Oh, Canada

Tom and I were guests of Liberty Mutual Insurance who treated us to an all-expense paid vacation in Banff, Canada. Can I just say, "WOW"? This was such an amazing treat! We stayed at the luxurious Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, also known as the Castle in the Rockies. It was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and sits in a spectacular setting in Banff National Park.

 And who do you suppose was waiting for us in the Grand Reception Room? The Queen and Kate!!

We caught the queen and her court taking a "selfie" to pass the time until the guests arrived.

We explored the beautiful grounds of this 5 star resort and marveled at the breath-taking scenery. 

Heading up to the 4th floor we were pleasantly surprised to find our room stocked with goodies and with a gorgeous view of the Bow River Valley and snow capped mountains. Sweet!

I must have taken a dozen pictures of this view out our window. So Gorgeous!

The first evening Dinner/Reception Party was quite a fun event. The food was exceptional and set the standard for what we'd see the following days. Amazing!

Check out these desserts.

                   Many colorful locals shared their stories as well as entertaining us.

Gotta love this Indian Chief texting between photo opps.














It had been an eventful day and we were tired but it stays light so late that we headed to the patio to mingle with the other guests. This picture was taken from our room at 10:30 pm.

The next morning everyone was welcomed by the executive team of Liberty Mutual. They shared an encouraging word about the past years performance and thanked all those in attendance for making it a successful year. Tom was fascinated with the multimedia presentation and thinks it's a great look for our stage at church. Haha

The special guest speaker was astronaut Dr. Jerry Linenger who shared his fascinating story about living aboard the Russian space station MIR. We were so impressed with him and the challenging feat that he had survived. He was truly a brilliant man, a gifted and motivating speaker, and yet a humble, down to earth guy. It was an honor to meet him and we felt proud to know America was so well represented in this historic mission. We were given Dr. Linenger's autographed book, 

Off The Planet and look forward to reading more about how he survived five perilous months in space with two cosmonauts on a broken down space station. 

Now off to our "tame by comparison" adventure... a raft float down the Bow River, 

Would have been nice to have a sunny day like this but truthfully, it turned cold and a bit rainy.

 These fashionable rain ponchos came in handy.

 

                                        Yay, We survived! Happy to have our feet back on dry land.

The following day Tom enjoyed a round of golf on this picturesque course. 

It was in excellent condition and lived up to the standard of a PGA course. 

                     

 Lorraine took a yoga class and then a lovely hike along the river and through the mountain meadows.

Dinner that night was at the beautiful Norguay Ski Lodge, just a short drive up the mountain from Banff.

Oh Yeah, can't you just smell the bbq buffalo brisket? 

 They had a live "Birds of Prey" display and I got to handle this huge eagle. He was a bit scary that close up. I was afraid he might think my vest was a varmint and pounce. Good thing it's faux fur.

This funny barn owl and little 8 inch owl were pretty cool, too.  

                            

    Lumberjack competition, mountaineering and survivor experts, candy making with fresh maple syrup and a live band for dancing...all made for a great night at the Norquay Lodge.

 Ahhhhh, now for a day at Banff's world famous, Willow Stream Spa. The natural hot springs beckoned travelers over 100 years ago and we can see why many still come to enjoy then today. We definitely took advantage of all the relaxing amenities: indoor and outdoor mineral pools, hot, medium and cool dipping pools, dry sauna, steam rooms and massages. What else can I say? I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Tom's soaking up the heated water running over the rocks and then doing his best lobster impression.

What a great way to spend the day!

The final evening Gala was in the lovely ballroom with a Northern Lights theme which set the tone for a special evening. The beautifully lit room was magical.

   

 To top off the gourmet meal the dessert plate was petite amaretto cheesecake, chocolate truffle and cherry sorbet in these glowing ice balls. Oh, my goodness, it looked and tasted amazing!

        The featured entertainment was The Tenors, a well known Canadian quartet, who sing operatic pop. Their spell binding performance captivated our hearts with their perfect harmony and moving lyrics. We gave them a standing ovation and waved our blue glowing ice bowls in the air. It was awesome! Afterwards we received a signed cd of their platinum album Lead With Your Heart. It will be wonderful to listen at home and remember this special evening and our incredible stay in Banff. 

The glorious sunrise on our final morning was a sight to behold. It made leaving even harder but alas, we must go home. We will never forget the amazing time we had and thank our generous hosts,  Liberty Mutual for making it all happen.