Our Canadian Vacation

I have had a lot of relatives and friends ask us all about the *details* of our Canadian vacation as our pictures have talked them into wanting to visit there! So even though it's been about 2 months, I thought this would be a great first "Vacation" post. This way I will get used to how I want to format my vacation posts, as well as be able to disseminate information about our trip!

First, what part of Canada were we in? 

We were in the Banff National Park area which is located in Alberta. The flight time was less than 4 hours, so a breeze in that aspect!! 

Where did we stay?

We stayed in one of the most beautiful hotels I've had the pleasure of staying in. It was called The Fairmont Banff Springs. Here is their website: Our Hotel

What did we do there?

We whitewater rafted down the Kananaskis river with a GREAT tour group called Chinook Rafting.

What else did we do there?

We took a great 4 hour guided hike through the mountains close by Lake Louise. We can thank Discover Banff for this great opportunity. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and made us feel safe the whole time!

What other adventures did you go on?

We really enjoyed a Gondola Ride thanks to Banff Gondola!

Did you see any pretty flowers?

Yes, we enjoyed a lot of beautiful sights at The Cascade Gardens.

See any wildlife?

Banff was TEEMING with wildlife! We had many up-close experiences with elk, bighorn sheep, deer, a hoary marmot, and even a bear! And the wildlife got so close to us. It was truly incredible!!!

Any other must-see's?

Yes! Johnston Canyon is a MUST-VISIT! It is a series of catwalks built into the side of the canyons! Many waterfalls and beautiful sights to see!

How was the food?

We loved the food in Canada! Most notable was The Waldhaus Restaurant located close to our hotel. The Fondue was amazing. Fondue was a recurring theme we saw around Banff!

Anything other food I should check out?

Make sure you stop by Bow Valley Grill located inside The Fairmont. So delish!

What is a dish representative of Canada?

That would be Poutine. It was delicious! It consists of French Fries, Cheese Curds, and brown gravy! Definitely not the healthiest of foods, but a good experience!

Anything else cool about Banff?

One thing Blake and I were so interested by was that it stayed light outside every night until 11:00 PM. Pretty awesome!!!

So overall, how do you rank your trip to Banff?

I would say this was honestly a perfect trip. The awe-inspiring beauty of the Canadian wildereness, combined with the up-close wildlife we saw, added to the splendor and luxury of our hotel, plus the whitewater rafting and other excursions we did.....equals...near-heaven! We definitely want to come back here! I would HIGHLY recommend visiting Banff if you are willing and able to go!

My Travel Log

I plan for this post to be where I keep track of places I have already been, places I will be going soon, and places I want to eventually travel to!! All three sections are a "Work In Progess" as I remember more  "places I've already been",  add "places we are going soon", and narrow down and add "places we want to go."


Places I have already been:
Maui- twice
Oahu- twice
Kauai-once
New York City
Boston, Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Vermont
Colorado-Estes Park & other areas
Alabama
Georgia
Louisiana 
South Carolina
Mississippi
Florida-Key West, Miami, Orlando
Georgetown, Cayman Islands
California-San Francisco, San Diego- 5 times
New Mexico
Connecticut
Falmouth, Jamaica
Cancun, Mexico
Canada, twice- First time Quebec & Montreal, second trip Banff in Alberta.
Oklahoma
Texas-pretty much everywhere


Places we are going soon:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Costa Rica- Playa Tamarindo area


Places we want to go:
Alaska-Denali
Australia-Great Barrier Reef
New Zealand
Back to Hawaii
Chicago to visit Terry :)
Grand Canyon
Africa- Victoria Falls, Ngora Ngora Crater, Wildlife Safari
Galapagos Islands
Italy
China-Great Wall
Rio De Janeiro
Papua New Guinea
Bora Bora-French Polynesia
England-London
Ireland
Germany-Bavaria
France- Paris
Iceland
Norway
Iguaza Falls- Argentina & Brazil
Russia- St. Petersburg


Are there any great vacations you have been on and would like to recommend?? Comment on here or tell me on Facebook, and maybe I'll add it to my list!

Hello Blog World!

Hello out there!After much resistance, I finally gave into the blog world. It was a long time coming, but I am actually very excited about this idea!!


This blog is going to be two-fold, with one part focusing on Blake and my adventures while traveling. I plan to give hotel recommendations(and non-recommendations if necessary), excursion ideas, pictures from our vacations, new food we experience, and travel tips along the way!


The other part of this blog will focus on something else we truly love: food! I will post reviews of restaurants, pictures of the food, and any great deals we come across. I will try to include the wait time, ambiance, service, and snobbishness factor of the restaurant. Our focus will be on fine dining, as well as multicultural and unique restaurants we find. Some restaurants will be our "tried and true favorites" such as Grimaldi's Pizza, Jorgs Cafe Vienna, etc. But some will be new places we find on our quest for delicious meals! Also, some restaurants will be local to Plano, and others will branch out to other cities in Texas. And others may be out of state and even international ones that we find on our vacations! I plan to post food reviews either every weekend, or every other weekend. 


I eventually want this blog to have an Anthony Bourdain type feel. No Reservations!!!


P.S. As our culinary adventures expand, we are going to incorporate more exercise into our lives so our waistlines don't expand too!! :)