THURSDAY | The sky was an ominous grey as we weaved our way off the main road and into the national park that housed the Lussier natural hot springs. The bumpy gravel road brought on flashbacks of our unpleasant journey from Mazama to the Canadian border but we persevered. Awaiting us at the end of the drive was the steaming natural hot springs, nestled amongst the rocks that bordered the raging turquoise river. The looming rain kept the crowds away which meant that after we’ve stripped off into our swimmers and headed down the hill we only had to share the pool with two other couples. As we eased into the boiling water a couple of the local guys, who spend up to 6 hours here a day, welcomed us and have us a quick snapshot of how it worked (hot then plunge into the river – repeat until done). They headed off just as the rain started leaving the 6 of us to kick back and cool ourselves in the stinky sulphur. A cold plunge meant circumnavigating the slippery rocks down to the river side so no one was willing to make the trip. I certainly wasn’t after dipping my toe in the nearby river and feeling the icey water freeze it. Instead we popped in and out of the water. The air was crisp enough to be refreshing and ensure that the heat still tinged our limbs when we dipped back in. We repeated this process for half and hour until we were thoroughly baked. The rain eased just as we made the small trek up the hill, allowing us to change in the parking lot into our dry clothes before heading back onto the main highway. Lunch was a spontaneous stop in Windermere at family run pizza joint, Hopkins Harvest, that had been tacked onto the general store. The stop was a delight thanks to the beaming sun on the outside patio, the delicious pizza and the gorgeous dogs owned by the pizzeria. They pooches were keen to play catch and whilst we waited for our meal I was happy to oblige. We arrived into Banff just after 3pm and were granted earlier check in at the hotel. Once we’ve freshened-up and done the obligatory social media checks we headed out into the brittle afternoon air. The town was seething with tourists making our leisurely amble through town a tad frustrating. It didn’t take long to tour the entirety of the town, and to realise that all the workers here in Banff were Australian, so onto Elk and Oarsman for an earlier dinner we went. With a seat overlooking the main drag we watched the coming and goings of the tourists returning from the snow and groups trying to pick a place for dinner from the numerous street level offerings. Post meal on the recommendation of the waitress we headed to Wild Bills Saloon for a beverage. Given it was still earlier the place was quiet but it did host a couple of Australians who thought they were hilarious putting on obnoxious fake English accents whilst they played pool. Keen to escape anyone thinking we were mates with these tools we headed across the road to the rooftop bar at Rose and Crown that we’d been eyeing off. As we sipped our drinks the sun & any remaining warmth descended (at 9:30pm!) for the day, making this a one drink stop. Melissa’s upstairs lounge became our destination for the evening. It was here that I was introduced to the delectable combination of Ice Tea and Vodka. We quickly realised that our bar seats were also prime people-watching position. Over the remainder of the evening we were treated to the coming and goings of the local 20-something sec, who entertained us with their love triangles, gossip and unrequited love drama. We got to soak all this in from our seats through overheard conversations and people gazing. It was a chilly quick walk back through the streets of Banff to the warmth and comfort of our awaiting beds. FRIDAY | We treated ourselves to a luxurious sleep in before heading into town for brunch at Park Distillery. The empty tables out the front but packed inside should have been taken as a sign but instead we opted to sit at the picnic tables outside. As soon as we settled in and ordered the subzero breeze began to rip along the sidewalk and as close to the windows we attempted to sit we couldn’t escape it. Ideally it would have been a quick meal but the kitchen had other plans and we ended up sitting there far longer than was comfortable. As soon as the meal was wrapped we headed off on foot through the town and out to the Banff Fairmont hotel. It was a walk down memory lane for me having stayed here 15 years prior with my family for Christmas. The bus stop out the front of the hotel also happened to be the location where I split my head open attempting to entertain my sister with a ‘singing in the rain’ show tune. It was snowing at the time and so I stepped up onto the lamp post failing to notice the square metal bus sign. The corner of it sliced through the left-hand side of the skull resulting in 15 stiches and a lengthy scar up into my hair line. Whilst it wasn’t the original sign that did the damage there was still the lamp post with a new sign hanging from it, so with glee I snapped away some pictures before we headed inside. The hotel was just as opulent and lavish as I remembered it to be. We poked around the shops that lined the castle-like hallways then we headed outside to explore the grounds. The walk down memory lane complete we headed back into town for a low key afternoon as Ash wasn’t feeling 100%. From our dinner venue the previous night we’d spied a Greek restaurant, Balkan, across the street that had appeared popular and so we headed in and scored ourselves a window table in the bar area. We enjoyed an array of Greek Tapas before heading down the road to Banff Ave Brewery for a couple of drinks. The only available spot was outside on the bar balcony which thankfully had roof lined heaters. It meant our hair was roasting and our legs were freezing, an odd and uncomfortable combination. Keen to be treated to more live-action soap opera drama we headed back to Melissa’s, and it did not disappoint. Despite it being busy we scored two seats at the bar and then we sat back and watched the heightened alcohol fuelled drama unfold.
By the time we bowed out the place was overrun with people dancing and doing shots. It was plunging into a madness that we didn’t want to witness, besides we’ve already gotten our fill of the bold and beautiful production. SATURDAY | Late check-out secured we relished the late start to the day before wandering into town for breakfast. We settled on Wild Flour for a coffee and granola and just as we sat down to eat it began to snow outside. By the time we’d finished eating the soft white flakes continued to trickle down transforming Banff into the magical wonderland I had remembered it to be at 15. No one around us seemed enamoured by the snow but for us the phenomenon of it still existed and so enjoyed our last hour in town basking in the icy weather.
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