Banff Part I

Banff Part I
What a fantastic day. We arrived last night after a full day of driving and rain, but we could still tell that Banff was going to be fantastic, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. To start things off, on crossing the Canadian border (after a long wait in a short line where we were asked if I had vive's written permission to bring Asha to Canada and where the clerk finally decided that "she's old enough to get away from you if she wanted to" and let us in) we stopped at this great little cafe in Yahk. they made me the strongest tea I've ever had. it was so strong, that after drinking part I added water and today when I got some hot tea at Lake Louise I added it to the remains and it still was overpowering. But the cafe was great and if we hadn't gotten sandwiches to eat on the way, we'd have had lunch there (great little menu of buffalo burgers and soup and hot dogs and ice cream and homemade waffle cones).
then, we were greeted by a bear and her cubs as we entered the area. We pulled over and observed their antics for several minutes, thankful for the lack fo traffic on the highway.
We checked into our lodging: Banff lodge. A word on lodging which I haven’t really talked about. We’re not too particular about lodging and have found that more expensive does not necessarily mean better, especially given our needs. We want to be central (we like to walk), we want internet and parking and we want to get in and out of the hotel easily, etc. Here we are in a 4 star Canada select property (which is not at all like a 4 star American) and it’s more hassle than its worth, but we got a good deal . It is central, but parking is a pain in the ass, the hotel is huge and we get lost in it when we are trying to find our room or the laundry and the pillows are lousy. So, I’d rather pay $60 for this pleasure (and usually do, when that’s available). When it’s not, then we go with what is available that meets our needs.
After checking in, we poured ourselves a glass of the wine from Foris which Mom and I proceeded to almost demolish in one sitting (it took us four nights to finish the Eberle). It was an excellent Grenache, that got better as it was open. And, unfortunately, was the only wine they do NOT sell retail. Wish I’d bought more. Then we headed to dinner at Fuse. The dinner was excellent (I believe asha wrote about it). One of our favorites. And the atmosphere was very nice, sophisticated with leather booths, low but useful lighting and friendly waitstaff around a great lounge menu. But the place was empty. We showed up at 7:30pm and stayed until 9:30 and there was only one other couple in the place that entire time. I asked if this was a slow time, and they said yes. Last week was packed because of a bike event and she hoped things would pick up again in July. I hope it wasn’t indicative of the recession. Ironically, tonight we stopped by several places and they were mostly empty as well.