Canada Archives ⋆ The Passenger

July 14, 2024July 27, 2024

YYC

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.

July 12, 2024July 27, 2024

Solara

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.

July 12, 2024July 31, 2024

Peyto Lake

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.

July 12, 2024July 31, 2024

Athabasca glacier

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.

July 10, 2024July 27, 2024

Tonquin Inn

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.

July 9, 2024July 27, 2024

Sandman

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.

July 7, 2024July 27, 2024

Adara

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.

July 7, 2024July 15, 2024

Adventure

‘You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.’
– Dr. Seuss

July 5, 2024July 27, 2024

Black Rock

The best hotel on my trip to Western Canada was the Black Rock Oceanfront Resort at the tiny little town of Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Its main building is located directly at the shore of the Pacific Ocean (remember, the next country on the other side is Japan) and you’ve got great views from your balcony to the rocks and the sea. The hotel contains a nice bar and a very good restaurant (a reservation upfront is needed) which also serves high-class breakfast in the morning: on a terrace with views on the sea.

July 5, 2024August 7, 2024

Malahat Skywalk

On the grounds of the Malahat First Nation near Victoria on Vancouver Island you can discover a large wooden tower, the Malahat Skywalk. It gives you great views on the Saanich Inlet, the surrounding forests and you can even look over into the United States of America – the border is very close and you can’t overlook Mount Baker in the state of Washington. To get on top of the tower you can follow a very long ramp that is winding up inside. If you’re brave you can get down very fast by using a slide.