Day 56: Around Banff

At first glance, it is easy to fall in love with Banf. Gigantic rock mountains surround it, the streets are busy with well-dressed people, and it has a European Chic. However, as you look closer – (mainly at the price tag), and come back from months of virtual solitude – there were times it felt like a big tourist trap. Nevertheless – we liked getting caught in the trap. The town reflects high-end everywhere you go, and that was very pleasant.
The morning started hazily (it felt like some smoke blew into the valley)- we headed to the hot upper spring to hike the trail of the upper Sulphur mountain. One can easily get to the top with the Gondola, but if we can choose between Gondola or climbing by foot 2,480 feet – we will prefer the latter. The hike itself was not very difficult – as the slopes were very reasonable, yet the trail was mostly walking in the forest, and at least during the climb, the haze was not helping to get inspired by the view. It had all changed when we reached the top. Miricoulsy – everything cleared up, and we enjoyed a fresh warm coffee in the beautiful tourist center and fantastic views. We completed the hike by climbing to the historical weather forecast station, meeting some goat mountains up close, and soaking in some more views of the valleys.
As we went back into town – we stopped at the impressive bow-river falls and continued to stroll downtown. We visited the local farmer’s market. We were impressed that the farmers here are not growing fruits or vegetables. Instead- they grow all kinds of hand-crafts and tourist merchandise. The IPA of the Banf Brewing Company in the mains-street was overpriced and not so great in my mind, but it served its role as a first drink before we had 2nd one over dinner at our RV.