It seems sacrilegious, but Lake Louise wasn’t what I expected. (Now Banff is another matter.) Especially after my beloved Jasper.
If you search Google Images for Lake Louise, the majority of photos show a blue lake and green trees. This is what I saw, in the classic view, looking directly at the lake. It’s kind of white.
Somehow I didn’t manage to get a wide shot of the whole chateau. I wasn’t expecting it to look so modern. Again, I think I had images of the Banff Chateau in mind, more traditional.
The ice fortress on the lake was pretty cool, and the standard photo opportunity. There were ice sculptures at various places around the lake and chateau.
But this is the bit I liked. Just in front of the ice fortress was an area where people would keep warm. One of those outdoor fires in a metal structure, reminiscent of the trashcan bonfire trope they always show in movies with street people huddling around for warmth. The juxtaposition of such a primitive way of keeping warm in front of such a classic chateau was unexpectedly human.
And here was another surprise of how dog-friendly Canada is. In the foyer of the Lake Louise Fairmont Resort was a dog bed, for weary dogs to relax during check-in. I don’t think you’d see this in Australia.
