I am so excited to be taking part in the Blogging A to Z Challenge 2013. This is actually my third challenge; the first year I featured a recipe for each letter and last year I drew on my nursing background and uses “parts of the human body” as my inspiration!
This year I have decided to change things up a bit. I live in Canada and believe it is one of the most beautiful countries on the planet; so I have decided to feature a different Canadian “place”, for each letter of the challenge.
I am very much looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets the Challenge and I would love to have you join me, as I crisscross this vast country on my Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip!
So, without further ado, “B” is for Banff, Alberta
I have not yet been to Banff, but it is certainly one of the beautiful places I hope to visit in the near future. From everything I have seen and read, it’s charm and breathtaking vistas make it pretty close to perfect!
Banff is a town located within Banff National Park in Alberta’s Rockies.. It is approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At an elevation of 1,463 m (4,800 ft), Banff is the community with the second highest elevation in Canada after Lake Louise.
Population: 7,584 (2011 census)
Notable Residents:
- Karen Percy, who won 2 bronze medals in skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics
- J. Jill Robinson, award-winning author of fiction and creative nonfiction.
- Kevin Smyth, former NHL player
- Ryan Smyth, NHL player
History: Banff was first settled in the 1880s, after the transcontinental railway was built through the Bow Valley. In 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers stumbled upon a series of natural hot springs on the side of Sulphur Mountain. In 1885, Canada established a federal reserve of 26 km2 (10 sq mi) around the Cave and Basin hot springs, and began promoting the area as an international resort and spa as a way to support the new railway.
The area was named Banff in 1884 by George Stephen, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recalling his birthplace in Banffshire, Scotland, now simply Banff.
In 1985, the United Nations declared Banff National Park, as one of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, a World Heritage Site. Banff remains one of the most popular tourist destinations in Canada.
Reflecting Pool – Banff, Alberta {Photo Attribution, Catherine White – Oak Lawn Images}
Two Jacks Lake – Banff, Alberta {Photo Attribution, Catherine White – Oak Lawn Images}
Bow Falls – Banff National Park {Photo Attribution, Catherine White – Oak Lawn Images}
Cascade Mountain – Banff National Park {Photo Attribution, Catherine White – Oak Lawn Images}
Well, it’s been a very long cross country trip and it’s time to check into our luxurious room at The Fairmont Banff Springs. {Hey, it’s my blog, I can dream…and since it’s my dream I have also included a photo of my hotel and my dream room…lol} Maybe a little soak in a hot spring and a delicious dinner before settling into our comfy beds for a blissful sleep.
My dream hotel – The Fairmont Banff Springs {Photo Attribution – The Fairmount Banff Springs website}
My dream room in my dream hotel – The Fairmont Banff Springs {Photo Attribution – The Fairmount Banff Springs website}
The next stop on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge – Road Trip is a somewhere that starts with the letter “C”.
Have you visited Banff?
Where did you stay?
Please tell me about you visit to Banff, I want all the details!
Past visits on the A to Z Challenge 2013 – Road Trip:
A is for Alma, New Brunswick
Complete listing of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2013 participants.
CREDITS – Map source –File:Canada Southern Ontario location map 2.png (Wikimedia Commons) (altered to add place name). Information contained in this post was obtained from the Town of Banff website and Wikipedia.
Hi..
It sure looks beautiful. Would love to visit someday :)
I’m from the AtoZ Challenge.
Bhavya from Just Another Blog
I have never been there Bhavya but my sister has visited several times {Most of the photos are her’s} and she said it is extremely beautiful!
Banff is all you have said and more. Any time we’ve been there, we’ve been in a camper. I’ve been into the Banff Springs Hotel, but never stayed there. The view from ‘your’ room is spectacular. The surrounding mountains are breathtaking. Oh, yeh, I was in the pool at Sulfer Mountain. There are spots in the pool that are hotter, than other areas, because it’s warmed from the natural hot springs, even in the Winter.
I think I must have lived there in another life, because every time I see the mountains, I feel a little homesick. Thanks for posting this.
Kathy at Oak Lawn Images
Kathy, I would love to someday visit there, it is such a gorgeous place!
OK, I am definitely ready for a road trip and Banff sounds great. Fantastic photos from Oak Lawn Image. I think , in the interest of research, we should plan a “girls trip” and stay at the Banff Springs Hotel!!
Can’t wait to see where “our” road trip takes “me” tomorrow!!
Pat, would that not be the ultimate road trip, I would do love to drive across Canada!
When it gets crazy hot here in Texas, ’round about July or so, I often find myself googling cooler climes and planning trips to places such as Banff.
I look forward to the rest of your posts!
~Tui
Thanks Tui, I guess in the hot summer months there is an upside to a cooler climate! I’ll be over to visit you very soon and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
Nice entry on Banff, I’ve always wanted to visit,too. Looks so lovely! Also, I have to say congrats on completing the atozchallenge for 3 years!! This is my first and I’m already having trouble keeping up! Best wishes!
The A-Z Challenge is definitely aptly named Ruby…it certainly is a “challenge”! I still struggle to keep up with it as well as maintaining my blog but have found that writing and scheduling my posts a few days in advance is helpful. I try to get a few done each week-end! I’ll be over to visit you very soon and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
Hi, I live in Calgary and I’ve been to Banff . If you like the mountains and hiking trails there are plenty of those around that’s for sure. There’s a store that sells awesome licorice lol. I always have to go for a swim in the hot springs . Love it but it smells like sulfur in certain parameters .
Jackie you are so lucky to live amid all the beauty of the Rockies! Yummm…licorice, I love the intense black licorice with the flat finish, not the shiny kind!
Beautiful photos!
Blogging A to Z Challenge http://www.shellygoodmanwright.com/apps/blog/show/25311404-believe-in-you
My sister took the photos Shelly, she is a very talented photographer! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
Surprisingly, I have heard of Banff, although have never been there. I think it does get a fair share of tourists from all over. Canada’s a big place… I’ve only been to the two ends (BC and Montreal), so there’s a big gap in the middle for me where all the Canadian provinces kind of merge…
You are so right Courtney, it is a very big country! Hope you have a chance to someday visit it all, it is very beautiful! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
Actually Montreal is quite far East from BC, but there is still the Atlantic provinces, NB, NS, PEI & Nfld & Labrador, which are east, still, of Montreal. That where I live.
I am happy to have stumbled across your blog as I hoping to make it to Canada this year so am looking for ideas and inspiration!
I lived in Toronto on a work exchange for 3 months back in 1999 and have always dreamed of returning and exploring more of the country. Banff is definitely on my list!
Looking forward to more of your AtoZ posts!
I hope you make it to Canada for a visit this year Kellie, it really is a very beautiful country! Hopefully you will have an opportunity to visit some of the places on my “virtual” road trip. I have not been to Banff yet but my sister has been there several times and she says it is stunningly beautiful! Thanks for dropping by Kellie and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
No I have never been there but wow I want to go now.
I really enjoyed this post and I am looking forward to more…
Good luck with the rest of the challenge
Thank you Doreen, isn’t Banff a spectacular place! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you are having fun with the Challenge!
A town purposed as a resort at inception… Yeah, sounds like a must visit to me! Your sister took some amazing photos! Didn’t know much of anything about Banff- now I know what I’m missing!!! Looking forward to more posts-
Cheers,
Erick @ A Brief Sinfonia: Loving Your Wife From A-Z
My sister’s photography is certainly beautiful Erick and Banff looks so gorgeous! Thanks for dropping by and I hope you are enjoying the Challenge!
I’ve been there! It was just as beautiful as you said – I did the Rocky Mountaineer trip (ha ha – true tourist style). But I’d love to go back and spend longer there one day. Great idea for A-Z
You are so lucky Sue, I hope to get there for “real” someday fairly soon!
Oh the photographs look beautiful! I did a road trip around Canada (Victoria) a few years ago and even though it was raining most of the time, there was this stark wild beauty about the place which I still find hard to forget.
A “real” cross Canada road trip is on my “bucket list”!
I have never been to Canada, but I agree it is very beautiful. I also like that in Canada it is part of the national conversation to talk about the environment and green energy, but here in the US people act like you are lulu for doing so. I look forward to your next post.
Hi Sweetbearie, I have been fortunate enough to have been to many states on the east coast of the US and you also have amazing beauty in your country! I do believe strongly that we have a responsibility to make sure our planet is healthy for our grandchildren and their grandchildren and it only takes a few people to get it rolling, maybe that will be you!