Honeymoon Recap Day 1

You knew it was coming....the honeymoon recap.  I just can't tell you what an amazing time we had in Canada.  We could not have picked a better honeymoon location for us.  It was laid back, absolutely beautiful, there was plenty to do, but we were not overwhelmed and rushing around.  I cannot recommend a trip to Alberta highly enough.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Additionally, for anyone planning a trip to Alberta, here is some info about where we stayed, ate, etc.

Hotels

*  Four Points by Sheraton. We just needed a hotel by the airport and I have a friend who could get us a deal at Sheraton.  Nothing special about this one.
*  Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It was expensive, we didn't love the restaurants, but man, there are just no words to describe this view.  Spring for the lake view room.  Worth every penny.
* Banff International Hotel. This hotel was affordable and on the main street.  The wireless was sub-par and the rooms were kind of dated.  But we didn't spend much time in the room, so it was fine.  I'd probably try to find somewhere nicer if we went back.
* Mader Ranches. This one isn't open to the public...it's the Crazy Canadian's parents!  They hosted us for a night and it was a great time.

Restaurants

* Mountain Restaurant. We were starving by the time we got to Lake Louise.  This as a normal diner type restaurant--the chicken stir fry was decent.  Not great, not terrible.
*  Glacier Saloon.  This was the only half way affordable restaurant at Chateau Lake Louise.  It wasn't great either....average food, a lot of strange options, very expensive.  But that view?  Can't beat it.
*  Truffle Pigs.  This is a little joint in the village of Field, British Columbia.  The food was excellent--we both had a bbq sandwich and it was the first meal we really enjoyed in Canada!
* Melissa's Missteak.  Brunch.  Do it.  We did it twice.  Seriously, amazing food.  The Boy from Texas had steak and eggs one day and huevos rancheros the next.  I had french toast one day and nutella and banana crepes the next.  I'd go back right now if I could.
*  The Grizzly House.  This is a must-do fondue restaurant.  Was it the best food we had while we were there?  No.  But the atmosphere was awesome!  Definitely put this one on your list.
*  Saltlik Steakhouse.  Here it was.  Best food we had in Canada.  Absolutely amazing steaks are found here.  We didn't try it until our last night in Banff, but had we found it earlier, we would have been repeat customers.

Activities/destinations (You'll read more and see pictures in the coming posts)

* Hiking around Lake Louise.  Must do!
*  The Natural Bridge.  Definitely worth the drive to BC.
*  Emerald Lake.  It was neat, but you could leave this out.
*  Bow Valley Parkway.  We drove this two days--it's where we saw the wildlife you'll see later--it was amazing!
* Massages at Mountain Spa.  I'm not a huge massage person, but The Boy from Texas says it was really good.
* Browsing the shops on Main Street Banff.  Pretty cool to see the different shops.
* Tour the grounds at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Beautiful and free to walk around!
* Banff Gondola It's expensive, but the view from the top is just spectacular.  Leave it on your list.
* Drive to Longview.  We wanted to head to this area because Lonesome Dove was filmed here.  Leave this off your list--there are much prettier areas and more fun things to do.
* Tour of Mader Ranches.  Either meet the Crazy Canadian and invite yourself to visit her family's ranch, or find some other rancher to show you around.  It was really fun!

One sidenote....we were there during their "off season" between the summer folks and the skiing folks.  Because of that, a lot of things we wanted to do were actually closed.  The up side, however, was that there were no lines, no crowds, and we got upgraded rooms.  Here are the things we wanted to do, but were unable to.

* Ice Walk
* Glacier sky walk
* Lake Moraine
* Skiing at Lake Louise
* Banff Radium hot springs.


Each day, I posted a daily summary on Facebook to keep our friends and family abreast of our adventures.  I figure I'll start off each post with those and then go into more detail and share lots of photos! With that....here was Day 1.

Report Day 1: Made it to Calgary. Bags overweight. Probably all my boots. Saw Brooke Shields in the airport. Very tall. She wore a hat. She said hi. Got quizzed on Ebola at customs. "You know why I am asking these questions, you are from Texas." We passed. Had a nice cabbie but he smelled like curry. No one has said "eh" yet. Kinda disappointed about that. Off to Lake Louise now.

Experiencing Your City: Chicago and Albuquerque!

Today I'm excited to partner up with Kendra Thornton (former Director of Communications at Orbitz....aka:  A Big Deal!) to talk about "Experiencing Our Cities."  We each wrote a little blurb on our cities to give you some pointers if you're ever visiting.  (Since I just recently moved to Texas and am not totally versed in all that my new local has to offer, I will be talking about my former city of Albuquerque!)  Here we go!



Kendra Says...



I love to travel, whether to a different area around the United States or in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. I know you’re probably thinking that ‘traveling’ involves going outside of where it is you call home, but that is not the case! You can ‘travel’ throughout your hometown and end up finding new, previously hidden spots all the time! Below are some of my personal favorites that I’ve uncovered in Chicago.  

Shopping that Matters 

When you are looking for a fantastic place to shop, go to Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile.” This stretch of land has a huge number of stores to visit for people of all ages. There are high-end and other top name brands to shop in. While this sounds touristy, when you have a place like this at your disposal, it is best to take advantage!   

Millennium Park 

When seeing pictures of Chicago, you will often see photos from Millennium Park. This special park, which is located in the heart of downtown, has a number of beautiful architectural designs with things to see. The park features the sculpture Cloud Gate, unofficially called “The Bean,” due to its shape. It is a famous tourist attraction and has a special, mirrored surface that distorts faces and images. Millennium Park is a part of the larger Grant Park, which is often called “Chicago’s Front Yard.” 

Photo via Tiffany - 2010

 

The Skyline 

One reason I love Chicago is due to its incredible skyline. The beauty of the buildings when they light up at night is spectacular. With the many things to see and do in the Windy City, keep in mind that choosing the right place to stay overnight is quite important. Use a site like gogobot to review how others enjoyed their stays at hotels you are considering. Any hotel is not the right hotel when you can stay in the center of downtown or desire a historic hotel that may have even housed a famous celebrity.  

 

Photo via Tiffany - 2010

Real Chicago Pizza 

Whether I have just finished visiting Millennium Park or have concluded watching a Bears football game, I love my Chicago deep-dish pizza. While some restaurants around the country claim to have the real thing, Chicago has the real pizza. Lou Malnati’s is the place to go when you want to have deep-dish pizza like a Chicagoan would.

Tiffany says....

I'm a New Mexican through-and-through, but I have to admit that until I moved to Albuquerque, I hadn't spent too much time there.  But there are great events and lots of fun things to do and yummy food to eat!

New Mexican Food

The most important thing to know about New Mexico is that you will be asked at just about every meal the official state question.....red or green?  Meaning which color of chile sauce you'd prefer on your food.  (If you've not had it before, you might order it on the side because it's pretty spicy!)  Whether you have enchilladas, stuffed sopapillas, chile rellanos, or posole, you'll fall in love with New Mexican food for sure.  A couple of my favorite spots are Los Cuates and Casa de Benevidez.

Balloon Fiesta

This is THE event of the year in Albuquerque.  Each October hundreds of balloonists descend on the city and the sky is full of beautiful colors.  You get up early in the morning to head to the field, grab a hot chocolate and a breakfast burrito (with green chile of course), talk to the pilots, watch the balloons prep, and then just before sunrise they all take to the sky in Mass Assention.   Seriously, add this to your bucket list, kids.  It's amazing.  To see some of my favorite photos I snapped at the Balloon Fiesta, click here!
 

State Fair

If you have read this blog for a while, you know all about my absolute love for the New Mexico State Fair.  I've been there for the junior livestock shows (I grew up showing pigs and lambs and my family raises show lambs and steers!) for 18 years in a row.  IN A ROW.  There are huge barns full of animals, livestock shows, rodeos, concerts, fair food, shopping, and carnival rides.  It just wrapped up for this year, but next September it'll be back again!  (To read about my family's State Fair history, click here!)

State Fair circa 1996.  I'm the one dresses like a table cloth from
some country picnic!

 

Brunch

Albuquerque loves brunch.  Well, maybe it's just me and my friends who like brunch....whatever.  There are some yummy options for sure!!  If you're looking for something a big more on the expensive/fancy side, hit up Farm and Table.  They grow all their own food and have a super fun menu!  Plus it's in a beautiful setting in the North Valley.  My go-to spot is The Grove on Central.  We used to eat there all the time on Sunday mornings.  Be sure you try the cupcakes.  To.Die.For.  

The Tram

 

Lastly, we have The Tram, which is a major Albuquerque attraction.  It runs from the foothills of the Sandia Mountains to the peak and is the longest tram in the world.  It's not super expensive and gives you great views of the city, especially at night!  Riding the tram was one of the list items I included on my 30 by 30 List.  To read about that experience, click here!