I couldn't leave Banff without taking the waters, but the hot mineral spring that provided the original draw for tourists has been closed for over 20 years because it contains a unique snail. Well, a lot of them, actually. We visited the Cave and Basin historic site yesterday morning on our tour to see the cave where the hot spring was discovered (by railroad workers) and the bathing pools. The smell was impressive. Why people actually wanted to immerse themselves and get their noses close to such a vile sulphur funk is a mystery to me. And if the snails, which are about the size of lemon seeds, were there then ... yuck. I'm sorry, I just don't get it.
No, the way to enjoy the Banff spa experience without gagging or getting icky protected snails in your bathing suit -- no longer a real threat, since you can't even put your hand in the water because it might upset the snails -- is to visit the modern public spring facility on Sulphur Mountain up near the gondola or, if you crave serious luxury, to spend a day dipping and soaking at the Fairmont's spa. They've got a whole complicated ritual mapped out, which I adapted to shorten the amount of time necessary and cut out most of the "cold plunge" parts. But they have whirlpools and waterfall pools of different temperatures, a sauna and steam room, a dreamy mineral pool with underwater music (!) and two special rooms just for sitting comfortably, drinking tea, staring out at the mountains and congratulating yourself on being able to be there.
When I was thoroughly waterlogged, I tore myself away to drive to Calgary, leaving the dramatic peaks of the Rockies behind me for more modest treed hills, then patches of flat that hint at the prairies ahead. Calgary is amazingly vibrant and growing despite having winter temperatures that reach something like -40 (F or C? -40 is the same on both scales!). It's the youngest city in Canada populationwise, with an average age of 35, and personal incomes run very high while unemployment runs very low. There is construction everywhere.
I got a literal overview of the city from the Calgary Tower, Calgary's version of the Space Needle or CN Tower. From the observation deck you can see all the way back to the last line of Rockies, or straight down into the street, thanks to sections of transparent flooring.
Very nearby is the elegant and fascinating Glenbow Museum. It's an eclectic mix of something for everybody: art, history, culture, including a wonderful exhibit about the memorable pioneer characters of Alberta's history, beautiful Asian/Indian art, and a splendid and intriguing cross-cultural, cross-temporal look at warriors and warrior culture. Suits of armor, kimonos, battle dress, guns, spears, war bonnets. Stuff from all over time and all over the world, cleverly organized for comparison and contrast.
Throughout the museum is a remarkable emphasis on First Nations (what Canada calls its native peoples) artifacts, art, culture and point of view. Exhibits dealing with the white settlement of Western Canada and the expansion of the railroads include the role native peoples played and their impressions, attitudes and reactions. Historical and art exhibits also have sections devoted to women. Like women warriors, representations of Indian/Asian goddesses, pioneer women, women in the armed forces. When you look around the images and portraits displayed at Glenbow, you see many kinds of faces and names. The cool part is that none of this comes across as contrived or preachy; it seems very natural, smoothly integrated and comprehensive.
Wow.
There were schoolkids there while I was -- the museum does a lot to engage and cater to kids -- and they actually seemed interested and attentive.
I started to stroll down the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall, but the weather got ugly. Fortunately, it cleared up later when I met my friend George, who lives in Calgary, for dinner and a stroll around Prince's Island Park. I'm glad, because the park is truly a gem and it would have been a shame to miss it. Our evening amble also ratcheted up my critter count by two: We spotted, within seconds of each other, a snow hare and a rabbit. The hare startled me, because it was huge by bunny standards.
Tomorrow I take to the skies once again, bright and early. I can't wait to find out how domestic Canadian security compares with American!
Photo note: I dropped some pix from the train ride to Whistler into previous blogs. I'm catching up slowly but surely and hope you'll stay tuned!
No, the way to enjoy the Banff spa experience without gagging or getting icky protected snails in your bathing suit -- no longer a real threat, since you can't even put your hand in the water because it might upset the snails -- is to visit the modern public spring facility on Sulphur Mountain up near the gondola or, if you crave serious luxury, to spend a day dipping and soaking at the Fairmont's spa. They've got a whole complicated ritual mapped out, which I adapted to shorten the amount of time necessary and cut out most of the "cold plunge" parts. But they have whirlpools and waterfall pools of different temperatures, a sauna and steam room, a dreamy mineral pool with underwater music (!) and two special rooms just for sitting comfortably, drinking tea, staring out at the mountains and congratulating yourself on being able to be there.
When I was thoroughly waterlogged, I tore myself away to drive to Calgary, leaving the dramatic peaks of the Rockies behind me for more modest treed hills, then patches of flat that hint at the prairies ahead. Calgary is amazingly vibrant and growing despite having winter temperatures that reach something like -40 (F or C? -40 is the same on both scales!). It's the youngest city in Canada populationwise, with an average age of 35, and personal incomes run very high while unemployment runs very low. There is construction everywhere.
I got a literal overview of the city from the Calgary Tower, Calgary's version of the Space Needle or CN Tower. From the observation deck you can see all the way back to the last line of Rockies, or straight down into the street, thanks to sections of transparent flooring.
Very nearby is the elegant and fascinating Glenbow Museum. It's an eclectic mix of something for everybody: art, history, culture, including a wonderful exhibit about the memorable pioneer characters of Alberta's history, beautiful Asian/Indian art, and a splendid and intriguing cross-cultural, cross-temporal look at warriors and warrior culture. Suits of armor, kimonos, battle dress, guns, spears, war bonnets. Stuff from all over time and all over the world, cleverly organized for comparison and contrast.
Throughout the museum is a remarkable emphasis on First Nations (what Canada calls its native peoples) artifacts, art, culture and point of view. Exhibits dealing with the white settlement of Western Canada and the expansion of the railroads include the role native peoples played and their impressions, attitudes and reactions. Historical and art exhibits also have sections devoted to women. Like women warriors, representations of Indian/Asian goddesses, pioneer women, women in the armed forces. When you look around the images and portraits displayed at Glenbow, you see many kinds of faces and names. The cool part is that none of this comes across as contrived or preachy; it seems very natural, smoothly integrated and comprehensive.
Wow.
There were schoolkids there while I was -- the museum does a lot to engage and cater to kids -- and they actually seemed interested and attentive.
I started to stroll down the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall, but the weather got ugly. Fortunately, it cleared up later when I met my friend George, who lives in Calgary, for dinner and a stroll around Prince's Island Park. I'm glad, because the park is truly a gem and it would have been a shame to miss it. Our evening amble also ratcheted up my critter count by two: We spotted, within seconds of each other, a snow hare and a rabbit. The hare startled me, because it was huge by bunny standards.
Tomorrow I take to the skies once again, bright and early. I can't wait to find out how domestic Canadian security compares with American!
Photo note: I dropped some pix from the train ride to Whistler into previous blogs. I'm catching up slowly but surely and hope you'll stay tuned!
1 comment:
Glenbow museum is now on my list of places to see when I get to Calgary next week.
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