Towers, Tears and the Train Ahead
Pancakes, Poached Eggs and a Towering Start
Breakfast in the hotel was a feast in itself. The plates were so large we could barely fit everything on the table. Ros tucked into poached eggs, bacon and fruit while I took the sweeter route with pancakes piled high with berries and maple syrup. Fuelled up, we packed our bags and headed next door to Calgary Tower for our 10am booking.
The tower has been part of Calgary’s skyline since 1968, rising 190.8 metres above the city. Its observation deck sits at 160 metres, complete with a glass floor that lets you peer straight down to the streets below. It’s a smaller sibling to Toronto’s CN Tower, but no less nerve-wracking when you’re standing on that glass. As Ros pointed out, it looked like the whole thing was held together by a thin strip of rubber. Either way, I survived – smiley face and all.
Markets, Mini Donuts and Meeting the Group
After our tower adventure we wandered down the main pedestrian street where stalls were being set up for a flea-style market. Ros’s eye was immediately drawn to a van promising mini donuts – though it wasn’t open yet. By the time we checked out of the hotel at midday and stashed our luggage, she was already leading the way back. This time the donuts were ready and they hit the spot.
We still had some time to spare, so we grabbed a table and ordered more substantial food – a chicken salad that was fresh, tasty and just what we needed before meeting our tour group. At 1:30pm sharp our tour director gathered us together. Forty people in total – 25 from our hotel and another 15 joining at the airport. Some of them had been travelling since the crack of dawn from the East Coast, only to wait around Calgary Airport for hours. I didn’t envy them.
This was also the moment we rejoined Carol and Mick (Ros’s sister and brother-in-law) for the next stage of the trip. Travelling with them is always easy – they do their thing, we do ours, and we catch up along the way.
Scenic Roads to a Storybook Castle
The drive from Calgary to Banff was a showreel of colour. The trees were beginning to shift from summer greens into yellows, golds and even hints of red and brown, all set against the rising Rocky Mountains. With every turn, the views grew more spectacular.
And then there it was – Fairmont Banff Springs. Built in 1888 and modelled on a Scottish baronial castle, it looms out of the forest with stone turrets and sweeping wings. Over the years it has hosted royalty, movie stars and travellers from around the world. To see it in person is to understand why it’s one of Canada’s most iconic hotels. Our room looked out across the mountains and river – a view so grand it almost felt like a painting.
Dinner, Dessert and a Moment that Hit Home
That night’s welcome dinner was lively, full of chatter and clinking glasses. After dessert, the tour director asked each couple to introduce themselves and share why they had chosen this trip. When it came to us, Ros spoke. She explained that I was 2.5 years pancreatic cancer free and that this trip had been a dream we’d spoken about during those long hospital days.
The words didn’t bring the memories back in that moment, but they did later. At 6am, unable to sleep, I found myself thinking of those hospital nights where all I could do was lie there. Ros kept me going then by talking about travel, about Canada, about one day riding the Rocky Mountaineer and taking a cruise to Alaska. Those conversations planted the seed that grew into this very trip.
The memories came in waves – some painful, most precious. I know how lucky I am. Survival rates for pancreatic cancer are not kind, and yet here I am, sitting in Banff, surrounded by Ros, by family, by friends. If this page were handwritten instead of typed, it would be smudged with tears. Ros was right when she said her job was “just listening to me breathe”. That’s all I needed, and somehow it was enough.
Thankful for the Journey Ahead
From donuts and glass floors to castles and confessions, today was one of those days that stitched the past and present together. We’ve already shared laughter in Toronto and Ottawa with Lindsay and Stefan, and now the Rocky Mountaineer chapter begins. Next comes the train, then Alaska by sea, and eventually Halifax for Canadian Thanksgiving with Ros’s relatives.
And there is so much to be thankful for.
