Three Days in Banff (Day One)

This page is best viewed on a computer or tablet.

Check out the rest of my Banff trip:

• Three Days in Banff (Day Two)
• Three Days in Banff (Day Three)

I’ve been itching to get away from the city for a while, but I didn’t have the money or time to go outside the country. So instead, I decided to do a three- day trip to Banff.

Throughout the whole year, I haven’t been to Banff yet so it was a perfect time to go! It’s early October, so the crowds are smaller and Banff is less crowded. The weather is also perfect, as winter will pick up around mid-November, so it’s brisk but not freezing.

Onwards to Banff

In this trip, I opted not to drive to Banff this time, because I thought it would be more expensive to drive when you consider the Banff Park entrance fee ($10/adult per day) and the cost of gas (~$35 for a round-trip from Calgary).

Instead, I bought a round-trip Greyhound ticket from Calgary for only $41, which is about $25 in savings. Also, Banff is pedestrian-friendly, so I’m not too worried about getting around. Plus, there is a public bus transit system that takes you to many of the tourist sites in Banff.

The bus left Calgary at 12:45PM and arrived in Banff at 2:30PM. The ride wasn’t uncomfortable but it certainly wasn’t business class. At least no one decapitated me this time.

Thanks to Google Maps (and cellular data), I won’t get lost in Banff. When looking for a place to eat on Zomato, there was a restaurant in Banff called Chaya that served Japanese curry rice! We have none in Calgary, so I was really excited to eat here! Much to my dismay, however, the restaurant just closed until 4PM when I got there.

Instead, I just went to The Eddie Burger & Bar, another popular eatery in Banff. Burgers wouldn’t be my first choice, but this restaurant had a high rating and I was actually hungry (burgers almost usually satiate my appetite). Here, I made my own veggie (chickpea) burger with a side of sweet potato fries.

It was much appreciated that the burger was huge to curb my hunger. And bigger than my fist! And it was good! But then I got my bill, and man…I am disappointed. The whole meal was $22! Who charges for fresh vegetables?!?!?! My review of Eddie Burger and Bar here.

After lunch, I checked into my hostel, Banff International Hostel, to drop off my things clothes (I only brought one backpack). For two nights, the total came up to $65, which wasn’t too bad considering that it is Banff.

Photography Mode is On

I’m starting to embark my new hobby in photography, and there is A LOT to learn. This Banff trip is a perfect opportunity to experiment with different settings on the DSLR (Canon EOS Rebel T3i). I had a quick lesson from my friend, and there are essentially three settings to play around with: aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

When you walk around with a DSLR, people assume you’re either a:

1. A professional photographer;
2. A tourist; or
3. A photographer-wannabe (me)

After my late lunch, I walked along the busy Banff Avenue and made my way to the picturesque Bow River. This park area is usually where the town hosts outdoor events such as Canada Day festivities. I would’ve reclined on the grass, but it was wet from rain the day before (plus, there might be poop).

As I approached the gazebo, it seemed that there were some statues of elk around, but it turns out they were real! At first thought, I thought the elk was a statue because it was so still!

The sun was setting and the chill of the evening was starting to move across Banff. The dusk was really beautiful, but I was so worried for my camera. DSLRs aren’t built to withstand harsh weather, and I didn’t want to risk condensation in my camera.

Night Photography Fail?

I visited a cafe called Evelyn’s Coffee Bar/World where I had my early dinner and a soy latte to warm up. The cafe was nice and quiet, and was a perfect place to do some work for this blog (Wi-fi included). My review of Evelyn’s Coffee Bar/World here.

After doing some blogging in Evelyn Coffee Bar, I decided to try out some night photography with the DSLR. I wanted to capture the motion blur of car lights so I changed the shutter speed to 30 seconds. It was really cold at this time, and I only had a cardigan so I made my way back to the hostel.

Save

Save

Save