We spent time in Banff over the past two days. We saw a fisherman fly fishing on the Bow River, just downhill from the Banff Springs Hotel. The water looked cold! The Bow River,
upstream and downstream is beautiful, with mountains all around and that milky blue color
that so many Canadian Rocky Mountain rivers seem to have.
Downtown Banff is beautifully maintained, with old and new buildings mixed. We enjoyed the Banff History Museum, started in 1903. We shopped at the Hudson Bay Company, and then wandered around the Banff Springs Hotel, opened in
1888. It is an imposing hotel, styled after a
Scottish Baronial Castle, with 770 rooms.
After a terrific Greek lunch in downtown Banff, we drove out to Lake Minnewanka, about five
miles north. Lake Minnewanka is surrounded by mountains, some still snow covered.
Mostly clear skies with clouds and warm temperatures made it a perfect afternoon to stroll.
