Berichte von 06/2016

Vancouver Island - Victoria

Dienstag, 28.06.2016

After walking with all my stuff from the Hostel in Vancouver to the Skytrain, then to bus and then finally to the ferry station I had a really nice ferry trip. From Vancouver to Victoria it takes you about 1.5 hours and you pass a lot of little and beautiful islands! All together it took me forever to get to the Hostel in Victoria, I arrived in the early evening. After a short walk and grab something to eat I went to bed pretty early. The next day started with a little sightseeing tour around downtown and the harbour. Victoria is such a nice little city!
Harbour Victoria

On my first day in the evening I bought a bicycle in Victoria! 50$ for a nice mountain bike! Awesome deal! I'm sure the bike is not the best one but it works and thats perfect!
My new bike!

On Wednesday the Hostel organized a trip to Mount Douglas which was more a walking tour than a hiking tour but it was funny to meet all the other people from the Hostel and we had a great view from the top!
View from Mount Douglas

Actually, when I arrived in Victoria I was planning to stay there for 3 days... Well I ended up spending a whole week there because it was so nice! The Hostel was great and especially the people there were awesome!
We spent one day in the Butcharts Garden, which is really big and nice.

Back in Vancouver for 2 days!

Donnerstag, 23.06.2016

I met Janna in Kelowna, she's from Germany, too and we decided to travel to Vancouver together. For me it was almost like coming home. My whole journey started in Vancouver and it was so nice to back there! I'm really in love with that city!
I spent almost all the time there with Janna, we went to the beach, walked around Downtown and visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.
Sunset at the beach in Vancouver :)

Janna and I split up in Vancouver because she was going to Seattle and I headed to Vancouver Island. See you in Germany crazy Girl! :)

Kelowna

Donnerstag, 23.06.2016

After all the hiking around Banff, Lake Louise and Field I went to Kelowna on my own. I didn't know anything about this little city when I arrived there and I ended up having a few great days there! Kelowna is located in the okanagan valley directly at the lake. It is best known for all its wineries. Although I don't drink wine and I'm not really interested in wineries, I rented a bike and went for a great tour around this beautiful area!
Bike Route with the City on the right side and the lake on the left side They even have amazing beaches there! Okanagan Valley

After the bike tour I went for a little hike on the Knox Mountain. It took me only 1 hour to get to a nice viewpoint. On the way up there I saw a snake! Still not a bear but I'm getting closer!! wink
Viewpoint

The city on its own is nothing really special. But when you take your time to discover the area around it you'll have an awesome time in Kelowna!

The area around Banff & Lake Louise!

Montag, 13.06.2016

After leaving the Ranch I went very spontaneously to Banff. I heard a lot of good things about this town so I decided to stay there for two nights. All the hostels were pretty busy so I was happy that I found a bed at all! Banff is really cute! It takes you about 15 minutes to walk from one side of the town to the other one. All together it's very touristic there but what am I supposed to say - I'm a tourist, too! laughing
Bow River in Banff
Banff is perfect for going for a hike! There are a lot of trails around. Unfortunately it was pouring raining when I arrived in Banff so I only had one day for hiking! But this day was just perfect! We went up the Sulphur Mountain which took us about 1,5 hours. From the top you have a stunning view over Banff, a few lakes and mountains:
Looking over Banff!

For very lazy people (like us tongue-out) there is free Gondola for the way down. On the bottom of the Mountain there are Hot Springs waiting for you! Is there anything better then jumping in really hot water after a nice hike?! It was an amazing hiking day!

 

On my 2. day in Banff I met a nice girl at the hostel and we decided to travel together for a few days. She has a car here so we were perfectly flexible for wherever we want to go. Our first stop was Lake Louise which is about 20 minutes from Banff. This lake is so nice to see and we went for a day hike around the lake and on top of some mountains. It was pretty exhausting but for sure worth it!

Lake Louise Lake Louise from the other side

After that hike we drove to the Lake Moraine, which is by far one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen! A lot of people told me I should go there and they were really right! Although it rained, it was such a nice spot!

At the Lake Moraine!

Living the Cowboy-Lifestyle for 6 weeks!

Montag, 13.06.2016

I spent the last 6 weeks near Edmonton on the Riverwood Ranch. It had an amazing time there - I can't even write down how much fun I had, how much I learned and how much I love "my Canadian Family"! Bruce and Megan are running this Ranch together, offering Trail Rides and Cattle Drives. During my stay there was a lot of preperation to do for the busy summer. So they showed me how fencing works, how I cut firewood, how to really work with horses and cows and a lot of other things!
We also went to a few Rodeos (by the way: I love Rodeos!!!!), Megan and I went to Edmonton for a day...
Rodeo! Million Dollar Horse! Going for an amazing ride during the sunset! My first little Cattle Drive!

I'll be back there in a few weeks! smile