Dawn on a beautiful day and the sun is glistening on the bay and the surf albeit one foot is full of hopefuls but or me it’s just a swim o test out the body and it went ok so maybe by the time we reach the North Shore I will be up for it.

After breakfast Beth and I hit the beach whilst Ann and Amy hit the shops and wow what shops there are, they came back and convinced us to join them and off we went.

The wakikkii shopping area is so well laid out very like nossa/ cairns in feel but much bigger and oh so clean and the bargains were everywhere at least half Aussie prices so I did my summers shopping in one hit and helped out the USA economy a bit.
We had a great sushi lunch and then off we went into the traffic which was a real slow crawl for the first 45 mins and then a breeze after that and before you know it there’s the ocean over the hill and we are in Haliewa cruising along pat all the famous beaches and breaks of The North Shore. There was a nice little 2 to 3 ft wave at Chuns along the way but the big wave spots were all flat as.
We went to the supermarket and stocked up on supplies for some well anticipated home cooking or the next 6 days and then unpacked the car on our arrival.
The Turtle Bay Resort and Villas we are staying at is really the only resort on the North Shore and we choose the 3 bedroom villa for it’s space and convenience right on Turtle Bay and as part of the resort we have restaurant options without having to drive.

And it has worked out perfectly with the bay being ideal for sunning, swimming and snorkelling.

Our first night we strolled the resort and checked out the beachfront restaurant Ola and it was good so we will be back, so far so good. A game of scrabble before bed saw Ann walk away as champ with some magical scores.
Our first day was spent being lazy apart from a nice long walk down the beach where we found a big Monk Seal and her cub sunning themselves in the midday sun under the watchful eye of a volunteer which was encouraging as they are an endangered species with only 1000 remaining in the Hawaiian Islands so every cub they find is closely monitored .

It remained overcast all day so i went for a drive to the Surf breaks to see what was happening which was nothing and scored some nice Sunset photos at Sunset beach

We cooked a nice stir fry that night which was great to get some more home cooking.

The next day was just perfect and after a walk out to the end of the beach while beth had a run around the Golf course we spent most of the morning on the beach at Turtle Bay out the front of our Villa, there were beach chairs and crappy umbrellas in the shed so it was well used and plenty of reading and swimming were done.

We headed off to Haleiwa markets for lunch at the famous Banzai Sushi and it was brilliant

Ann and I went for a sunset drink at the Bar on the point and watched a lovely sunset over the bay that night and came back o a lovely Vego meal prepared by Beth.

The next day was raining and the swell had jumped to double overhead so I went out with my camera to check it out and spent a few hours watching The North Shore pump, very frustrating to not be able to get out into it.

Another lovely day dawned and another walk into the forests around the resort along the beach whole Beth went for another 10 km run and we found the remains of a ww2 bunkers and barracks in the jungle. This whole area was used for many forest and jungle scenes in the TV show lost as it is very accessible. we then went for a sunbake and swim at a very flat Wiamea Bay before lunch. in the afternoon we took a drive down the east coat to the mountains and valleys where they filmed Jarrasic park, godzilla and Lost.

We dressed up for Beths birthday day dinner at OLA on the beach which was delightful and then back  to our Villa for a bit of chatting and musical selection and dancing in the dark before bedtime.

It was time to head back to wakikii in preparation for our early flight home the next day o after an early morning swim we packed up and cruised the North shore on another perfect day before hitting the discount stores just outside Honolulu for our final bargain shop of the trip.

Next stop The Outrigger Reef and a wander and a swim before a nice massage and nine St The Moana Surfrider Hotel under it’s beautiful Banyan tree beside the beach.
We went for a nice beach walk before bed and that concluded our Hawaiian part of the journey

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Our first morning was nice and slow with the added benefit of making our own breakfasts in our own time. We made our plans for the day and walked up along Park and 5th avenues to Central Park and onto our first stop The MET, metropolitan museum of New York and wow what a first stop it was. There was a brilliant achipello busker group performing out the front which was great.

We only got to see one floor, it was so huge but we had absorbed so much especially the Egyptian, Aztec Gold and Papuan New Guinea exhibits as well as some superb modern art and design sections that we decided a lunch break was required.

We had a recommendation to the Plaza Hotel Food Hall so jumped into a cab down to The Park Lane end of 5th ave and had a sensational meal in the best food hall we have seen, more like a top restaurant with many food stations to choose from.
Our afternoon was then taken up with a trip down to Grand Central Station, and Grand it certainly was. I consider it to be an architectural masterpiece not only for it’s beauty but for it’s functionality, presence and thoughtful design that has stood the test of time. We walked up Park Ave past some classic art deco buildings in the late afternoon drizzle back towards uptown, tried the Subway but it was sardine can packed and finally got a cab back after a fair bit of walking.

The Chrysler building looked particularly futuristic in the mist.

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Our plan for our second day was to follow a similar routine, check out a big item and then sight see in the afternoon so I headed up early to the Guggenheim to miss the queues but so did lots of others so by the time I got to the head of the line Ann & Amy had arrived and in we went……disappointing to say the least with 2/3 under wraps or a new exhibition and the centre-spiral covered in plastic so no vision at all. I had a great laugh whilst in the que, Richard Fidler, one of the Doug Anthony Allstars was walking by with his wife and when her saw the long que, he said "Oh well , let's go to the frigging Frick, this que is way too long."

Our Next stop was The “frigging “Frick, a mansion turned museum that was brilliant on it’s own but Aldo had an early Picasso exhibition on which was an eye opener on what an amazingly talented artist he was. We saw many of his early sketches and his pencil portrait drawings were amazing and then the gradual increase of his experimental art came into play.

It was now time for more central Park so we headed across the immense and beautifully structured Park via The Mall, The Bethseda fountain and the John Lennon tribute at Strawberry Fields to Lunch at a Chinese cafe on Columbus ave on The upper Westside.

We had purchased the 7 day metro card so jumping on the Trains was easy and so quick to get around as the distances between sights can be huge so after lunch it was down the red line to The Meatpacking district for a walk along the converted into a garden walkway some 2 km long raised freight train line now called The Highline.
The area has been transformed into one of the trendiest parts of the city and The Highline was amazing with great views, seating herb gardens tunnels and access points all along.
Unfortunately we got caught in a sudden rain squall and retreated to a covered area until we could run for a taxi to take us to SoHo for a massage we had booked at a Chinese Spa. We had earned it so for 60 mins we escaped the Manic city for some quiet solitude. We found this strange menswear shop that at first looked like a surfboard shop but it wasn’t , just cool boards in the window making a fashion statement .

After a nice but noisy meal we walked around Bond St. and found the most incredible new apartment building we had seen and also a very interesting fence tribute to Steve Jobs. We then scored the fastest Rasta Cab driver in New York for a hair raising quick trip uptown and were pleased to get out in one piece.

Today was Ann’s birthday and Beth’s arrival tonight so we were heading to The Rockefeller Centre to go to The ” Top of The Rock ” so up to the 96th street subway for our regular downtown trip to midtown and the 51st street stop. We stopped in to the beautiful St Patricks Cathedral on the way and then joined the crowds at The Rock where they were putting the ice skating rink together. It is such a great urban space now and when it was all opened in 1929 at the height of the depression.

We wandered around the centre and squeezed in visits to both Lego land Anthropologie before our trip to the 79th floor.

After a vey well organised process we got to the top and the view from the top was awe inspiring, the whole of Manhattan laid out before you and it really helped to make sense of it all.

We celebrated with a nice lunch at a French bistro on Rockefeller Square and then walked it off down 5th ave, Bryant Park and through to the massive Macy’s on 34th street & broadway. Macy’s on a sat afternoon was not clever and we lasted all of 30 mins before escaping up past the sensational Empire State Building for our trip home on the 6 train.
We got back with about 30 mins to spare before Beth arrived and Also Amy’s friend Steph who she met in Copenhagen last year. Lots of hugs and kisses and a few drinks before dinner ensured at a new Vietnamese restaurant across the road.

We found so many amazing buildings from the Golden era of New York, 1890 to 1930 but it was the fine detail that really impressed.

A late start on Sunday was the order of the day and we met up with another of Amy’s friends from Copenhagen, Danny who met us in the Lower Eastside near Delancey street at a funky cafe “Inoctea” on Ludlow street which served the best Aussie quality espresso we have encountered and they had a great lunch as well. We explored the old tenement buildings and shops that have been restored and bought a big cheap bag for our growing bargain purchases which I am sure will continue now that Beth has joined us. We popped our heads into Katz the famous diner that has been operating since the turn of the century and was then made immortal for THAT scene from Harry met Sally.

We then split up with the girls and Danny deciding to walk up o Union Square whilst Ann and I caught the metro .( it was 18 blocks so fair go, time is of the essence and I am a cripple still ) after a bit of bargain shopping at” Nordstrom rack “we meet up at “foot locker” where the girls each got a bargain Nike Airs and then split again and went to abc an amazing trendy home-wares store on 5th ave that was absolutely brilliant and then found some more great deals for Ann at “Ann Taylor” on Broadway before popping into ” lillys bar” near Madison Square Park. It was now getting towards dark and when we found The Flatrion building at the Park the light was perfect to capture the illusion of this very deceptive and clever building.

A quick trip back on the metro and it was time to prepare for our big night out to “The River Cafe” just under the Brooklyn bridge to celebrate Ann’s birthday as a family. We had a very informative bangladeshi taxi driver who gave us the best ever tour of Manhattan on our way.
The river cafe floats on a Barge in The East River and is a New York Institution with the prices to match but it was worth it, we had a great night and the food and view back to Manhattan were superb.Thanks Nat, for the suggestion of 2 of our best meals.

The next morning Beth went for a run twice around The Reservoir in Central Park while I walked it and enjoyed the quite atmosphere and then back for breakfast before another jam packed day. Monday was the perfect day for a cruise around the Harbour so we Metroed downtown to City Hall and walked through the sculpture park down to St Pauls chapel and ground zero. We did not do the tour but just being there and watching the reconstruction and monuments was enough. Even though there is new construction happening there it certainly had a eerie aura down there.

We then hit the pier 18 New York for the big water taxi rank and took the Liberty cruise across to Brooklyn , over to The Statue of Liberty and then up The Hudson river to the SS Intrepid museum at pier 85 and then back to pier 18. The city is so immense and from the water it is like it is a floating skyscraper island.

We enjoyed an excellent Sushi lunch in the Fulton Market district and then decided to head back uptown to MOMA, the modern art museum.
The late 19th and early 20th century art was my favourite with Picasso, van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin, Monet and Boccioni my favourites. There was also some excellent modern furniture exhibitions and the sculpture gardens were exceptional.

There was also free Wifi so the girls took advantage to communicate with the outside world.

We had booked cheap theatre tickets for Phantom tonight so we walked from 53rd street across 6,7 and 8th ave down to a cool Cuban bar for a drink on 48th street and then onto dinner at the best Vego food ever at Zen Palate on 9th and 46th, exceptional and cheap.

The Phantom of The Opera was really good , even though we has seen it many years ago, it is certainly a show that captures you and the Phantom, was awesome. Afterwards we walked up to Times Square to see the amazing light show and take in the vibe, it was so alive and buzzing and lots of NYPD’s around, so all in control, we then grabbed a cab home to a well deserved sleep.

We arranged to meet up with our Step-Nephew Derek Beamer (who is now living in New York and hoping to get work in his field in Film ) and after I walked through Central Park to the Natural History Museum and the Ladies did some separate shopping we met back at The Plaza Food Hall for another shot at their fab food. It was great share a meal and have a good catch up with Derek as it is 10 years nice we saw him last.

We split up again with the girls heading down shopping for shopping and Ann and I checking out the F.O. Swartz, toy store and metroing down to Macy’s to do a spot of bargain Jean shopping for me, and it was very successful, the jeans are so much cheaper, so I stocked up on a few pairs. We then did a spot of people watching whilst waiting for the girls in herald Square, watching the crowds go by and also taking in the changing light of the buildings around.

Ann and Amy went back to the apartment while Beth and I tackled the masses at the top of The Empire State building, well the 86th floor at least
And boy it sure was worth it, the lights went on forever and the epic dimension of everything was amazing.

Back we went feeling very satisfied that our week in New York was more than we had hoped or and gave us an appetite to get more intimate next time we pass through.

This is the view from our 27th floor apartment in The Marmara building, so long New York.

Boston is such a Historic city, the birthplace of the USA and the history is all around you. Directly across the oad from the Hotel is The State House where the Boston massacre took place and where Independence was plotted and where Declaration of Independence was announced.

Just around the corner was the oldest Luxury hotel in America and where JFK proposed to Jackie and next to that the first integrated church in the states dating back to the 1830′s.
We ended up at Constitution Dock where the most famous and oldest timber ship in the world is moored, 250 years old and still going.

We took in the sights and sounds of a very vibrant student rich city, over 300,000 students a 70 colleges including the famous Harvard and MIT where the Internet was invented.
Past Paul Reveres house and many other notable institutions and back to the hotel. I then went for a stroll as my foot was feeling much better and I was able to walk without a limp and wandered a few more streets before heading back for a rest.
Before we boarded the train to New York the next day we strolled down to Quincy Markets and toured around the streets before looking inside the Old State House museum and get our full dose of American Independence History.
I am writing this sitting on the train passing through the Providence region utilising the free Wifi.

After a short nap we decided on a discovery drive as my foot was really playing up today when I walked, now affecting the heel more than the ankle so off we went. The dusk was approaching so the light was lovely and we drove around a few of the bays admiring the housing and massive estates on the waterfront but realised that there was very little tolerance for visitors. Signs, signs everywhere signs , do not park here, tow way zones, residents only and nonpublic spaces even at most of the beaches.

We found some accessible areas but they were in the minority. We wandered around trying to find a general store in town and boy was that hard to find, eventually we found one as we had feasted on a massive Tuscan lunch special in Salem on the way and we only wanted a bit of cheese and fruit for a supper.

The next day was another cracker and after a nice sleep in we enjoyed a good breakfast with a Swiss couple and a German family so English was at a minimum.
We took off to the South today to see the sights down to Gloucester along the coast, past some amazing houses, rocky coastline and a few surprisingly nice Beaches, one we could actually park at and a few that virtually had Keep Out of our space signs up.

We contemplated a swim at Good Harbour beach that had masses of people having a fun and swimming but it was a bit windy so I passed on it but when we passed through town we found a lovely public park that felt like it was on Sydney Harbour and a stunning little beach called Half Moon Beach at Stage Fort Park where I had to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean to continue my desire to swim in as many places I can across the Globe. It was as cold as it can get in Sydney so it was a short swim.

The park had a big Rotunda in the middle and we imagine it would be the scene of many a great night.

We them made the best discovery of our jaunt around the coast when we stumbled across Hammond’s Castle, an amazing Folly by the eccentric and very successful/famous inventor of remote control John Gray Hammond Jnr. He was absolutely hilarious , and his Castle was built in 1929 on a cliff overlooking the ocean in the style of a medieval Norman Keep combined with a French Chateau. It has a Grand Hall, dungeons, towers and a covered inner courtyard that allowed him to control the weather inside for his guests to be surprised by. He held medieval feast nights and was the talk of society all over the east coast for his outlandish behaviour ,my kinda guy.

He has over a 1,000 inventions Patented to his name including the piano pedals and his massive pipe organ in the Hall is one of the largest in the world. He also loved to shock his guests with the life sized nude bronze of him self and many women guests would steal the fig leaves from his modesty patch as they left.

We grabbed some rolls and shrimps for a light lunch and later had a nice dinner and some interesting Ale in town.

We left for Boston the next morning but first spent a few hours on Bearskin Neck, the main Tourist section of Rockport and also the oldest, some buildings dating back 300 years and where Ann picked up some nice boots and I enjoyed my first decent Cappuccino since San Francisco with a nice Apple Strudel overlooking the lovely Inner Harbour.

The above pictures are some of the beautiful homes on Pleasant street

We took a walk up town and dined at a fabulous Caribbean restaurant and wandered the streets the best I could o take in the ambience and charm of this 18th century village, there were plenty of early Halloween decorations underway and we were impressed by the quality of the Real Estate Agents Premises.

We stayed in a lovely B&B “The Inn at Woodstock” and the room was very spacious and had a very comfy bed so resting up was very easy but with old buildings you have to remember that they make noises and people with big feet tend to stomp around a bit, just like the guy above us, he finally went o bed around 1am !!!

The next day we dropped in on the annual Apples and Craft Fair and scored a wonderful massage each and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine, the stalls and a slice of apple pie with the locals.

We then spent the next few hours searching the myriad of back roads looking for the elusive red maples and stumbled across some interesting villages along the way, one notable one was “Skunk Hollow”. We found some lovely New England architecture at every turn and decided to turn it into a tour of buildings and here are a few of the best.

We dropped back into town to get some lunch and enjoyed the atmosphere of a Woodstock institution “Bentleys” and took in the hectic Columbus day long weekend crowds in our stride as we strolled the main street.
Luckily there was a trolley car that circled the town and we got a lift back to save my very sore foot from any more agony, time for ice and elevation.

We have seen some classic cars on our journey but nothing as good as the sensational 1948 Cadillac Coupe De Ville that was parked near Woodstock. It was perfectly restored with white leather interior and has to be one of the coolest cars I have ever seen.
We spotted another classic 60s convertible in Salem on our way to Rockport and another OL 55 Bel Air in Contoocook, yes that is a town.

Our time in Woodstock was up and it was off on Interstate 89 through New Hampshire and guess what ? Fall has come, the landscaped changed and colour was everywhere and it was business as usual.

We had a lot of stops along the way for sightseeing and to prop up the foot and it helped a lot to have velcro ice pack as well.

The Cottage as they call it sits right on the lake and we watched as it turned into a complete mirror surface reflecting the other shore perfectly.

We had a lovely dinner prepared by Deb with a little help from Ann whilst i lazed on the lounge and drank beer resting my battered body and then we chatted for hours before bedtime. After a lovely breakfast of freshly made pancakes by Deb we packed up and went for a scenic jaunt thru the country side up to the Champlain lookout and to Pink lake and others along the way. Fall was starting late this year so the trees really have not put on a show as yet.

I was able to get in to see Debs Physio that afternoon which was great so I now have an exercise regime and strapping that Ann bought so each day I am improving.
We made a reservation at the Fairmont Laurier Hotel and had a beautiful dinner that night to thank Deb & Allan for their kind hospitality. It is another classic Hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway back in 1880 and it Oozes charm.

Our last day was spent visiting the Capitol Hill and parliament buildings that were very grand indeed and we took the. Elevator to the top the the tower which had great city views.

The interiors were like a medieval church and the whole design was very gothic rather than 19th century French.

We wandered down to the Market Square past the famous 7 Locks that link the canal to the River and checked out a cool photographic exhibition on the way to confirming our car for tomorrow.
After some lunch we found our way back o the Physio for another treatment. Ann and Deb went shopping for dinner and Allison & Pat her boyfriend put together a lovely Fajita meal or us all to enjoy.

The next day we were off and running early so said our fond farewells to Deb & Allan and hit the highway. A big Thanks to Deb and Allan for their wonderful hospitality, it was nice to feel at home on our travels.

Our cross continent flight landed in Montreal for the next part of the Canadian experience but as often happens the weather rules the roost and the heavens decided to open up and the wind decided to blow and the temp dropped to 5 deg so it was rug up, cover up and head forth into the unknown.

We knew from the forecast that our arrival in Montreal would be wet and that our 3 days would see the same conditions prevail so planning what to do was challenging. Inside activities and findings ways of getting them was the goal />

We are staying at the Gault Hotel a funky refurbed 19th century building in the old town that has been brilliantly put together. The room is huge and the location perfect, easy to get to everything.
We wandered around the cobbled streets near the old port and had lunch at a vibrant very popular cafe ( olive + gourmando ) on the corner of St Pierre and St. Paul street and then up to the Notre Dame Basilica and escaped inside to a magnificent sight. This 18th century church was so beautifully finished and so highly decorated it was as good as anything in Italy or France.

We had heard about the underground city in Montreal,to escape the rain we ventured into the subterranean world but only a few blocks as there were plenty of sus characters hanging around the Metro entrances and tunnels so we passed on more exploration for the comfort of our hotel room.

Day 2 dawned to even more rain and wind so with one umbrella discarded yesterday we bought another at the Marche Bonsecours a refitted old market building that is now a mini darling harbour style shopping arcade. We visited the Hotel De Ville( city hall ) a mini replica of the one in Paris and also The Chateau Ramezay one of Montreal’s oldest homes dating from the 17th century.

There are many such buildings in the Vieux-Montreal(Old Montreal) and the restoration of the area has been done very well.
The history of the region is very interesting with the constant battle for supremacy between the French and English still raging today but it’s the First Nations people and story of their battles, cooperation, abuse and capitulation that has shaped the success of The European settlers for without the Fur trade this region would have had a very different history.

We decided to try the Metro out and retreated from the cold and wet to the subway and a trip to Downtown to the Cathedral which is a mini replica of St. Peters in Rome and sat in on a mass for a while before heading out to Dorchester Square and another journey on the Metro.

We ended up on The Plateau and got hit by the weather as we emerged,so headed for the first restaurant we could find near Square St Louis.
Our feet were wet and we lost another umbrella on the train so it was nice to sit somewhere and peel off the layers. We enjoyed our turnip soup and chicken liver salad with many of the locals enjoying their brunch on a miserable Sunday morning, but really did not want to go outside again, it was windy and really wet so our plans of exploring The Plateau and Mile End were put on hold as we jumped in a taxi to escape the miserable conditions.

Back to the Hotel for a rest before a walk to see the Old Town night lights and some dinner.
But of course only a few minutes out and it pelted down, we were drenched and after a few knock backs from Restaurants that were fully booked,we settled on a Polish Restaurant,Stash Cafe, that had a brilliant Pianist and great food and wine.
No lights tonight, maybe tomorrow, fingers crossed!!!

The weather certainly does influence how you get to know a place you visit, and unfortunately for Montreal it has rained just about continuously , so our outdoor adventuring has been minimal, even with coats and umbrellas the rain still gets you at the angle.
The underground and the metro & buses, have enabled us to get around but as we would usually walk the city streets it has given us a different impression, from racing with umbrellas and watching for puddles instead of wandering leisurely in the sunshine like we had hoped.

Day 3
We ventured back to the Plateau area again this morning after picking up our tickets from the central station for our train trip tomorrow to Ottawa. The weather was marginally better but still not comfortable for walking too much so once off the train we searched for a bus and the went up to the mile end district to check out the street life but after a bit of wandering it was still uncomfortable so we grabbed some nice lunch at ….. And then as the rain came again we jumped another bus out thru the Outrement area to the university and then ended up in the outskirts where the bus turned around a headed back. We jumped out at a metro stop and after another change we got back to the Victoria Park station near the hotel

After another siesta we woke to find the streets dry and out we went to see the town at night and that was where I went wrong. After taking the following photo I stepped off the kerb without looking despite the white dots and down I went, twisted sprained ankle, wrist, forearm and elbow and bruised knee. Bugger !!! Pain, embarrassment and massive inconvenience ahead. At the time I was more worried about my camera that me and when I checked that they were OK the pain kicked in and I realized what damage I had done.

Even from a distance the roar is phenomenal as the water from a Glacier above discharges over a 254 m drop into the Yoho river. This was wild country and everywhere we went were Grizzly bear warnings as they can appear anywhere, but not for us. We were very elevated in this raised valley and the winding road was a sheer delight just cruising at between 30 to 50 km/h .

The water tasted so sweet and pure despite my odd facial and they whole experience was so powerful there was an amazing energy about the place, it had significant spiritual meaning to the first nation people and you can sense why.

I have often wondered how John can get even more energy whilst sightseeing and today his energy went into auto-pilot, whilst my sensory capacity for taking only a certain amount in at one time reached overload, so John kept going like the energiser bunny and after a while I had my fill of seeing any more mountains and lakes, so John ventured to some of the sights on his own. I absolutely loved the scenery and so much of it took my breath away, but like churches and museums there are only a certain number I can see in one day, unlike John who gets more buzzed from each one and is always wanting to see what’s around the next corner.

Along the Icefields Parkway w dropped into almost every side road or view opportunity we could. The first was Herbert Lake which was small and tranquil, like a little oasis, (see above)
We saw our first snow up close at Bow Summit near the amazing Peyto Lake which was the most azure blue especially when seen from above.

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We attempted to stop for lunch at a cute chalet but as we found they all only serve dinner so the search for food continued all the way to the Saskatchewan river.
Bow Lake and mountain can’t be missed as they dominate the landscape and the Clawfoot Glacier is so massive that the visible edge is the size of a ten story building.

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The next little aside was to the Amazing Mistaya Canyon that snaked it's way down into the valley through super hard rock so was only about a meter wide but the water was ten meters deep and so powerful.

The sun decided to shine and we stripped off the layers as we stopped by Bow Lake on the way back for a photo opportunity.

This is the view from our room and we scored a complimentary upgrade from standard to a suite so very happy about that.
I took a walk along the lake when we arrived and froze my butt off, it’s cold up here and will get below freezing tonight according to the reports but it also says sun back tomorrow.

The weather changing by the hour and the clouds are lifting to expose more mountain so even just sitting in our room and watching it pass is awesome.

Some beautiful sights along the Lake shore as well.

The sun will disappear soon but managed to pop these two shots off before we lose the light, this is far more beautiful than we had imagined and it’s overcast .

The next two days we spent exploring the region but each day back o the spenders of the lake and our amazing views. Our last day here we did the full 6 km lake edge walk and these are some of the images we captured.

We also took a trip up the Gondola to Lake Louise ski fields and the views were sensational, it was a good 5 deg warmer another 500m higher as it was 0 in the valley.

Below are a few shots from inside our room and the hotel as well as of a delightful little 1930s bungalow resort just down the road.

We were fortunate to wake to sunshine on the lake and the reflections and blue sky give it a even more picturesque beauty. The following a few more moods of the lake that we couldn’t resist photographing.