Le Tour D'Alberta and assorted other places.

[RooFlyer]

Drumheller - one of my favourite spots in Alberta outside the Rockies. Been to the museum 3 times and always see something different.

 

[Warks]

Wow - so many memories there for me. Visited quite a few of these places in 1994 (including Red Deer!) and then again in 2009 (not Red Deer!)

Love Cows ice cream - we went to the stores in Banff and Whistler. It originates in/on Prince Edward Island where it is ubiquitous it seems. We used to buy those T-shirts for family members - would get some funny looks here.

Moraine Lake - it used to be on the $20 note - there's a photo of me holding the note while standing on the logjam.

Athabasca Glacier - I bit the bullet and did the tour onto the ice with the family - was extremely expensive but was "one of those things" - never been on a glacier before.

Some of the photos of the river near Jasper look like Athabasca Falls but I'm not sure as I've gone through this rather quickly.

Jasper - did you see 'Jasper' the bear(s)?

Peyto Lake (nearer to Lake Louise) was another magnificent sight. The colour of that water.

Sorry for the random ramblings - jealous especially about seeing the aurora!

 

[mindthegap2154]

drron, how I have loved the last hour looking at these photos. I am one of the very fortunate few that get to commute between family in Calgary and Australia. Sitting here in Sydney about 2 months out from making the one way move to Vancouver I am very emotional looking at it all. While I was born here in SYD, I feel more at home in Canada than in Aussie - I think its the fresh mountain air that plays with my brain and emotions . My 2 siblings both have made the move and now its my time, I am sure you can now understand why!

As for shopping AB actually isn't too bad comparatively, she's rather cheap compared to QC or ON. Come back and I will take Mrs. Drron to the Balzac Outlets (the best shopping in YYC in my opinion)

As for smitty's -- one of my secret passions across western Canada. Glad to see you enjoyed it. Nothing beats the value of Smittys

I have a distant Aunt in Drumheller. She constantly is kicking the dirty in her backyard and finding new bits of bone. One of the worlds bizarre places I can say that much!

RooFlyer I can't understand how you have spent so much time travelling to and from YYC and not of ended up on a WS flight?! You can't honestly enjoy the AC service that much to not consider at least giving them a chance haha

 

[drron]

Thanks Warks,rooflyer and mindthegap.I certainly now understand why you and others replying to the thread enjoy Alberta so much.Certainly beats expectations.So along with you I certainly recommend considering travel to Alberta.Really one of the reasons I do TRs.hopefully can stimulate more interest.
But you have also reminded me I am falling behind again so here we go.
We had a late lunch-a lot of places were closed so had Macca's salads.But then we were stuck.The road to Calgary was closed.It was the inaugural Tour D'Alberta which we were inadvertently following.We were not as inconvenienced as much as the passengers in the limo driven by the fellow I ended up standing next to.They had just flown in from NYC,came to see the dinosaurs but couldn't get to that side of town and then they were off to Banff.
From the time we were stopped it took 30 minutes for the first cyclists to appear.There were 18 cyclists in a breakaway group.The stage was won by an Aussie and because the breakaway group got 16 minutes on the main group all the placegetters overall came from this group-

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Then came the peloton-

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It was a strange experience with the whirring of wheels like a swarm of wasps.having watched Le Tour on TV over the last few years it was good to see Cadel Evans at work.He did win the next stage after getting in the breakaway group that day.Overall winner was Rohan Dennis who won this stage into Drumheller.For me this was a great way to end our tour of Alberta though mrsdrron wasn't impressed.
All that was left now was the drive to Calgary with an overnight stay before flying to DFW.We stayed at the Four Points Calgary Airport,review here-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....eviews/four-points-calgary-airport-54581.html

I will briefly comment on the rest of our trip with a few shopping hints courtesy of mrsdrron.

 

[drron]

By the time we arrived in Calgary it was raining steadily.so we had dinner at the hotel.OK but not outstanding.Mrsdrron had the maple glazed pork chop and I had a seafood chowder and halibut and chips-

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Raining Saturday morning as well.Had a very relaxed start,detoured via the Salvation Army to drop off our cold weather gear then dropped the chariot back to Avis-this was the French word used in YYC for a rental car.Once again you have to drop your own bags onto the belt after checkin.No problems at security but the agent had a really close look at my computer again-maybe I have spilt too much organic matter over it.A late Starbucks brekkie.No lounge but YYC does have free wifi.I just sorted a lot of my photos whilst waiting.We knew we would leave a little late as the AA plane had to wait for a UA plane to vacate the gate.

AA1067. YYC-DFW. ETD-1430. Push back-1444. Take off-1449.
ETA-1920. Landed-1914. At gate-1922.
We were in 4E,F.Being from Canada this was in J not F.Asked for a coke as pre take off drink.The FA was obviously giving me a message as I was given a diet coke.Now I did leave home heavier than usual and certainly put on weight during our cruise and the day we disembarked I was at my highest weight ever-109.5Kg.It had already shocked me and I was losing weight ever since we got off the ship.Proud to announce that today for the first time in ~ 3years I weigh 99Kg.Another 9 to go.
Lunch was a Philly cheese steak wrap.As is usual it tasted better than it looked-

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I could have had my wine constantly refilled but stopped at 2 as I was going to be driving later.As we approached the gate we saw a familiar sight-

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Bags were out first,in the rental car bus by 1940 and soon off to the Element DFW.Review here-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....xperiences-and-reviews/element-dfw-54582.html

Next-some shopping tips for Texas.

 

[amaroo]

Next-some shopping tips for Texas.

Looking forward to this! SWMBO is keen for a shop - will be there in January.

 

[drron]

We spent 3 nights in Dallas.The reason was so mrsdrron could go shopping.First to our meals.We had 2 at P.F.Changs-because we do like their food.it is better than most US Asian restaurants.But of course it helps that I earn AA miles for eating there!Unfortunately AA dining has dropped Amex so I had to pay with my MC.
The next was Texas Land and Cattle-a steakhouse chain that is really good value.Mrsdrron had the special-smoked quail and fries.I had a small serving of their smoked sirloin and a baked sweet potato.With a bottle of Nobilo SB,tax and tip it came to $63.

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So now to the shopping.First day it was the outlet Malls.There are 5 surrounding Dallas.In mrsdrron's view the 2 best are the Grand Prairie Premium outlets which is not too far from DFW and the Allen premium outlets a bit of a drive away.The closest to DFW is Grapevine Mills but not as good shopping.If you have young kids they have a Rainforest café which will keep them occupied and for the golfers it is close to the Cowboys golf club.Find outlets here-
Find the Best Texas Outlet Malls

Also she does visit department stores as their sales can be as good as the outlets.The 3 she always goes to are Kohls,Dillards and Macys.Dont forget to get your tourist 10% off at any Macys store.However in Dallas Dillards have 2 Clearance centres-1 at the Irving mall just down the road from the Element and another at the 6 Flags mall Arlington.here anything that doesn't sell at 65% off in store is put on sale at 30-80% off the discounted price.But only open at midday and closed Mondays.

Texas also now has a sales tax refund scheme for visitors.Some stringent conditions and not all stores participate.however you can get your refund before going to the airport.Several offices but one in the Galleria mall.Details here-
TaxFree Shopping - www.TaxFreeTexas.com

Next-off to Tokyo.

 

[drron]

The shopping was successful.Now I had asked mrsdrron to take an extra suitcase but no she wouldn't.So we bought a cheap bag from Walmart to take the extra.The bags weighed 50Lb,45Lb and 26.5Lb.
Tuesday and an early morning wake up call.At the check in by 0730.Try getting a Type A person to checkin with less than 3 hours until departure!So we are through quickly,in AC after a quick look at the shops.Leave 10 minutes before boarding is to commence.Ours is the nearest gate to AC.They are preboarding a Japanese VIP.Have no idea who he was but had 3 people meet him at NRT.
AA175. DFW-NRT. ETD-1030. Push back-1038. Take off-1050.
ETA-1430. Land-1332. At gate-1338.
Seats 2G,F.Yes another AA redemption in F.Mrsdrron is getting very used to this.Purser is Danno.We have travelled with him twice before and he recognises us.The service as usual is excellent.A number of long conversations with the crew.Champagne pre take off and as soon as we are airborne an amuse bouche when given the menus,spicy sausage and prawn on a corn biscuit-

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And the menu-

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As is usual on AA f I am given a tasting of today's wine.A great idea so you can then order the one you enjoy most.However I didn't have to choose.The purser told the FA this is the wine he likes.And indeed it was what I had drunk 12 months previously.So the meal photos-

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Now for Neil Perry this is what I call a salad.A small bowl of wilted green leaves does not a salad make.

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And once more I am given the bottle of red to finish at my leisure.I really do enjoy AA International F.

 

[drron]

After lunch I had a few hours sleep.When I awoke I worked on my photos sorting out the best.After a couple of hours one of the FAs came to me and asked if I would like a bento box.I naturally said yes-

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I then watched Anthony Bourdain in Myanmar and an interview with Boris Johnson.An interesting fellow.Talked about family holidays and going to Portsmouth to catch the"vomitarium" AKA the Channel ferry.Then watched the Hangover Part 3.An hour out we are served a snack-

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We were at the satellite.But one of the fellows meeting our VIP had run ahead and held the shuttle so we were quickly to the main building.Whilst our VIP went through the Diplomatic line we faced a long queue at Immigration.However with typical Japanese efficiency it didn't take too long.This meant we only had a 5 minute wait for the bus to the Westin.Unfortunately the traffic was heavy and so this took 2 hours.

We just explored the area around the Westin this time with of course a compulsory visit to a 100 Yen shop.
Had a lunch in the Koshi restaurant at the top of the Yebisu garden palace restaurant-very good sukiyaki.
The other day had salmon sashimi at a little place in the basement of the Mitsukoshi Dept store-very nice.
The disappointing part was the gradual enhancing of the breakfast spread at the Westin.it is still very good just not as good as our first time there.

Next-off to Nagoya.

 

[drron]

The old thread re the Westin Tokyo is locked so just a few quick words and photos before our flight to Nagoya.There are few suites here and it is popular with Japanese SPG plats so even using my SNAs no suite.The rooms however are large by Japanese standards and we usually get a corner room which is slightly larger.Plats get lounge access,free wifi and can have brekkie in the main restaurant so I am happy staying here.So the room and views-

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At night it all changes.We were there just after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 games.So the Tokyo Tower was celebrating-

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And the Rainbow bridge was visible-

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Now off to Nagoya.Obviously the quickest and most convenient way would be by train but we were on a Circle Asia fare and an extra segment came at no cost and an extra 40SCs to mrsdrron so it was an easy decision especially as her year will end at 1230 SCs.

JL3085. NRT-NGO. ETD-1550. Push back-1547. Take off-1618.
ETA-1700. Landed-1658. At gate-1701.
The domestic Sakura lounge at NRT is nothing like the International lounges.Large but drab-

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And there over lunch period but no food.Drinks were soft drinks,beer and Japanese whisky only.On the 738 there were 4 rows of J in a 2-3 set up.My leg room in 4C-

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More legroom in first row of Y.Short flight.everyone gets a beverage,no difference between Y and J.oon we land at NGO and a special plane was there-

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Bags were out quickly and ours were 1,4 and 7.Left 2 bags in storage and proceeded to the train.
that next.

 

[drron]

With typical Japanese efficiency we found ourself on the 1737 rapid express into Nagoya.Not a mark inside the carriage.You get a route map as well as nose cam and your speed-

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Top speed I noticed was 118Kph.We got to the westin shuttle stop at 1802.Unfortunately once more due to Japanese efficiency it meant the 1800 shuttle had departed.So we got a taxi-1060Yen wasn't too bad.
Checkin at the westin and upgraded to a king executive floor room with castle view.We were told previously that there were no king rooms with castle view but when we got to the room they had obviously had a refurb.this room was very good with separate bath and shower-

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They hadn't changed the view though.

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We had intended to catch the tourist bus the next day and go to the Toyota museum but a typhoon crossed the coast that night and the wind and rain meant I had to be satisfied just taking a few photos around the hotel-

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[drron]

Went out in the afternoon when the rain stopped.Went to Nagoya station.Couldn't find the restaurants we went to last time.Place has gone very upmarket so on top of Takashimaya dept store are names like Paul bocuse,Iron chef chen and a Din tai fung.Mrsdrron was happy as we did find a 100 yen shop.Some interesting architecture near the station-

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Back to the Westin where we ate in.However had to dine late as this was a long weekend,several weddings being held at the hotel and the restaurant had a reception going on until 1900 and then they had to set up the restaurant.As before a good meal but pricy as is usual in hotel restaurants.On our past visit the westin had a Happy hour with free wine etc and a plate of snacks.Now just a coupon for a free drink each night.Problem was that wine was not mentioned on the coupon.After some arguing we got a glass of wine-why the fuss when the wine was cheaper than most of the alternatives.
Breakfast however had improved considerably since our last visit.Unfortunately being a long weekend the Toyota museum was closed Sunday,Monday.So Sunday we went to the Sakae district where the TV tower,dept stores and an underground mall are situated.

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This hotel didn't give any SPG benefits.They get away with it though!As in all places in japan you come across temples everywhere-

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We had lunch at a little place seving sashimi and noodles-really good and cheaper than you get in Australia.We bought some fruit for dinner but not these grapes

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Then we went to the underground mall.fascinating place-

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[drron]

Of course there were the examples of Jinglish.Several shops side by side with Claup in their name whatever that means-

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Got the subway back.interesting that with one of the world's safest rail systems they have this-

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So back to the westin as the sun was setting and realising I could do a little plane spotting-

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Now on the last visit I was never awake for sunrise but managed it this time,just beautiful-

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[drron]

Tuesday and not a cloud in the sky,no wind and just a beautiful day.However as it is the day after a Monday public holiday the tourist bus is not running.so we get the subway to the Osa area.an old shopping area with narrow streets and several that are covered.As always temples everywhere-

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[drron]

This last temple was famous but behind the old building was a much more modern temple-

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[drron]

Once again there were several shops selling old kimono material so mrsdrron had a field day.Also a large brand new 100 yen shop.As always mrsdrron finds a lot of stuff she didn't realise she needed.There was also this shop-

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It is a 300 yen shop.Not nearly as good as it's cheaper cousin.At the end of the old shopping section is the Osa Kannon temple.A nice place to sit in the shade.As usual quite impressive-

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[drron]

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[RooFlyer]

Not say'n much, but always reading and looking with great interest

 

[drron]

So the last of the Osa Kannon temple-

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The chicken wire is because of a pigeon problem-

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And maybe this is the cause of the pigeon problem-

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[drron]

So we took the subway back to Nagoya station.had a late lunch at a sushi-go-round.the waitress getting the drinks was obviously taught English by an Australian as when I asked for a Kirin she answered-you want a tallie?The sushi was fine and cheaper than here in Australia.
So back to the Westin and the sunset-

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And found the city airport is not just for civilian aircraft-

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That night for my complimentary drink I decided to have a beer.A cart is brought around and the beer dispensed from a tap.Ah those Japanese.
Up early the next morning as a morning flight.So once again caught the sunrise-

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Just love that view.
all that remains now are the flights and a little about Bangkok.