Friday 27th September
Today we got up at about 8 a.m. and re-packed for our departure from the King Edward Hotel. We finished the peaches and made some coffee. Then we left to make for the Banff Upper Hot Springs. Here we could bathe in the OOT volcanic sulfurous water. The baths are not far away and we soon parked in the car park and paid for the session as well as a ticket for the cave and hot springs further up the mountain.
We changed into bathing costumes, showered and went out into the cold air and were soon in the water which was 39 deg C or 102 deg F. This felt really comfortable but there were cautions not to spend too long in the water without coming out and cooling off. 10 minutes was reckoned to be the maximum. The water was about 1.4 m deep so about 5 feet at its deepest and there were shallower areas and places to lie and sit and enjoy the waters.
After spending about 20 or 30 minutes in the pool we got out and showered and dressed. We then left for the other cave and springs which were not available for bathing. On the way there, MAC discovered that she had mislaid her watch and so we returned to see if anyone had found it but although she left all her details with reception, no one had found it yet so we expect that it will turn up some time in one of her many bags.
We returned to our trip to the Banff Cave and Springs which consist of a cave with a hot spring feeding into it. This had been a large spa in the old days and had been very popular but the area kept failing the health standards and the pool had to be closed down in 1976. There were many photos of the old pool which was crowded with swimmers and there were swimming galas held there.
Inside the old house which held the changing rooms, etc, there was an interesting exhibition about the development of the area and the conservation which goes on within the parks system. This is excellent work but does not always accord with the wishes of the indigenous peoples who lived here before the ‘outsiders’ came and exploited the area for money. We made a statement about the environment, had a photo taken which we were able to place on a wall.
This may be only a gesture but it is better than not making any comment.
Leaving the cave, we proceeded to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. This is another grand old hotel started by CP Rail. It is an enormous ‘pile’ built of brick and stone and surrounded by gardens. The lobby is a huge vaulted area and all the corridors and rooms are on a grand scale. We had lunch in the Vermillion Restaurant which was pleasant if the service was a little slow. They apologized for this as they had a large coach tour, of Chinese tourists arrive just after us and the kitchen was rather busy. Nevertheless, the meal was very enjoyable and our waitress Bridget was very accommodating.
We checked out the rest of the lower parts of the hotel as well as the small museum section. Then we purchased a few items at the deli which is at the end of the lobby.
Our visit to the Fairmont Banff Springs complete, we collected the car from the car park to find out that although we had paid in advance, there was no one to check our ticket so we could have just not paid at all!!
Then it was on the road to Calgary our last stop on this western swing around BC and Alberta. We soon joined the trans-Canada Highway and started on the 132km trip to Calgary. The trip was punctuated by some quite heavy snow flurries which made visibility a bit challenging in places but the road is wide, the traffic light so we made good time and arrived at the AirBnB where we were staying on SW 13th Avenue in late afternoon.
We were soon inside and introduced to our host who told us she was from Iran but had been here for nearly 15 years first as a PhD student and then working at the University. She also introduced us to her very handsome cat called ‘Cadeau’ ( the cat was a Christmas gift). The apartment is very comfortable and has good views of the city from the 11th floor.
We changed into bathing costumes, showered and went out into the cold air and were soon in the water which was 39 deg C or 102 deg F. This felt really comfortable but there were cautions not to spend too long in the water without coming out and cooling off. 10 minutes was reckoned to be the maximum. The water was about 1.4 m deep so about 5 feet at its deepest and there were shallower areas and places to lie and sit and enjoy the waters.
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| MAC enjoys 'the waters' |
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| Banff Springs Upper Pool |
We returned to our trip to the Banff Cave and Springs which consist of a cave with a hot spring feeding into it. This had been a large spa in the old days and had been very popular but the area kept failing the health standards and the pool had to be closed down in 1976. There were many photos of the old pool which was crowded with swimmers and there were swimming galas held there.
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| The 'old' hot springs at Banff |
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| Our contributions |
Leaving the cave, we proceeded to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. This is another grand old hotel started by CP Rail. It is an enormous ‘pile’ built of brick and stone and surrounded by gardens. The lobby is a huge vaulted area and all the corridors and rooms are on a grand scale. We had lunch in the Vermillion Restaurant which was pleasant if the service was a little slow. They apologized for this as they had a large coach tour, of Chinese tourists arrive just after us and the kitchen was rather busy. Nevertheless, the meal was very enjoyable and our waitress Bridget was very accommodating.
We checked out the rest of the lower parts of the hotel as well as the small museum section. Then we purchased a few items at the deli which is at the end of the lobby.
Our visit to the Fairmont Banff Springs complete, we collected the car from the car park to find out that although we had paid in advance, there was no one to check our ticket so we could have just not paid at all!!
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| The Banff Springs Hotel |
We were soon inside and introduced to our host who told us she was from Iran but had been here for nearly 15 years first as a PhD student and then working at the University. She also introduced us to her very handsome cat called ‘Cadeau’ ( the cat was a Christmas gift). The apartment is very comfortable and has good views of the city from the 11th floor.
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| The handsome 'Cadeau' |
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