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Scharzfels

Burgruine Scharzfels, Bad Lauterberg

A massive staircase in the forest close to Scharzfeld easily shows that something big was once standing here. It is leading onto a 20 meters high dolomite rock which was the location of the Burg Scharzfeld from the 10th century CE. There is not much left of the once massive fortification – just some remains of walls, arches and gates; but you can have an amazing view from up there. The staircase is in such good shape is king George V (the last king of Hannover) had it restored in 1856 and today it looks a bit alien in this landscape.

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Einhornhöhle

Einhornhöhle, Herzberg am Harz

Are you in the mood to search for unicorns? Then the Einhornhöhle near Scharzfeld might be the perfect destination for you. Researchers have come here for a very long time as the 700 meters long cave is filled to large extent with sediment that contains the bones of extinct animals like mammoths, cave bears and cave lions. In 1672 the physicist Otto von Guericke reported that he had found a unicorn there which motivated the famous mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to get there and to construct a unicorn from bones. It were in facht mammoth bones, but his reconstruction is now the logo of the cave and the name ‘unicorn cave‘ attracts a lot of visitors.

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YYC

International airport, Calgary

The international airport of Calgary (YYC) is a middle-size airport located in the north of the city. It is a convenient airport with many seating options, good coffee bars and restaurants and the fastest security check I’ve ever experienced. YYC has four runways and transports 18 million passengers per year. Initially used for military purposes the first civilians were starting their flights here in 1946. Today not only Air Canada and North-American airlines use the airport; also KLM, Condor and Edelweiss Air are landing here.

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Solara

Solara resort, Canmore

When the hotels at Banff are fully booked, travel agency typically find alternatives at Canmore which is just a 30 minutes drive on the Trans Canada Highway. The city has a nice city center squeezed into the space between Bow river and the highway and offers all you need for an overnight stay. At the southern end of the city you’ll find the Solara Resort which is a combination of three different hotels (Aurora, Bow, Chinook). Once you arrive get you hotel name, room number and door code (they don’t use keys) from the reception and park in the vast underground carpark.

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Peyto Lake

Peyto lake, Canada

Turquoise ice-cold water forming a lake between forests and mountains of the Banff National Park, that’s Peyto Lake – maybe the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen. It is fed by the glaciers surrounding it and its color is special because of fine rock particles (‘glacial flour’) that are carried into the lake. It is named after trapper Bill Peyto who was active in this region in the 19th century.

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Athabasca glacier

Athabasca glacier, Canada

The Icefields Parkway leading through the Canadian Rocky Mountains fulfills everything that the name promises. Between high mountains you can find six main glaciers like the Athabasca glacier all belonging to the Columbia Icefield. And while we had a heatwave with 41 degrees Celsius the temperature there dropped to 16 degrees. Due to global warming it has retracted continuously and lost about half of its mass. Along the way to the glacier tongue you can see how far it reached until which year.

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Tonquin Inn

Tonquin Inn, Jasper

Jasper is a nice little city in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and it is mostly lined up at the main road, the Connaught Drive which is located in parallel to the massively used railway tracks (I’ve seldomly seen such long trains) and the Yellowhead Highway. At the northern end of Jasper you’ll find the Tonquin Inn which was my very first North-American style motel: with two levels and parking directly in front of your room door. It is a bit old-fashioned but it was a very pleasant stay with everything available in the close-by city center.

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Sandman

Sandman Signature Hotel, Kamloops

Kamloops is a city halfway between Vancouver and the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is located at the Thompson River and seems to be the place for many different contests: during my stay the Scottish Dance Contest was held (at the Sandman Centre) close to my hotel, the Sandman Signature. The hotel is located next to the riverside park and after crossing the railway tracks you’re directly inside the city center with many good restaurant and shopping options.

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Adara

Adara Hotel, Whistler

The city of Whistler reminded me much of the beautiful towns of the Swiss Alps, but it is also a bit Disneylandish. It has it’s unique style, a car-free city center, lots of water in different colors passing the city center and the highest density of gondolas and lifts for winter and summer sports I’ve ever seen. Close to the pedestrian zone and the Whistler Conference Center you can find the Adara Hotel – a good hotel with nice rooms including terraces, a rooftop pool and a connected restaurant.

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