We spent two weeks in Canada! Most of it was staying with Carmen and Matt, our friends we made on our honeymoon in Fiji! They are a welcoming couple and their home is beautiful! They took us into Banff and showed usage beautiful and old Banff Springs Hotel built in 1887! We also saw Lake Minnewanka and touched the icy cold water! No way we were going for a swim! So it's nearly summer there but the mountains are still capped with snow and it looks so amazing! We all had lunch together in downtown Calgary at a revolving restaurant in the observation tower. We went iceskating one morning and that was heaps of fun! It was Nic's first time and she didn't fall over! Jacko did fall over but laughed it off like the champ he is! Cooked up some pretty tasty meals with Carmen and Matt which was a nice change from our staple backpackers diet! There was also a lot of bike riding through the parks and streets which was awesome fun and much needed exercise (we became couch potatoes for the week which was lovely and relaxing.) We also paid Vancouver a visit! After a sleepless night on a overnight bus trip through the Rocky's, we got to Vancouver in the morning and headed to Stanley Park where the Vancouver Aquarium is. We got to see a 4D documentary narrated by David Attenborough, Dolphin Show, Beluga Show, African Penguins, Anacondas and much more. We took a walk through the very green Stanley Park to a tiny light house then checked into our hostel, The Cambie! Lots of rooms, a pub underneath and very close to a lot of things. The next day we took a bus to Granville Island and checked out the Public market. Yummy chocolates, fresh fruits, deli meats and cheeses, fresh flowers and Lots of people lunching. Pretty cool place. Then Nic dragged Jack to a thrift store in Yaletown. Nic got a few things to add to her already bursting backpack, then Jack spotted some rollerblades! A perfect purchase! The thrift store was a success! So we put the blades on and realised it had been a while since the last time we bladed! But we will get used to them! Our last day we woke up early and headed for North Vancouver on a ferry. Then hiked up the Grouse Grind which is a trail 2.9 kms long with an elevation gain of 853 metres! After just over an hour we started to see a little bit of snow on the ground and then when we reached the top we were at a Ski Resort! There was still 5 meters of snow on the ground! Thinking it was pretty cool to see we took a look around and found TWO GRIZZLY BEARS! Both held in captivity but a very natural large setting in which they can still build there own dens. It was so cool to see them! Spent the next day from 6.30 to 10.30pm on a bus returning to our friends in Calgary to spend one more day with them before we flew to New York City!