I live inCalgaryat the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It is a modern city that still retains some of the old world charm of the wild west. As far as I am concerned, the greatest bonus to living in Calgaryis that it is justan hour's drive fromtheBanff National Park with its fast flowingrivers, lakes and waterfalls,ski hills andhiking trails, camping sites andabundance of wild life.

Any out of townvisitor to our house can be assured a trip to the resorttown of Banff and surrounding popular touristattractions. These include the Bow Falls, natural hot springs and caves at the base of Sulphur Mountains and also a ride on the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountains. All this can be done in a day and we can be home before dark on a nice summer day with 16 hours of sunlight. But last week, after a glorious afternoon in Banff our visitors insisted they did not have enough of the mountains and so we decided to go further west toLake Louise to spend the night instead of coming back hometo Calgary. A phone call to the famous hotel Chateau Lake Louise confirmed that a room was available. Within half hour, we had driven into the parking lot of Chateau Lake Louiseon the shores of the lake.

It is almost impossible, upon first seeing Lake Louise, not to gasp at the sheer beauty. The breath-takingly beautiful greenish blue lake rests at the foot of the majestic Victoria Glacier capped by snow and ice all year round. Our visitors were so spell bound by the first sighting of thelake that they had to be coaxed to take their eyes off the scenery and come inside the hotel. After checking in, we suggested resting for sometime, but they voted to stay outdoors, envigorated by the beauty of the surrounding. We hiked up the mountain trail for an hour to reacha tea house perched on the mountain cliff that afforded apanramic view of the lake and the village beyond. The tea house offered a variety of choices of tea, sandwiches andhome madepies. Later whilewe descended down, the rays of the setting sun were playing on the surface of the lake, changing its colour from milky blue to anemerald green shimmering with a million rhinestones.

We lingered outdoors watching the canoes on the lake till the sun disappeared behind the mountain peak and a cool breeze sent shivers up our spines. In the warmth of thedining room, we discussed our plans for the next day, a canoe ride on the lake as well as a visit to the tunnel mountains. I will describe that experience in my next instalment.

I have posteda few pictures we tookon the firstday.