International Hotel of Calgary

... After dinner I went back to my room, which I still had all to myself, and watched ‘Packed to the Rafters’ which I’d downloaded that morning. Then spoke to Bray on the phone and tried to get Skype working properly but it kept dropping out, stupid thing. It was very frustrating.

Today I had to check out and now I’m carrying so much stuff with me, my backpack is really heavy. I’m not leaving for Lake Louise until about 3pm though so I’ll get the bus ...

... s house and a welcoming bed.

A quick trip to Elbow Falls on Friday was great fun and we almost got soaked in a storm but managed to get back to the car and watch the lightening on the way home. Just about the point where the foothills turn into the Rockies only 45 minutes from Calgary, its a small set of water falls not far from Bragg Creek.

June is the high water month, when the melting snow pack in the ...

... are generally cheaper than hotels and have all the comforts of home. The problem is most are rented by the owner or an agency and don't have the peace of mind of renting a hotel room. Then I found www.tripadvisor.com. It has been an invaluable resource to me. Several people on that site and other similar forums have raved about www.parisbestlodge.com and the owner Thierry. I found a cute little centrally located apartment in ...

... and however much I wish I could - I can't fly or create balls of fire with which to vanquish my mortal enemies. What a shame. (Refer to my previous entry "Intertwining Insights" for more details of the last leg of the trip or just to refresh your memory if need be.) I wrote, Dec 3rd - Barry's Bay: I've had so much time out here. So much time to hear the wind rustling the leaves, the bumblebees flying nearby; to see the ...

... most difficult part of the trail. As in life, the most difficult part of our Journey is usually at the end before we get our rewards. Just because I couldn't see the amazing view of the valley below didn't mean that it wasn't there. How often in life do we not see what amazing things lay ahead? We are often too busy seeing the clouds and worrying about the little things that we forget to look at the big picture. We often quit too soon ...

Hey, don't fault us for loving great food and wine and least of all, beautiful things! Really, one of the biggest goals of our trip is to experience the real Italy. Yes, we plan to do the "touristy" which includes the museums and sites but mostly we will seek the out of the way places where we can experience how the local Italians live. We aren't staying at hotels for ...

... so we relaxed, caught up on blogs and emails, did washing, looked after Caris while Geoff went to a meeting, and then when the kids got back from school, everyone had a great time playing together - Geoff even added new stairs to his outdoor deck - before we took everyone out to dinner at The Keg Steakhouse. We had dined at one of these in Banff and again it was a very impressive meal, with great steaks and excellent deals ...

... Montana, and Malad City, Idaho. That first day we drove through part of Alberta, the states: Montana, Idaho and partway through Utah. The drive overall was quite boring as it was very flat and uneventful. At times, I actually felt like falling asleep at the wheel. The most exciting part was at the Monida ...

... would come soon so that they could Die die die die die [Chorus:] Well the dogs were barking at a new moon Whistling a new tune Hoping it would come soon And the sun was wondering if it should stay away for a day 'til the feeling went away And the sky was falling on the clouds were dropping and the rain forgot how to bring salvation the dogs were barking at the new moon Whistling a new tune Hoping it would come soon so that they could die.

... Harry and didn't get out of bed till 3pm when I'd finished it! I think I cried about 5 times. It was brill, just missing someone to discuss it with now!! Rob went to the common room and did stuff on the computer. Bless him for being patient with me. I finally left the dorm, we left messages for Corinne and Phil and Kim saying we'd be back around 6ish and we went into Calgary. We didn't have a plan so just wandered around the city. It was nice to get some fresh ...