Banff, a Frozen Wonderland - Gabrielle's 10th Birthday

MBG 2021 Provinces Series - Banff, Alberta (Dec 4-7 2021)

She once was a screaming ball of energy pulling mama and papa's legs to no ends. Mischievous little mouse indeed and she deserves the best there is from us! Gabrielle, my herald of good news, how time zoom in on us and you are suddenly 10! BIG 10! Happy birthday Gabby, as if Toronto is not freezing enough, we will take you to a frosty place of the proud Rockies and ineffable scenery that of Banff. We cannot give you the world because it is yours to take, but we will give you all of our love until you burst happy and full! 

Every special-once-a-year day in the life of Biw, we take her places to celebrate her birthday. We did not plan it, it just happen and I am praying, with God's providence to continue soaring the sky with her until she gets tired of us for a company and chose to travel alone.

Her 10th birthday is a snow-capped peak of the towering Rockies, frozen lakes, snow carpet everywhere, and frosty air. Banff is the ultimate place for surreal winter dreams, and if this travel did not happen, I never would have known, there is beauty in melancholy and warmth even in the depth of winter. Look back and read Gabby this mama's messy journal, but your 10th Winter Wonderland birthday is epic!

Day 1 of the Birthday Trip.

Airport and the Scenic Drive to Banff.

Who does not love airport runs and breakfast on the go? We definitely do! Air Canada takes us to the sky in style with in-flight entertainment and unlimited drinks. I had my eardrum-bursting moment with my rocker band, Marlon watched movies to no end, and Gabby's playing games, looking at the map and a never-ending "Mama, are we there yet?" situation. We did not have food from the aircraft because guess what, I got cheap and brought some pizza pops to munch on. To make traveling easy in our little birthday winter adventure, Marlon booked a car to rent for the duration of our stay. 

It took us 4 hours above the clouds. The road from YYZ airport to Banff took us an additional hour and a half. Banff is breathtaking, the drive from the airport is a holiday on its own. What a treat, my summer-loving heart was betrayed! Never have we seen mountains dominating the skyline, it looks as if we were inside a snowglobe with mountain ranges enclosing us. We have never seen so much snow in our lives, frozen lakes, and snow-covered trees.  A different world of contrasting greens and white with a few colors all throughout. I fell in love once again.

Hotel. 

We did not intend to splurge because we just got back from another awesome trip to Cancun, but Banff warrants extra spending. We made ourselves at home at The Rimrock. We got a premium room with an unrivaled view of the magnificent Rundle Mountain. Empty pockets after the trip are all worth it. I cannot express enough how beautiful the drive was from the airport to the hotel, words fail me. Indescribable just how jaw-dropping Banff truly is.

We were greeted by hotel staff right after the car was parked at the entrance. Bag drop, valet service, and an elegant overall stay. Rimrock is one of the luxurious hotels in Banff, but worth every pulubi-thoughts after. Haha. The hotel lacked amenities most luxury hotels boast to have but it impacted a little of how cozy it is. There are 3 restaurants and 1 fine-dining, we frequent Larkspur and breakfasted mostly in Primrose. There is a swimming pool and a jacuzzi, a gym - a feature we do not really care about and a Santa station. I was expecting a bit more of Santa on his workshop but he was nowhere to be found.

We did not wait to try the menu in one of the restaurants in the hotel, I had the best beef cream cheese bowl of pasta, Gabby had fish and chips and Marlon had a steak sandwich. Red wine at the side for me, because why not, life is a celebration and a toast just compliments it.

Our room prides the backdrop of the Rundle Mountain, Spray Valley, and snow-capped treats for the eyes to feast on. We had two queen-sized beds, a bar area, and a coffee area facing the grand display of nature. 

Banff Town.

After the hotel exploration, late lunch and freshen up we drove to the Town of Banff. The town is a shopping haven, dynamic and picturesque. It is for the seeker of fun, awesome finds, and wanderlust. It is especially the place to be for me for my souvenir shopping essentials. My holy grail of shot glass, magnet, and a piece of art were all accounted for with lots of extras added in the bag.

The first day of the birthday trip wrapped up beautifully with a nice hot bowl of Pho, crispy pork dumplings, and juicy pork bbq. There was a booking of excursions for the coming days too.

Day 2 of the Birthday Trip. 

The 2nd day of the trip, much like other holidays we had, is the busiest. We try to squeeze in as many activities as we can. Before braving the cold, we had breakfast at Primrose, a buffet of Western flavors, fruits, cheeses, and sweets. 

Gondola Ride.

We take our appreciation of the great beauty of Sulphur Mountain to the sky. We book a Gondola ride for a birds-eye view of the exquisite scenery. The summit experience took great heights from epic snowy views and explorations.

The trip to the crown of Sulphur mountain is nothing short of amazing. Gorgeous view at every turn, I just wished the picture I had in my mind during those times never fade. I have never seen a view so grand I dying to see how awesome it would look like in the summer.

Our beautiful birthday girl and the beautiful view around her. Own the world Gabby, we are at your back. No mountain is too high and no ocean is too deep, stay in the teachings of the Lord and be true to your heart's desire, you will scale heights just like how you scaled the peak of Sulphur Mountain.

Sulphur Mountian Boardwalk.

This got to be the prettiest walk we had. The wintry patch of soft snow, the sound of wildlife, and the frosty air make for an enjoyable walk. The path seems like an entrance to a world of dreamy winter castles, warm chocolates, and dancing snowmen. I thought that maybe at the end of it all, I will be greeting Santa in his pajamas.

It was a long walk down the frozen path but dreamlike. The summit of Sulphur Mountain holds beauty abound. Our walk was even made more special because the snow decided to say hello and throw little flurries at us.

Observation Deck.

A gorgeous to end our winter adventure is to indulge ourselves in a warm fireplace and maple candy at the observation deck. The view of the winter wonder below us is rewarding, we can really never fathom God's genius. We lived in the best world the Lord created for us. Winter may best describe Banff but I bet the summer season will paint the whole place differently. We can't wait to see the burst of colors for ourselves and to the observation deck once more, we will take all the beauty Banff has to offer.

Above Banff Interpretive Center.

The Center is a family-friendly experience of collective adventures and self-guided activities. The children get to enjoy and explore the frozen world around us, rewarded with a glimpse of history, and facts about wildlife diversity. There are pretend caves, fossils, paw-prints, maps, and a little bit of everything wintry kingdom of old and new holds.

Theater.

Above Banff house a theater for visitors to rest the weary legs and the frosty cheeks. The theater will take you on an adventure like no other. You will be immersed in the beauty of the great outdoors, you will learn of activities of both extremes and informative, and most especially, the screen will take you to the peak of the mountains Banff is famous for. 

Prior to the informative slide, you will be presented with a Disney special Christmas Carol. We never finished this and we never get to see the show about Banff too because we were all excited about the hot springs. 

Banff Upper Hot Spring.

We had a long and rewarding 2nd day of the birthday trip and we decided to cap it off with a warm soak at the Hot Spring. The spring is located at the top of Sulphur Mountain and was made into an easier access pool type but the water is 100% pure and unfiltered. The water temperature is at approximately 37 - 40 C that strongly rivaled the cold of winter. The soak did not only soothe our bodies but rewarded our eyes with awesome scenery. 

 

Butter Beer and Orange Juice.

After the relaxing dip, we walked back to our hotel for some chicken and beer. The 2nd day of the biwday trip spells fun but wait, Papa had something even more exciting in store for the birthday girl. We had to sleep early and woke up all smiles the next day.

I had the birthday girl for myself for a short minute because Papa had to run to our room. We raised a glass of aperitif and orange juice, asked how her day has been and if it turns out how she dreamt her Winter Wonderland birthday to be. She said it was more than she wished for, took a sip of her orange juice, and went back to her cellphone. Lol. 

Day 3 of the Birthday Trip.

The 3rd day of the trip is a one-of-a-kind adventure for the family and probably the most expensive! Lol. Dogsledding is so much fun, from the mighty and cute dogs to the unrivaled display of Canmore and above. Worth every dollar dropped!

Birthday Breakfast.

Before we head out into the grand adventure, we had our tummies full at Primrose for Gabby's birthday breakfast. The hotel staff came in with the cake, cheers, and huge pancakes.

Dog Sledding.

We booked Snowy Owl Dog Sled through the hotel concierge, they took care of us from the hotel pick up going to Canmore and back. For obvious reasons, each of us needs to be weighed and only 2 people per sled are allowed. That was where it gets expensive as we have to book 2 individual sleds. Gabby was decided to ride with me and Papa will have his journey alone. 

The trip on the road from Banff to Canmore took 30 mins. Upon arrival, we were greeted by one of the instructors that serve as the trip's facilitator too. We had 30 mins instruction sessions and team assignments. We also had the chance to get to know our team of dogs.

We cruise along the heights of Canmore, from a wide stretch of the snow-covered path and frozen lakes to the gorgeous Rockies as a constant display. We have learned a few instructions to relay to the dogs and of course lots of cheers to keep them going.

 

Our team of dogs from head to brawn: Griffin and Rascal, Habanero and Lloyd, Lourdes, Aramis, and Porsche. These doggies enjoy working and they crave compliments which are not hard to give seeing how strong and smart they all are. 

I am glad we did this, certainly the kind of adventure worth looking back to thousand times over. Dog Sledding is awesome, this got to be the most epic biwday trip ever!

Birthday Dinner.

We head back to the town for a last-minute shopping and birthday dinner of Ramen and Katsu. The town at night is breathtaking, the dancing silhouette of lights against the whiteness of snow and the dim of sundown just adds to an already beautiful place.

We had an obligatory selfie at the Banff signage across the street. That wrap-up our short but fun birthday trip. Mama and Papa had a little butter beer moment at the hotel too before saying goodnight to an awesome day of Gabby's 10th birthday.

Day 4 of the Birthday Trip.

Airport and Going Back to Toronto.

Going back to our equally cold place in Toronto ends our short birthday trip. Once again, we flew by Air Canada and as if they knew that it was Gabby's birthday, we were given compliments of a pair of earphones. This was an enjoyable flight for me as this was my first time having alcohol onboard, I satisfied myself with a tiny bottle of Botega and some chocolates.

The Fun Thaw Was. Banff. 

Banff is an overall awesome place to be no matter what season. I say this because the vastness of nature and its beauty never disappoints. The proud Rockies of Banff, valleys and lakes certainly make this place a little Eden of the North.  We hope to be back in the Summer for that competing display of colors the land has to showcase, until then, we will keep on dreaming and reminiscing!

An awesome trip we had, Happy 10th Birthday Gabrielle! The dog sledding I know takes the cake!

*MBGXBANFF*    *TheMarcosesXAlberta*     *2&1/2GypsiesXCanada*

Dec 4-7, 2021