Alberta

The Historic Banff Hot Springs

Posted by My Life in the Sun on September 10, 2014 Leave a Comment

One of the iconic features in Banff is the Upper Hot Springs. What could be better than taking some time to relax in a natural hot tub with heath benefits while on a family vacation? Not much! Did you know that the Upper Hot Springs is filled with 100% natural mineral water?

When we first arrived in Banff we actually had no idea there were two locations of the Banff Hot Springs: the original location at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site and the Upper Hot Springs, which hosts the incredible bath house built in 1904.

We spontaneously decided to go to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site and I’m so glad we did. We learned a lot about the history of Canada’s Parks!

The Cave and Basin Site is where the hot springs were originally discovered by Canadian Pacific Railway workers in 1882. This discovery led to the creation of Canada’s first National Park! A bathhouse was built on this site in 1886, however it was destroyed by fire twice before closing to the public for bathing. You can tour the cave and museum here, and learn more about hot springs and how they work!

At the Cave and Basin National Historic Site you can also check out the traditional bathing suits people used to wear at the hot springs. Pretty fancy eh? [Read more…]

The Banff Gondola by Brewster Travel Canada

Posted by My Life in the Sun on September 9, 2014 1 Comment

It’s a little bit of a shock for two children to come, from the East Coast of Canada, and see the Rocky Mountains for the first time. Nothing was quite as amazing for them as the ride on the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulpher Mountain. You just can’t experience the full grandeur of the Rocky Mountains from the ground. To really experience the views of snow peaked mountains for miles, you have to take the Banff Gondola, run by Brewster Travel Canada, to the top of Sulpher Mountain.

My daughter’s were a little nervous of the gondola ride at first, but ,after they realized how smooth and comfortable (and safe) the ride was, they started to enjoy the amazing views!

The Banff Gondola was first constructed in 1958. The trip up the mountain takes 8 minutes and the gondola can take 650 passengers each way every hour! That’s incredible. [Read more…]

Speeding down a Mountain at Skyline Luge

Posted by My Life in the Sun on September 5, 2014 1 Comment

There are a lot of interesting and extreme activities on my bucket list, but I had no idea a regular person (non-Olympic athlete) could luge down a mountain, until this summer. I am so glad I found out about SkyLine Luge, in Calgary, Alberta, before our trip out west this summer. Riding up the mountain at Olympic Park, on a chair lift, and speeding down the mountain on a luge cart, was a thrilling activity to experience with my family. I don’t think any of us will ever forget it. Skyline Luge View Collage_Fotor

The Skyline Luge track runs alongside the famous Winsport Olympic Luge track in Calgary and is 1.8 kms long. You descend 100 metres from the top of the mountain to the bottom. When we first arrived at Olympic Park, we saw the chair lift first and my daughter’s and I were definitely a little nervous. We had only ridden a chair lift once, in the winter at a ski hill. [Read more…]

Cavalia’s Odysseo; A Spectacular Show

Posted by My Life in the Sun on September 1, 2014 1 Comment

My sister-in-law and I were privileged to have VIP Rendezvous seats, for the August 8th show, of Odysseo, in Edmonton. Created in the likes of Cirque de Soleil, Odysseo combines the beauty of horses with the showmanship of horse riders, acrobatics, Imax screens and theatrics.

The show takes place inside a 125 foot high White Big Top tent, and incorporates more than 60 horses. The horses are the heart and soul of the show and Cavalia is committed to their health and well-being. The training method they use is designed to make sure the horses enjoy the training and performing on stage. Isn’t that wonderful!

When we arrived, we went into the VIP Rendez-Vous area, which was also in a large white tent. It was magical inside, the tables were covered in white table cloths and there was soft blue lighting everywhere. There was a store for souvenirs, an appetizer table, a bar and an art show. When the show was about to begin they served popcorn at the door.

[Read more…]

Exploring Edmonton with Family

Posted by My Life in the Sun on August 29, 2014 Leave a Comment

We had a great reason to put Edmonton on our travel bucket list, and visit there this summer: my sister-in-law lives there, and we couldn’t wait to visit her for the first time. We had no idea when we started planning our visit, how many things there would be for our family to do in Edmonton! We filled five amazing days with fun family activities, and could have stayed much longer!

My daughter’s were ~~very~~ extremely excited to see West Edmonton Mall, a destination in itself! It hosts the world’s largest parking lot, world’s largest indoor amusement park, world’s largest indoor wave pool, world’s largest indoor lake (complete with a replica of Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria) and the world’s largest indoor triple loop roller coaster. The mall also has an indoor skating rink, mini golf course, sea life caverns and a sea-lion show. Not to mention 800 stores and services! It didn’t disappoint us, we spent two whole days there enjoying exploring and shopping. You can read all about our visit to West Edmonton Mall HERE.

Our next stop was the Telus World of Science. We love going to science centre’s and museums. The Telus World of Science in Edmonton had a temporary exhibit about conservation on, called Wildlife Rescue . My youngest daughter currently wants to be a zoologist when she grows up, so she loved the emphasis this exhibit put on taking care of wild animals. The Body Fantastic was a fun permanent exhibit about our body and how it works. There was a lot of our tweens to do in the Science Center.

[Read more…]