All packed up and ready to leave Lake Louise for the final day of our holiday, and it was a long one too!

After breakfast we had a drive up to the lake which was stunning but is still almost completely frozen. 

Apparently it doesn’t thaw until June. We took a few snaps there then went into Lake Louise town, which consists of about six shops, to get some stuff for lunch. We set off on Highway 1, past Banff, towards Lake Minnewanka, (great name!), stopping off at  xxx falls on the way. It was a 1.5 mile walk to the lower falls but it was a lovely walk through a wooded area and then onto a bridge that cut round the edge of the rocks. Ava loved it and was hugging the trees and counting dogs and jumping on rocks. She found a big stick to walk with and wanted to take it home. The falls were lovely and there was a small cave cut into the cliff that you could go through to get even closer to the water. Ava kept on saying wow!! On the walk back a guy gave us some monkey nuts to feed to a little chipmunk which was practically eating nuts out of people’s hands. He was very cute and Ava loved it. 

  
Our little explorer did so well, she  walked the whole way, never complained or asked for a carry once, she just enjoys everything we do with her. 

Back in the car and a sleep for both kids while we headed out of the National parks and towards Calgary. We were disappointed to see the end of the stunning views we’d both enjoyed over the past few days and it was amazing to see how quickly the scenery changed. It was mountain after mountain then suddenly they just stopped and there was nothing but grassy plains for as far as you could see. 

The skyline of Calgary soon appeared as well as the Olympic park which was used in the Winter Olympics of 1988. You could see the ski jumps and the bobsleigh, which I’d love to have a go at! 

We parked very close to Princes Island park which was beautiful. It was a gorgeous afternoon and the park was full of families enjoying the sun after the long Canadian winter. 

 

 
We fed some Canadian geese, played in the play area which Ava loved and even Tom got to enjoy the swings. 

  
We left there and headed into the city. It was almost completely deserted due to it being Victoria Day. A public holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday bizarrely enough! It looked like a very rich city, lots of skyscrapers and the offices of big oil companies everywhere. 

 

We had a walk round and tried to get something to eat but quite a few places were closed and another wouldn’t allow children. We eventually found somewhere we could eat and shared a salad and a steak, which was delicious, I even had a cheeky cocktail!

  
From there it was a short drive back to the airport to catch our flight home. It was actually quite exciting as we were travelling home Business class so I was quite looking forward to seeing how Ava enjoyed that. We boarded the flight a little late, but Ava was very happy when she saw her seat. We both had a glass of Champagne while Ava got water. 

 

 
Soon it was time for take off and as soon as we were in the air Ava’s bed was flat and it was milk time. She was so excited but at the same time she was exhausted and couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore before sleep took over. 

 

  

 
Sadly Tom wasn’t so keen on the bassinet on the return journey so I lost my seat and ended up lying on my side in the smallest space possible so Tom could rest well. 

 

They both slept the whole flight including David, so once again we were so proud of how our intrepid little travellers had been throughout the whole trip. It is so lovely when people come over to us to tell us how well they’ve both behaved. It was the perfect end to what’s been an amazing holiday. 

Looking forward to our next family adventure already….