Calgary and the Rockies

In Calgary, I stayed with my friend Nick, whom I know from Newfoundland. With a population of 1.2 million, it is the largest city in the province of Alberta. From here, you can see the Rockies. The city is home to many oil industry companies. Companies like Shell and BP have their headquarters here. The downtown area is filled with many skyscrapers. The weather here is very diverse. In the summer, it can get up to 30 degrees warm, while last week it was -11 degrees. There is a lot going on day and night. Nick showed me around the city and we spent a day in the Rockies. Even though we hadn't seen each other in 2 years, we didn't feel like strangers and I felt very well taken care of.

I spent a day with Nick in Lake Louise and returned there alone a week later. Lake Louise is part of Banff National Park. The landscape is characterized by beautiful abandoned lakes, wildlife, and vast forests. In winter, there is a ski resort here, and in summer, thousands of visitors come to discover bears, moose, deer, and other wildlife.

I also spent 3 nights in Jasper. To get to Jasper, you drive about 4 hours on the Icefield Parkway. It passes through vast forests, glaciers, and desolate areas. On the way, I even got to see my first bear, which are on their way to hibernation at this time of year. It is easier to observe wildlife in Jasper because the town is even more remote. Here, we were able to see elk, deer, and lots of squirrels up close. There isn't much going on here at this time of year. There were more staff than residents in the hostel. Nevertheless, I went hiking with some nice people. It is always recommended to bring bear spray on hikes, which is similar to a strong pepper spray. In hostels, you usually meet like-minded people, and it is not unusual to be traveling alone. You meet Germans everywhere. After my time here, I took an 11-hour bus ride from Lake Louise to Vancouver. Alternatively, there would have been a 24-hour train ride. The routes are curvy and go through the forest. In addition, freight trains have priority. Both make the journey incredibly slow. I then spent the next week in Vancouver, which I will write about in my next post:).