Downtown

 

Over the years we have partly explored several provinces and one territory in Canada: Ontario around Lake Huron, western British Columbia and western Yukon Territory going to and coming from Alaska, and now south central Alberta at Calgary and the national parks.

Since we had a long day on the bikes yesterday (Tues, July 19) we stayed close to home today.  From the campground we hopped aboard the bus (usually a loonie-$1 each way for seniors, today free to town) for the 3 (or so) mile ride to the tourist town of Banff.  From the get-go Banff was planned as a tourist stop for the new railroad.  Built on the beautiful (glacial meltwater) Bow River, the town has retained its Victorian charm through its architecture and small town tourism. 

The town is small and the streets narrow, and parking is at a premium, so that driving is not recommended.  There is a horse-drawn carriage, but the simplest way to get around is to take the bus or walk.

 

Views from the center of town—east

south,

north,

west.

First order of business was lunch at Tony Roma’s, Duane’s and my favorite steakhouse.  Most of these restaurants have closed in the US.  Lunch here was a no brainer. 

View from our booth

After lunch we played tourist, browsing through shops, learning about the historical buildings, enjoying the sunshine.

Former home of Duane’s latest T-shirt.

Brock and Leola with their new bff Royal Canadian Mounted Moose

The architecture was mostly Victorian.

Some things to do included visiting the above gardens and the Natural History Museum below.

Note the diagonal cross walks in addition to straight across the streets

This building was obviously different

Content with our afternoon out on a beautiful sunny (for a change) day, we hopped the bus  for the short ride home.  Our view as we walked up the street.  (What caught my eye was the cleft in the top plus the curve in the strata.)

Next trip—Lake Louise

Louise and Duane