The Rocky Mountaineer Rocks!
We arrived to glorious sunshine on Sunday afternoon and checked into the lovely Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Vancouver. We took it easy that evening as we had a big day ahead on Monday. We were up before the sun rose (mainly due to jet lag!) and headed off on a whistle stop tour of the city.
First stop was Stanley Park - Vancouver’s largest park and home to lots of walking and cycling tracks, beaches, gorgeous gardens, an aquarium and lots more - a true oasis in the rainforest on the edge of the city. We then headed to the Fly Over Canada experience where state of the art technology with special effects gives you the feeling you are flying, and we covered Canada from East to West Coast in 8 minutes taking in the icebergs of Newfoundland, Niagara Falls, the Rockies, Northern Lights and lots more.
Lunch at Granville Island is a must! The famous public market opens daily from 9am to 7pm is home to several food outlets offering every type of food you can think of. I chose fresh calamari with a kale and pomegranate salad which was so tasty. We spent a lovely hour eating outside and enjoying the sun. In the afternoon we headed to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vancouver. We ‘bounced’ along the bridge, did the cliff walk and walked the 7 footbridges suspended 110 ft above the forest floor. The scenery was gorgeous as the park is situated in the Rainforest.
Next day was D day - the day we were all waiting for. We transferred early in the morning to the Rocky Mountaineer train station. The waiting area was buzzing and with great pomp and ceremony, we followed the bag piper to our train. The first day we travelled in gold leaf service. The carriages are 2 storey- the upper level is a glass dome carriage offering amazing views and there is the added benefit of an outdoor vestibule. Each gold leaf carriage has its own dining room and kitchen downstairs and food was excellent. Once we passed the outskirts of Vancouver, the scenery just got better and better. We passed forests, rivers, lakes and snow-capped mountains. Our overnight in Kamloops was great fun and we indulged in some beer tasting but were up early again the following day for Day 2 of our journey to Banff. Of course, we were a bit dubious about the drop down to silver leaf service, but we needn’t have worried. The seats were really comfortable, and the rows were well spaced out. Food was really good, and our hosts kept us entertained with stories of the places we were passing and there was huge excitement when we saw a bear. Today’s journey brought us on a steep climb and for the final few hours, we were travelling through the Rockies. Even though it was misty, we could see the towering peaks above the clouds and the numerous rivers and waterfalls cascading down the mountains. It was just stunning!
We reached Banff in the early evening. It is a gorgeous alpine resort town in the Alberta Rockies with some great bars and restaurants and with the jet lag behind us, we had a great night on the town! The following day we went on a fabulous excursion along the Columbia Icefields Parkway and went up on the Athabasca Glacier on a specially designed 6WD vehicle called the Ice Explorer. On the way back, we had a short stop at Lake Louise. The Lake was still frozen but the scenery both there and along the Icefields Parkway and the Glacier was just ‘awesome’. I would highly recommend this tour.
Finally, it was time to leave Banff but before we left, we took the gondola to the Sulphur Mountain Summit and the views were breath-taking. And our overload of fabulous views was not finished yet! On the journey back to Calgary, we took a short helicopter ride for 1 last ‘peek’ of the magnificent Rockies. We spent our last night in Calgary and our evening entertainment took us to ‘’Ranchmans’, a famous cowboy pub in Calgary known for its line dancing. Some of the group also tried the mechanical bull but I am afraid I chickened out!
The Rocky Mountaineer is one of those things on everyone’s bucket list and there are so many permutations and combinations of things to do and see to enhance the experience - take a cruise to Alaska, visit the wilds of Vancouver Island, see where the Winter Olympics at Whistler took place - the options are endless. Give me a call and together we can plan your perfect holiday and put another tick on that bucket list!