Good evening!

Well I have a lot to update you all on and not so much time to write about it all as I am due to go for a few drinks :-)

So the last time I wrote I said I had had a day of nothing! I ended up going out that evening and chatted away to a kiwi who was over here looking for work but quickly gave up after realising how much competition there is this season in Canada! Turns out he used to live in Nuneham Courtney and his sister's at university in Glasgow so it turned into random chat about which bars are the best in Glasgow and we even got chatting about Neds and buckfast!! They're reputation is known throughout the world it would seem!

The following day I met up with a French couple, Marion and Fabien, and a Swiss girl called Claudia and we rented a car so that we could see Lake Louise and drive the Icefield Parkway to Jasper and see all the sights you don't get to see when you're travelling in a bus between towns. Lake Louise was impressive but I would love to see it in the summer when it's a deep turquoise blue colour. This time of year it is frozen and by mid winter apparently the top layer of ice will be 1 m thick and you can walk on it. I'd rather not take my chances though - it's a big lake! After the lake we headed to the Icefield Parkway which is the Highway that joins Lake Louise and Jasper, only to find that it was closed because the snow plough was broken and there was risk of avalanche... gutted! So instead we drove to Golden stopping at lakes and random places on the way and got some great photos. We were really lucky as it was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies. We couldn't have asked for more! We then returned to Icefield Parkway to see if it was open... it wasn't. So Instead we headed to the ski slopes in Lake Louise to have a hot chocolate and watch the skiiers and boarders. When we headed back to the Highway the third time it was open! Yay! But too late by this point to go all the way to Jasper. We still drove up part of it as it is a really beautiful scenic route surrounded by glaciers (hence the name Icefield parkway) By this time the sun started to set so with the clear skies and the trees and the mountains, it was absolutely stunning and we got some great pictures :-) We headed back to Banff and I went for dinner with the frenchies in Magpie and Stump (as recommended by Geo) It was very tasty mexican food (burritos made the right way not Las Iguanas style!!) and the first proper meal I've had in a while :-) The Frenchies have now moved on to Calgary to get a flat together in time for Christmas. They have also given up on the job hunt after the job resource centre told them it would probably be another 3-6 weeks before they could get a job in the mountains here! :-S

Today, I got up bright and early to hit the slopes in Lake Louise. It was FREEZING! -10*c to be precise! I have never felt so cold before. My toes and fingers were actually in pain and are still a red colour now :-S The snow was amazing though and that was some of the best skiing I have done in a while. I could only manage an hours skiing at a time and then have to head indoors for a hot choclate to warm up for 20 minutes! They also held the Winterstart World Cup downhill competition today, which I have already mentioned in a previous blog, so I sat and watched the beginning of that. Luckily Dalcin was one of the first skiiers to go so I didn't hang around for long after that, wanting to make the most of the snow! He was 3rd when he went but I don't know what his final position was.

Tomorrow I head to Calgary to stay with Katharina for a couple of nights. I am looking forward to being shown the "real" Canada away from the touristy sights.

Well now that I have warmed up and caught up on emails/blog I better head off to go for a drink with a girl from the hostel.

Hope you're all well and are having a great weekend too!

Love,

Elodie

XxX