icefield parkway - calgary - edmonton

With approximately -12 degrees in the night, it was very cold up in Jasper. After a hot night in my car (all liquids were frozen), I was happy to go back home for a few days in their (heated) camper. From Jasper to the Icefield Parkway to Lake Louise, the landscape was incredibly beautiful with snow and sunshine. In Lake Louise, we climbed the 'Big Beehive' and had a great view of the lake and the ski slopes. But the real highlight was Lake Moraine, so we didn't bother taking the closed road (11 km) and enjoyed the lake without the Asian invasion. In the evening, we had delicious pasta and played various card games.

Further on to Banff and Canmore (finally trying the Canadian specialty and I have to say I like poutine - fries, melted cheese and gravy) we arrived in Calgary. There we experienced an NHL match of the Flames against the Vancouver Canucks with a final score of 7:4. We really enjoyed the whole atmosphere of this first home game of the season and got excited. Alberta, especially Calgary, is known for its love for cowboys (Stampede) so it was fitting that we saw a western riding competition before the match. We were the only ones without cowboy hats and boots :)

It was extremely great to see good friends and I definitely enjoyed spending a few days with them! After saying goodbye, I made my way to Edmonton. Although sometimes the engine light goes on in my car, it hasn't let me down yet and after a 5-hour drive, I knocked on the summer door of the family. Before they started their new life in Canada in 2009, they stayed with my grandma in Zurich for a while and they said that I should come and visit whenever I'm in their area - little did we know back then that I would actually come in the future :)

Now I've been here for a week, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving (the second one is probably on November 22nd in the USA) and I feel like part of the family. We discuss all kinds of things, eat well, play sports together, sleep, drive the boys (Pascal 13 and Simon 11) to school or hockey practice, and have a good time. It's interesting to have an insight into a Canadian (and still a bit Swiss) everyday life. On a beautiful day, I went on a trip to 'Elk Island National Park' and observed bison, and at -1 degree (which I would never leave the house for in Switzerland) I went to a CFL football game of the Edmonton Eskimos. Thankfully, the cheerleaders didn't scare me away with their coldness!

The temperatures go from freezing to a pleasant 10 degrees in the next few days. With Nicole and Stefan, I will probably have a blast and I want to see a game of both boys, so I'm not too in a hurry to go to the real warm (USA) yet.

Greetings to Switzerland and until next time, maybe from the States :)