DAY 6
The next day, we were taken on a tour to transfer from Lake Louise to Banff which is located in the  heart of Banff National Park.  We arrived late in the day at the world famous 125-year-old Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel which is called Alberta Canada’s,“Castle of the Rockies.
The next day, like Rapunzel, I decided to stay and rest in the “Castle” while Josh and Barbara explored the City.

DAY 7
Then, on the final day in Banff, we took a six-hour sightseeing transfer tour from Banff to Calgary—our final destination. After exploring many places of interest and spending time in Banff for shopping and lunch, our Motor Coach Driver regaled us  with stories.  He told us that, as a child, he always preferred looking out of a window at school rather than doing the class work, whereupon his Mother said, “You’ll never make a living looking out of the window,” which, of course, turned out to be his beloved job.

After a stroll around Bow Falls and then Surprise Corner, the driver took us to the Banff Gondola where we took an 8-minute Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain for a literally (7,500 feet-high) breath-taking view.  At the top we had a 360-degree view of the townsite and the surrounding mountains.

When we returned to the Motor Coach the driver told us another story about the time he dropped off 40 tourists for a scenic stop.  Suddenly, in his rear-view mirror, he noticed they all had gone the wrong direction. When he got off the Coach, he saw all of his passengers taking pictures while surrounding a very large Grizzly Bear. The Bear moved forward on his haunches and then retreated. He did it again. That is the movement Grizzly Bears make before they attack. The driver ran to his passengers and yelled, “Get on the bus!” which they did as he tried to distract the Bear.  Finally, he ran to the bus, got on and slammed the door shut. That bus still has a paw indentation and Grizzly Bear scratch marks.  Made it just in time!

DAY 8
We arrived at the  Calgary Fairmont Palliser Hotel late in the day—just in time to run into a huge wedding reception in the lobby. In the midst of the bedlam, I was able to get my airline boarding pass for the next morning, and then we ran out of the hotel before our eardrums burst. We found a lovely out-of-door restaurant and then returned to the hotel in time for the wedding.  However, we did not attend since Josh had not packed  his tuxedo.

DAY 9
Early the next morning, I went to the airport and encountered the most stringent Security Check. The Security Lady felt my feet and looked at the bottom of my sneakers, while the Security Guy was playing with my silk nightgown.  OH, CANADA!  All went well, and I got back to Tucson with my nightgown and sneakers intact.  However, I am still doing laundry.

Esther Blumenfeld