Exploring Banff with Brewster Sightseeing

Our Rocky Mountaineer journey is completed, so now we enjoy exploring Banff with Brewster Sightseeing.
Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel sits right in the center of it!

Here, husband Pieter is seen left from the bench at 7:55 AM in the morning. It is nearly impossible to capture this enormous hotel!

Yes, we did rise early as this was our breakfast at 7:08 AM.
At STOCK Food & Drink, I'd ordered Avocado on Toast without salt added.

We got picked up at our Fairmont Banff Springs hotel by coach and started our 4.5 hour guided bus tour.

At 8:54 AM we arrive here at the Gondola Base, but it is raining...

Okay, we will start our 8 minutes trip up on Sulphur Mountain...

It is what it is, the weather is NOT good, no view at 9:09 AM.
We see hardly the Gondola Base to the right of husband Pieter...

Here I am standing at the Summit in front of a nice 'clear' photo of what this Bow Valley should look like from upon high!
Cold too, I'm enjoying my down filled Escada hand muff!
Both our down filled jackets felt great here in Banff!

A strong wind as well and a white world...
Nobody is using the board walk where you can get to Sanson Peak.
Just click here on: Brewster Sightseeing for exploring it all under excellent conditions!

This COULD be viewed on a clear day and you see the board walk.
See more here at Banff Gondola just click it and scroll down.

At 9:20 AM I at least can read why so blue? The brilliant turquoise color of glacial lakes appears due to 'rock flour', or tiny grains of rock ground up by moving glaciers.

Leaving husband Pieter inside at the Summit with a hot coffee, I go outside again.
Very windy and no view!

Husband Pieter captured me outside, after he finished his coffee.
My hair is wildly blowing in the wind and it was COLD!
Oh sure, I enjoyed a hot cup of tea as well; felt great inside my cold hands.
Too bad we completely missed this spectacular 360º view from the top of this Summit. No use for even getting there...

This is where I stand in the snow...

Such a small world...

At 10:09 AM we're back down at the Gondola Base

While we wait for our bus to continue our sight seeing tour, we admire the bearings of the gondola!

My hand on top of such a sturdy steel cable...

At 11:00 AM we're outside near Bow Falls and noticed these spectacular fall colors, even if the light was not good.

Here Pieter is standing at Bow Falls.

This is where Pieter is standing, near the edge of the Bow River and the very rough falls, no rafting possible due to the rocks.

Next stop is #3 - Surprise Corner

The site of our hotel, is in the lower part, center as seen from Surprise Corner.

The driver brings us across the Bow River now where we capture our Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
No mountains visible... Surprise Corner was a very limited view for us!

Across from the Bow River now.

Pieter standing next to the beautiful fence made from bright orange Douglas fir.
Uhm, my husband is not related to Micky Mouse... just one snap on the flap of his hat came loose!

Explanation about DOUGLAS FIR

Even these posts seem to be made of Douglas fir!
Excellent directions though, everything looked so meticulous and clean.

Here we are near the Hoodoos at 11:55 AM.
A unique sight that is as impressive as it is awe-inspiring: hoodoos. Formed from volcanic rock over 200 million years ago, these wonders were created due to erosion, rain, frost, and snow. Legend says that the hoodoos are actually giants that come to life at night to protect the region, but because you will be traveling through the hoodoos during the day, you will never know!

The Hoodoos, seen at center...

At 12:00 noon, the Hoodoos

The beautiful fall colors at the edge of Lake Minnewanka where part of the group got off for a cruise on the lake.

Lake Minnewanka...

That was our 4.5 hour guided bus tour... We only did the Banff Gondola and not the Lake Minnewanka Cruise!
Back to our Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel where for the first time since 5 days, poor Pieter was able to take a nap!
At that time I could work a bit on my MacBook in our cozy room.

By 16:00 it was 4ºC or 39ºF and it will go down to -4ºC or 25ºF

Around 18:00 we enjoyed a cozy early supper... Pieter liked a soup and I know that it would be too high in sodium for me so I ordered something different.

The fluffy puff pastry with arugula and fresh veggies inside proved to be a good choice!
Also my salad was good.

Since they earned a positive review on TripAdvisor, that's what I did.
Excellent for Breakfast and for a Quick Supper! click link.
Their very courteous reply shows that the Fairmont Hotels have the highest courtesy!!!

When I looked out of our window at 19:30 the mountains were almost entirely visible!
We enjoyed our down duvet and the lovely pillows and had a good night sleep for our 2nd night here.
Once again, the special bargains you get when booking through Canada Rail Vacations makes you feel like Royalty! They only select the BEST!

Enjoy below my short 55 second video from Relive:

Relive 'EXPLORE BANFF TOUR INCL GONDOLA'

        

Thanks for your visit and comment and stay tuned for more...

Related links:
Our Kamloops to Banff Trip Aboard the Rocky Mountaineer via Canada Rail Vacation | previous post
Our Canada Rail Vacation Aboard the Rocky Mountaineer Vancouver to Kamloops | previous post
Vancouver British Columbia, Canada in 1996 and back again in 2018 | previous post by me
BANFF GONDOLA - Sulphur Mountain Gondola | Great Youtube video on a clear day!

Fairmont Banff Springs Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia | short Youtube video showing the hotel

Vancouver British Columbia, Canada in 1996 and back again in 2018

A long time dream of us, was to go once back to British Columbia, Canada for sight seeing.

We did work in the Vancouver area, Fraser Valley in 1996.

Driving our rental car from the Vancouver airport to the Sheraton hotel in Surrey we fell in love with the surroundings.

This photo is from June 15, 1996...

The Province of British Columbia, Canada has a very special meaning to both of us.

After all, Pieter's adopted daughter Liz is born there!

Pieter did mail a beautiful card from the snow covered Rockies, to Liz in Horst.

You can read more about her in a previous post, link you find below.

For the 12th North American Mushroom Conference held in Vancouver, husband Pieter got invited as a speaker.

So here we are in July of 1996, back in Vancouver once more!

Staying at the Vancouver Hotel which is now the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

Pieter's lecture went very well and it was even called the Highlight of the Conference!

On the final day, I checked as usual the telephone book for any VandenMunckhof or Vedder names.

No VandenMunckhof here but as usual several Vedder names.

Then I checked for the biological father of Pieter's adopted daughter, his name was Jeurissen...

There was but ONE Jeurissen T and we presumed that would be Tony, her Dad...
See name at bottom above.

Pieter made the call around 6:00 PM and was quite surprised to hear a woman's voice: Thelma... Liz's biological Mother.
She was long presumed dead because all searches through Rotary International and the Red Cross, never yielded any result.

She kept her married name, even after the divorce - just in case any of her 3 kids would ever look for her!

She came to the hotel, by Skytrain and we met.

Here she is holding Pieter's arm, in the lobby of Hotel Vancouver.

Mama Thelma is part Scottish and part First Nation (her Mother's side).

These photos are not the best but still they remain very special memories to both of us!

Biological Mom meets Step–Mom who together with Liz's Dad put her through the Royal Academy.
We talked a lot, over a cup of tea in the restaurant, with some dessert.
For a good ten years we stayed in touch, mostly via phone calls and letters.
Mama Thelma passed away in September of 2006...
All the above text, I've written on her Birthday, October 6 - coincidence?!
~
Recently we did go on September 23, to the Atlanta Airport to spend the night at Hyatt Place Airport North as our plane to Vancouver would be departing at 7:25 AM and for driving from home on a Monday morning with heavy traffic was a no-no.
Now we just got up at 4:00 AM, had some home baked waffles with maple syrup that we had with us and we left with the hotel shuttle from 5:00 AM to the airport.
Via Minneapolis/St. Paul on Delta Airlines, we arrived in Vancouver.
We only had carry on, no checked luggage so it was light and easy traveling.
Just as Mama Thelma had done to come to our hotel in 1996, we too took the Skytrain...
Click on it below to see the 43 second video from the Skytrain ride and our 300 m walk from the Downtown station to our Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

Click on below image for actually viewing our walk.

↓

Relive 'Walk from Skytrain to Fairmont hotel 900 W Georgia St in Vancouver BC Canada'

  

      Here is Pieter standing with his carry on in front of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, just outside of the Skytrain station downtown.
Crossing this street and walking only a total of 300 m.

Here we are! Back again at the very same hotel after 24 years...

The weather in Vancouver was sunny and rather warm!

16ºC or 60.8ºF on Monday, September 24, 2018
We did enjoy a delicious, romantic dinner at Notch8 Restaurant & Bar...
The down pillows and duvet on the bed in room 357 at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver were HEAVEN!

Here I am at 6:30 AM on September 25... in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver where we met with Mama Thelma in July of 1996...
Wearing my Kipling backpack and my hiking boots.

We are checking out - stay tuned for more... to read more about our trip via Canada Rail Vacations.

Related link:

{Our Daughter Liz} | previous post by me