Travelog for: Batyr

Dear Batyr!
We all wish you good luck on your journey! Aura is also on her way to Canada and I think you'll have a lot to talk about together
Thanks a lot Henna! You were a wonderful host for Batyr! I'm very happy that Marie-Jet sent him to you
Bon voyage!

Hi Galiya apa,

I am in Canada ! Today I was getting a bit concerned as I felt a lot of activity around my envelope .



But when I came out I found a bunch of TVs welcoming me here in Calgary . They were very impressed with the lovely gifts I brought with me .



Of course, a long night of storytelling followed .

Happy Easter!

Today we celebrated with some lovely TV-sized chocolate eggs . Not the gigantic chocolate egg  that sammino has been lobbying for over the whole week , but they were delicious .

Hi Galiya apa,

today we said goodbye and wished a safe journey to Landroval and Stoker that are travelling to Europe .

Hi Galiya apa,

today smaug came back home with a very interesting envelope .



And when we opened it a new TV came out, Aura a nice ladybird from Finland . And she brought some lovely gifts with her .



Of course, the chatting that folllowed went on and on and on....

Hi Galiya apa,

it looks like spring is reluctant to show up . Today we went for a short hike, but from the start we had to deal with fresh snow .



Nevertheless, after a bit we had nice views of Kananaskis Valley ...




...and of the mountains around us.




The ridge we were following seemed to go on a long way,...



...but, after a bit, smaug decided that he had enough of breaking the trail and we headed back .

Hi Galiya apa,

today a new TV arrived. Pepita one of smaug's own TVs has come home for a few days .

Hi Galiya apa,

today it was sammino's birthday, so we made him a surprise and had a cake ready for him .



We even managed to sing happy birthday before wolfing down the cake .

Hi Galiya apa,

today we did a quick visit to Banff , where we were mostly kept wet by a series of showers all day . We don't mind the rain much , but smaug insisted that the camera does not like water at all, so we just managed to get a lonely photo of the mountains during one of the few dry moments of the day .

Hi Galiya apa,

today we gathered to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Shakespeare and Pepita who are both travelling to Germany .

Hi Galiya apa,

today was a lovely day, so we went for a hike near Banff. Since early in the morning we had a nice view over Lake Minnewanka and Mt Rundle .



Further on the view of the lake improved...




...and got even better when we reached Aylmer Lookout .




It looked like there was still some snow over the mountains around us.




Later we stopped by the lake shore where we planned to lay down in the sun . Too bad it was a bit too windy, so we just took a few pictures before heading home .

Hi Galiya apa,

today we went over to the mountains where we were welcomed by some nice fresh snow and a thick fog .



That made a for lovely mid-winter atmosphere , but visibility was somehow less than ideal . We tried to keep going hoping that things would improve, but we were just treated with more fog and some shadowy tree.





So we decided to hide back in the backpack and let smaug wander in the fog at his pleasure and leisure .

Hi Galiya apa,

today smaug had to be in Vancouver and we managed to tag along , so early this morning we found ourselves at Calgary airport.



Once in Vancouver we spent most time locked indoor , but around lunch time we were allowed to take a walk to Stanely Park . There we had a great view of downtown .




As we kept exploring the park we approached Lions Gate Bridge. However the lions were not available to come greeting us .



Moving on we reached the other side of the park were we walked along the seawall...



...and enjoy the view over the bay .



Eventually smaug clearly indicated that recess was over, and so we headed back indoor .

Hi Galiya apa,

today we went for bike a ride to Highwood Pass . During the first part of the day we enjoyed riding along Kananaskis Valley .



With a little effort we eventually reached the pass...




...and moved on the opposite side into the Highwood River Valley .



For some reason, after we turned around, smaug became less and less amenable to the idea of stopping just to take photos , so we just had to stay in his backpack and scavenge whatever food we could find in there .

Hi Galiya apa,

this morning the weather was great so we headed to the mountains for a quick hike . Most of the trail was below treeline, but we got the occasional nice view of the Elbow River in the distance.



Eventually we reached the top of Powderface Ridge, where the view was great .






And we even made it back to the car before the afternoon thunderstorms moved in .