Jasper is my favorite National Park, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I wanted to go somewhere else this time.
Nearly a year ago we took ourselves to Canmore and found that we quite liked it there. We went to Banff as well but spent very little time in the town.
This year we planned to spend our time partly exploring Canmore and partly doing things in Banff.
After arriving mid-day on Friday and getting checked in to our hotel we set out for a walk and to look for somewhere to eat supper. We weren’t really prepared for how cold or windy it would be along the way. Fortunately once we got downtown there is a door every few feet that we could have gone into for warmth.
To be honest, it really wasn’t very long before we were too cold and too hungry to care where we went so we returned to the restaurant we ate in last time; The Grizzly Paw Brewing Company. Considering that I’m a pescatarian and neither of us drink, it’s not the most obvious choice, but we enjoyed it anyway. The winners of the evening were the orange cream soda (made locally) and the Caesar salad with fried capers. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of frying capers, but I think I love them.
Still not quite warmed up after supper, we went for tea at Good Earth Café. By this time of day it was mostly empty so we could enjoy the big comfy chairs and each other’s company for a while without too much distraction. I made sure to have enough tea leftover to keep my hands warm on the way home too.
Saturday morning we enjoyed a much needed morning of sleeping in and taking our time to get ready for the day before breakfast.
We found the morning much warmer and more pleasant than the night before and even had our breakfast on a patio. Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. turned out to be the very best breakfast decision we could have made, a decision I would like to be able to make on the daily. We considered stopping in on our last trip but were deterred by the long line. Because of how thoroughly I enjoyed my Greek bagel, I will know for future reference that the line up is well worth the wait. Spinach eggs, tomato and feta on a cheddar bagel are a true winning combination.
Mountain Juice café was our next stop. I wouldn’t consider it ideal to get smoothies and then go for a long winter walk, but they’re too delicious to pass up.
One of the really lovely things about Canmore is that you can be walking through town one minute and then suddenly find yourself crossing a bridge surrounded by nothing but mountains and trees the next. We walked for quite a while before stumbling back on to Main Street in search of warmth.
We had been recommended to check out CommuniTEA but it was closed when we tried before. Now was the perfect time to go back.
As it turns out, CommuniTEA is exactly the kind of place for me. A Bright comfy café with a huge tea selection and a really delicious looking menu that's perfect for vegetarians. We weren't ready for lunch so I didn't get to try the food, but my pink grapefruit herbal tea was great. Well worth another visit on our next trip through Canmore.
This trip unintentionally turned into us doing not much of anything except enjoying our time away from home and work, walking huge amounts and eating all the delicious food.
We walked over 10 miles throughout the day on Saturday and barely covered any ground. I initially felt a tiny bit guilty that we finally got out of town and weren't even doing anything with our time, but it was exactly what I needed in my life.
Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do.
We skipped lunch all together in favor of snacks so when supper time came we were ready for some real food. Rocky Mountain Flatbread caught my eye earlier in the day and after looking at the menu online we decided to check it out.
We had to wait about 30 minutes to get in the door but for pizza waiting is OK. All the pizza here is cooked in a big stone oven and comes out just perfect; melty, crisp and delicious. The only downside is that the oven produces a lot of smoke and it hangs in the air, burning my eyes. For the sake of good pizza, much like waiting to get in, I put up with it.
We had no more energy after our late supper and went back to the hotel in favor of watching TV in bed. Next stop, Banff.
