We were so excited...Mom & Dad Zabikow came to visit on April 23rd for 11 days!! We were definitely ready to have some family hugs from home. They arrived in the evening, so we enjoyed a late dinner and then it was off to bed for all of us.
We got Ben off to school in the morning, and then ventured out for a breakfast spot. My friend had given me a recommendation for Belmont Diner in the Marda Loop neighborhood. Rumor has it, they make pancakes for the kiddos in cute shapes. They did not disappoint...check out Nathalie's brown bear below. I snapped this picture and then started cutting into it, not wanting her to get too attached. :) The food was good too, so I'm sure we'll be back!
The weather was still a bit cool, but we went to Edworthy Park that afternoon to play. Ben and Nathalie were excited to show GreeMa and PeePaw the swings, see-saw, slide, and more. We also enjoyed a game of soccer, although I think Ben got a little creative with the rules as the game went on. :)
Thursday morning was gymnastics morning, where Nathalie got to show GreeMa and PeePaw her skills. She kept running over to give them hugs...cute!
On Friday, Mom and Dad Z were so gracious to stay with the kids in Calgary for the evening while Greg and I got a night away in Lake Louise. Lake Louise is a small village in Banff National Park, a little over 2 hours from Calgary. It hosts Canada's second largest winter/ski resort, also called Lake Louise. It also has one of the most visited and photographed hotels in the world, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We splurged for a one night stay in the hotel, knowing that this might be our only chance to enjoy it without the kiddos. :) It was a warm, gorgeous day in Calgary, but it clouded over as we got closer to LL. We checked in to the hotel around 3 p.m. and had been upgraded to a 'junior suite', complete with complimentary champagne as an early birthday present for me. Awesome!
Even with the clouds hanging low and a slight drizzle, the views from our room were amazing! Of course, we can't wait to come back in warmer weather to see the beauty of the lake's emerald green waters, but it was fun to see the lake still frozen and the outlines of where hockey and ice skating were enjoyed.
There are lots of shops and restaurants in the hotel itself, so we walked around for a bit before our 7 p.m. reservation at the Post Hotel.
We got all fancied up and headed out to the Post Hotel, another famous Lake Louise landmark. Gourmet magazine had called the dining room the "third best rustic culinary retreat on Earth." A guidebook I read said "for the true foodie in the crowd, the Post simply shouldn't be missed." Sounded right up our alley! We wind down the mountain and pull into the barren parking lot. That's odd. We drive close to the door to see a sign posted that says "Closed temporarily until May 3rd". What??? I was confused, then I was sad, then I was angry. Why wouldn't you call your customers and tell them that you were needing to close unexpectedly and that you could no longer accommodate the reservation we had made months ago? Ugh. Thankfully, the Chateau has many nice restaurants, so we drove back to find Plan B. We enjoyed a long and lovely meal at Walliser Stube Wine Bar instead, which had a spectacular view of the lake and the mountains.
We were sad to say goodbye to the Chateau on Saturday morning, but we got all suited up for some skiing near Banff before returning home. We grabbed some coffee and goodies from Laggan's Mountain Bakery and then hopped in the truck. We arrived in Banff a little before 11 a.m. to have a "second breakfast" and kill a little time before going to Sunshine Village Ski Resort for a half-day of skiing. The weather was a bit dreary again, with lots of clouds and rain. We drove up to Sunshine Village and with the altitude, the rain had turned into a slushy, pelty snow that was blowing sideways. We go back and forth for a bit, desperately wanting to ski together, but not really thinking this is the best weather for enjoying our first time in the 'real' mountains. So, we decided to save the money for another time and headed back to Calgary. Naturally, the closer we got to Calgary, the sun peeked out and the temperature climbed up. The grandparents and kiddos were outside loving the warm sunshine as we got home, and we had a relaxing evening at home before gearing up for another road trip the next day...
No comments:
Post a Comment