Stopover: Waterton

Oh hello, Canada!

Is it that everyone is nice in this country? Or that it is beautiful? Or that the headlines coming out of the US Supreme Court feel like one hit after another? Not sure. But, we all felt happy to cross the border and our first day in Canada was a great one.

We had a one-night stopover in Waterton, which is a little outpost of a town in the heart of Waterton Provincial Park. We had breakfast at a local café, ran a few loads of laundry, and bought souvenirs.

 In the afternoon, the kids and I went for high tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel, which is a historic site and Waterton’s crown jewel. The hotel was built in the 1920’s, has survived several major fires, and remains mostly as it looked 100 years ago. Ben thought tea was just okay, but Ray went to town on the little scones, sandwiches, and tarts.

The view from the hotel is jaw-droppingly beautiful. So beautiful that even the children were willing to take pictures without protest.

In the evening, we meandered along the lake shore, where Ray collected rocks and Ben worked on honing his stone-skipping skills with Eli. We ate at a local restaurant, which is something I’m appreciating on this year’s trip: Covid really kept us from doing anything in public spaces last year. It’s nice to take a night off, have a Moscow Mule, and let someone else do the cooking.

Apropos of nothing, here’s a photo of Toby waiting patiently at the breakfast table.