Canada Spotlight: Rocky Mountain High
With landscapes that leave you breathless at every turn and its warm, friendly people, Canada stirs the soul like few destinations can. The best way to see it is on board The Rocky Mountaineer.
Getting There
I’m not going to lie to you. The flight from Sydney to Canada is longer than the list of reasons of why I should win Lotto, but it’s worth every Frequent Flyer mile you’ll earn, and then some.
Checking in to Vancouver’s Fairmont Pacific Rim (www.fairmontcom) will put the spring back in your step fairly quickly. After a lush two-night stay, eating almost every morsel the hotel’s four restaurants have to offer and working it off by cycling around the Seaside Bike Path, I kissed both my jetlag and Vancouver behind and embarked on the next leg of my journey - from Vancouver to the awe-inspiring Lake Louise on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer (www.rockymountaineer.com).
All Aboard
The Rocky Mountaineer offers three levels of service on all journeys. Gold Leaf has reserved seating in a bi-level domed carriage featuring panoramic views on the upper level, fine dining on the lower level and an open bar once you near lunchtime. There’s also an outside vestibule, where you can inhale fresh mountain air and admire the incredible scenery.
Equally as fun though, are the less expensive Silver and Redleaf Services, which also offer meals and beverages, assigned seats and individual attention.
Fine Dining
The Goldleaf dining car serves a la carte warm breakfast choices, and for lunch there’s a choice of several Five Star dishes, including local wild caught salmon. Despite the restrictions of cooking on a moving train, the food is on par with any hatted restaurant I’ve eaten at.
Spectacular Scenery
As the train weaves through the Rocky Mountains up to Lake Louise, the colours and views change from lush, green foliage set against majestic cliffs to wide, pristine lakes and gurgling streams and rivers. If you’re lucky, you might spot bears, elk and deer.
With the setting sun, the train pulled in to the picturesque town of Kamloops, where we overnighted at Hotel 540 (www.hotel540.ca). Kamloops is a quaint town filled with charm and typical Canadian hospitality. It has a thriving arts, culture and heritage scene all year round. There’s also an abundance of outdoor activities to get involved in, like kayaking, golf, dirt biking, fly fishing, rock climbing, wagon rides, swimming and of course, eating.
I had no time to get active on my overnight stay, but choosing a restaurant wasn’t easy. With hundreds of options including Japanese, Italian, traditional American fare, Mediterranean, Mexican and so much more, you’d need a month to sample all on offer. I unearthed a cosy, pub-style diner called Tumbleweed’s Neighbourhood Pub, where we ate hearty meals to an aural backdrop of a local folk group performing. It was perfect.
Glacier Delights
A delicious breakfast in the dining car got the next day started on a happy note and it just got increasingly better. Today’s trip was a kaleidoscope of glistening glaciers, snow capped mountains and the most pristine, azure blue waterways I’ve ever seen. Before I knew it, I was in Lake Louise, and it was to be one of the most spectacular experiences of my life.
Also known as the “Jewel of the Canadian Rockies,” Lake Louise is set in a small glacial valley surrounded by majestic mountains. Imagine if you will, the sparkling blue of a husky’s eye and then triple its intensity. You’d then have a fairly close idea of the pinch-me-I’m-dreaming colour of this pure, untouched lake.
Living the dream
Checking in to the Fairmont Lake Louise Chateau (www.fairmont.com) was like arriving at a fairytale castle, complete with European style architecture, enormous rooms and high ceiling. But the drawcard is undoubtedly that Lake, which I had the privilege of canoeing on later (it’s an option for all guests, but it does indeed, feel like a privilege).
Dipping my hand in the gemstone coloured water was surreal – it was like a sheet of tinted glass that rippled at human touch.
That night, I enjoyed a casual dinner in the Hotel’s Lakeview Lounge, followed by a few nightcaps at it’s friendly basement bar, The Glacier Saloon. The Hotel boasts seven eating spots, from fine dining to deli, and a full room service menu.
The Journey Ends
The following day was taken up drinking in the view and eating at the sumptuous Fairmont Dining Room. I also enjoyed a spot of shopping in the lobby’s many and varied stores, and then it was time to go.
I want to say that The Rocky Mountaineer is a once in a lifetime experience, but you’ll want to go back it every year. I know that I do. In fact, there was one woman in our cabin who was on her twenty-seventh journey in just 11 years and said she had no intention of ever stopping. I can certainly see why, and you should most certainly find out why for yourself.