grouse Grind! My legs were exhausted, but happy.

  After a sumptuous lunch at the top of Grouse Mountain with a view of Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean, we made a stop at the Capilano Suspension Bridge - a lengthy 140m, and 70m above the Capilano River. This beautiful, shaky yet amazingly steady bridge is surrounded by pine trees and a special tourist park.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

SEATTLE

  After this strenuous Friday we spent the weekend in Seattle, just 3 hours from Vancouver. It was complete with a visit to Pike Place Market (the first ever Starbucks opened here), eating that delicious English Clam Chowder and touring downtown Seattle with our doggy friend Leo. Also a dinner at Din Tai Fung - my cousin's favourite and a dinner at The Cheesecake factory, because cheesecake!

Pike Place Market is so welcoming!

Leo the Golden Retriever

  You know when you have experiences so great that for a moment, you feel like you've seen everything? What make them worthwhile are the people you experience them with, the food, weather, views, maybe just the satisfaction of a simple sabbatical. There are innumerable reasons why this was such a unique time of my life, and I love everyone who made it so special for me.

  A little thank you note to the wonderful people who hosted me during my time in Canada - Sachin and Nammu, Kartik and Pranita. Pratik, thank you for the time in Seattle!

Love, Raveena.