7 August 2011

Riding the rails from Banff to Vancouver adds a unique experience to the scenery of Western Canada. It is ideal someone who has a limited amount of time and wants to enjoy breathtaking scenery without having to sit behind the wheel of a vehicle for hours on end.

My Rocky Mountaineer experience however did not start with a ride on the award winning train. It began as I arrived at my hotel in Calgary, Alberta Canada. I checked into the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in downtown Calgary which is an almost 100 year old Canadian Pacific (CP) Hotel adjacent to the train tracks in downtown Calgary. The rail station is connected to the hotel by a covered walkway and the hotel is connected to an incredible glass domed museum where special trains can still come in to pick up and drop off VIP groups.