i'm starting a new blog. a different feel. a different platform.
same girl. same guy. same kid.
madebybrie.wordpress.com
see you there.
Tuesday 6 January 2015
Sunday 27 July 2014
Canadian adventure :: Jasper & The Canadian
I'll start with an apology for the long lag in my posting. We travelled across Canada by train while we didn't hit the most remote parts of the country we certainly didn't have cell or web access for days. Upon our arrival in Toronto we were thrust into wedding whirlwind - and we've literally only just emerged.
Speaking of which a sneak peek at my absolutely radiant sister!
So Jasper. Amazing. Love it. Would return in a heartbeat without a doubt my favourite part of the Rockies. Banff is very commercial, Lake Louise is very touristy, but Jasper feels like a town real people live in. (Probably because they do).
It was incredibly hot in Jasper - too hot to do much hiking, but too hot to hike means hot enough for a mountain lake!
We just enjoyed the sunny weather and the (smokey) views of the mountains (there we're forest fires in the area).
Wee man enjoyed some antics in the tent - aka a really big play pen - and we realised that he can be completely entertained by toggles, zips, buttons, and tags. Oh and burying himself in sleeping bags is hysterical!
We ended our time in Jasper by boarding the Canadian - the train that crosses Canada. I have always wanted to do the trip by rail and when the fares went on special in June we decided this year was as good as any! Wee-man was the star of the show, of course. How could he not be?
The day on the train goes like this: wake, eat (an excellent) breakfast, return to your carriage and nap, read a bit, eat (an amazing) lunch, read/nap/look out the window/chat with your travelling partner/get a coffee, eat (a scrumptious) dinner, retire for bed. Talk about relaxing!
Our cabin had two bunks, a toilet and a sink. All our meals, in a white linen dining car, were included and delicious! Really we enjoyed our time so so much. The experience is relaxing and enjoyable and time just seems to pass - one morning we all napped for two hours! Bliss.
We ended our train journey in Toronto. Where we were met by Grandpa and then entered the 'wedding zone'.
Speaking of which a sneak peek at my absolutely radiant sister!
So Jasper. Amazing. Love it. Would return in a heartbeat without a doubt my favourite part of the Rockies. Banff is very commercial, Lake Louise is very touristy, but Jasper feels like a town real people live in. (Probably because they do).
It was incredibly hot in Jasper - too hot to do much hiking, but too hot to hike means hot enough for a mountain lake!
We just enjoyed the sunny weather and the (smokey) views of the mountains (there we're forest fires in the area).
Wee man enjoyed some antics in the tent - aka a really big play pen - and we realised that he can be completely entertained by toggles, zips, buttons, and tags. Oh and burying himself in sleeping bags is hysterical!
We ended our time in Jasper by boarding the Canadian - the train that crosses Canada. I have always wanted to do the trip by rail and when the fares went on special in June we decided this year was as good as any! Wee-man was the star of the show, of course. How could he not be?
The day on the train goes like this: wake, eat (an excellent) breakfast, return to your carriage and nap, read a bit, eat (an amazing) lunch, read/nap/look out the window/chat with your travelling partner/get a coffee, eat (a scrumptious) dinner, retire for bed. Talk about relaxing!
Our cabin had two bunks, a toilet and a sink. All our meals, in a white linen dining car, were included and delicious! Really we enjoyed our time so so much. The experience is relaxing and enjoyable and time just seems to pass - one morning we all napped for two hours! Bliss.
We ended our train journey in Toronto. Where we were met by Grandpa and then entered the 'wedding zone'.
Tuesday 15 July 2014
Canadian adventure :: Lake Louise
Lake Louise is about an hour north of Banff and truly it is a nature's playground - if you can get away from the tourists! On our way up we experienced exactly what I had in mind for this trip - roadside picnics!
We arrived in Banff and took a stroll down the Lake Louise path - it was a zoo! And really, if I were to do this trip again, I'd increase our time in Jasper or Banff at the expense of Lake Louise - the crowds are immense and seemingly inescapable.
Day 2 we decided to hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House - us and half the world!
At the top of the hike we were rewarded with a great view and some pretty decent poppyseed lemon loaf!
Day Three we hung around camp for a while, enjoying pancakes and eggs (who says you can't eat well while camping? A whole post on camping eats coming up!).
Eventually we decided to go out to Moraine Lake - arguably a more enjoyable experience and therefore many believe, a prettier one. We headed up the path to Consolation Lakes. This trail has a mandatory group of four rule - bears are a reality here in the Rockies and hiking in groups of four or more is a proven deterrent. We waited at the trailhead and ended up joining a family from Windsor ON, which is about as close to finding people from your backyard as I could hope for. This trail was much less busy - we maybe saw 20 other hikers during the three hours it took there and back. But the peacefulness and the final destination were definitely worth it!
Might I just say that le boy has done an incredible job acting as chief baby packer? Wee-man and I appreciate it so much!
Today we headed up to Jasper - via the Icefields Parkway - amazing but again massively commercialised.
It's super hot this week so I think we might forego hiking in favour of a lake and the beach!
We arrived in Banff and took a stroll down the Lake Louise path - it was a zoo! And really, if I were to do this trip again, I'd increase our time in Jasper or Banff at the expense of Lake Louise - the crowds are immense and seemingly inescapable.
Day 2 we decided to hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House - us and half the world!
At the top of the hike we were rewarded with a great view and some pretty decent poppyseed lemon loaf!
Day Three we hung around camp for a while, enjoying pancakes and eggs (who says you can't eat well while camping? A whole post on camping eats coming up!).
Eventually we decided to go out to Moraine Lake - arguably a more enjoyable experience and therefore many believe, a prettier one. We headed up the path to Consolation Lakes. This trail has a mandatory group of four rule - bears are a reality here in the Rockies and hiking in groups of four or more is a proven deterrent. We waited at the trailhead and ended up joining a family from Windsor ON, which is about as close to finding people from your backyard as I could hope for. This trail was much less busy - we maybe saw 20 other hikers during the three hours it took there and back. But the peacefulness and the final destination were definitely worth it!
Might I just say that le boy has done an incredible job acting as chief baby packer? Wee-man and I appreciate it so much!
Today we headed up to Jasper - via the Icefields Parkway - amazing but again massively commercialised.
It's super hot this week so I think we might forego hiking in favour of a lake and the beach!
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