Majestic Banff

by Matt Dela Peña

As I stood on the thirty-third floor balcony of a Downtown Calgary condo unit looking out towards the horizon, I was completely astonished by the sheer flatness of the Canadian Prairies. It really didn't depict the stereotypical image I had of the True North: no majestic, snow-capped peaks, thousand lakes, igloos, or even free-ranging moose.

But when I finally looked closer at this plain of insipid foreverness, I notice it was eventually halted by an afar range of minuscule globs. Then it struck me. Alberta occupies the western edge of this sprawling region. Those tiny cliffs over the horizon constituted the tip of what are actually known as the Canadian Rockies.

And minuscule they aren't. In fact, they are in every sense of the word breathtaking. Not that I've ever been to the American segment of these mountains, but I'm nonetheless convinced that Canada lays claim to the better-looking portion of our vast continent—judging, of course, by the Americans that come and say that. Although in spite of my sequacity, who can argue:

Banff National Park is probably Alberta's most-admired destination. It shares its name with a nearby town, which to me looks more like a European ski resort than Canada. Actually, I think that's pretty much what it is.

I've yet to visit this place in the winter and experience the slopes for myself, but going in the summer didn't make the trip any less awesome. Throughout the year including summer, you can take the Banff Gondola...

2012 selfie

... and be rewarded with a magnificent sight. This view is probably where the term "O, Canada" comes from, because that's exactly what I said when I saw it—worst pickup line ever? Anyway, the lift took us to the top of Sulphur Mountain. I think the rest can speak for itself.

Auntie Raquel

And of course, no North American national park is complete without these little critters: