Banff 2.0

Almost 2 months in Banff are over. The job is really stressful and I have been working 6 days a week, 8 hours a day since Christmas. Although I earn quite good money, I unfortunately have barely had time to go skiing. But that will probably change for the better towards the end of January and we will get up to 3 days off per week. I am excited.

My car not only got new brakes for Christmas but finally also got a name. I named it Oscar :D

I barely celebrated Christmas myself and instead worked. It was a kind of strange feeling and I have to say that I am really looking forward to next year and my family! On New Year's Eve, there was a small fireworks display in downtown Banff, which was quite well attended despite the weather. I have never seen so many people in this tiny town. The -35°C on New Year's Eve was definitely the coldest I have ever experienced. After the approximately 20-minute fireworks display, which was almost unbearable, all the people ran from the street into nearby buildings, whether it was bars, McDonald's or simply still open banks and shops. It was somehow funny.

In the pictures I have chosen for this blog post, you can see the famous Fairmont Hotel in Banff. The white building in the upper left corner of the picture is the hotel where I work. I walked to that viewpoint last week. The second picture is from the New Year's Eve fireworks display and the third picture shows the view from my room here in the staff accommodation. I can even see that when I lie in my bed. Pretty cool!

On January 15th, I received a package with Christmas presents from home. Woo hoo! It was a bit late, but I was still infinitely happy. I unpacked the gifts one by one, one per day, so I could sweeten each stressful and exhausting workday a little.

Tomorrow I will finally go skiing again and for Thursday I have planned a little hike and a trip to Lake Louise, where an 'Ice Festival' is currently taking place, where artists build different ice sculptures. I'm curious to see what awaits me there.

About 2 weeks ago, I signed up for the small gym here at the hotel to finally get rid of the holiday weight I gained, and I realized that I am actually still in pretty good shape, even though I haven't really done any sports for months. Apparently, the physical work at the ranch and the job here have kept me in good shape.

Otherwise, there is not much new with me, as I am just exhausted after work and don't do much anymore. I also have to deal with what's next in Germany when I return. So I spend hours researching on the internet and diligently writing applications. Unfortunately, I don't get to go skiing much either, but I have decided to take a week off in February to go skiing and explore the surroundings a bit more. Otherwise, I am already looking forward to resigning in March and starting the next road trip with my best friend, who is visiting me. Maybe I will spend another 2 weeks on a ranch before that because I am tired of working and instead want to experience a little more of the cowboy life. But that is not yet certain. But in April, I will definitely head to the east coast. On the way, I will visit a friend in Chicago and on July 9th, I will pick up my mom at the airport in Toronto. I have more than enough plans, it's just a matter of time and money to implement everything, but that's how life is.

Currently, I am dealing with an annoying cold, but other than that, I'm really doing well and I have overcome the 'Christmas low'. Now I am literally working towards the next adventure and the next road trip.

Frosty greetings from cold Canada :)