Today is travel day and leaving the Castle is making us very sad. Most people are ready and thrilled to be headed home. Not the two of us. We have never wanted vacations to end, even as children. The day is cold, dreary and obvious that last night’s rain was frozen, judging by the ice on the cars. Sister was up by 6:30 so she would not miss a minute of breakfast. We had another five star breakfast and felt ready to conquer the world.
While dining, we got the “skinny” from the omelet man about working for Fairmont Resorts. For a young person or a young couple, this is your ticket to see the world, be fed, be housed and have a career that makes you happy. Sounds a little like Zappos, aye? Fairmont employees come from all over the world and are encouraged to transfer within the corporation. Fairmont provides housing, all meals, insurance, benefits, uniforms, paid vacations and opportunities to “climb the ladder” for its employees. Many have been with the corporation for years and rave about how content/happy they are with their jobs. One of our personal favorites is Tony, the Banff Springs Ambassador. When we first met him in 2007, Tony had been with the company for several years and had truly started on the bottom rung of the ladder. He is now THE Ambassador for this resort and the “poster boy” for success within the company. T.J., the bowling professional, has worked for Fairmont for sixteen years and would not consider any other job. Says a lot for the company. Don’t get me wrong, everyone was not blissfully happy and many needed to be heavily zapponized in an effort to adjust their attitudes.
The Banff Airporter (shuttle service) arrived on time for our trip to the Calgary airport. This time, there were several stops in Banff and we were able to see areas of the town off the beaten track. The only wildlife we saw the entire trip was on a side street where a family of deer were meandering through the yards and a cat was perched in a window.
Banff is pristine and there is so much pride in maintaining its beauty. Banff has a restriction on population. There are only a designated number of residences that may be built and that limit was reached many years ago. Now, you are on a waiting list for a house, condo, or apartment. The caveat for living in Banff is that you must have a job to have a residence. The concept of “vacation” home does not exist. Yes, this town caters to tourists but they are transient. Any job is acceptable as long as you are receiving income and contributing to the town. Since Banff is located in a designated National Park, these restrictions can be enforced. The nearby town of Canmore is outside the park and is unrestricted, so the construction is a blemish on the mountains. Since 2007, the new construction in Canmore has been overwhelming. Each neighborhood is trying to be bigger and higher and more impressive than the one down the street.
On the drive to Calgary, we encountered snow! The locals view snow at this time of the year as we do rain; only in November when snow begins in earnest, does it become an inconvenience. After schlepping our bags through Customs and enduring the “scan”, we were ready to lounge until our flight. All liquids must be removed from carry-ons and placed in a plastic bag and did you know that mascara is considered a liquid? This ordeal was not enforced on the U.S. side. We have learned from experience that you only need money, a book, Kleenex, chapstick, sweater, and a lot of hand wipes in your carry-on. Don’t kid yourself, the Sisters have all they can lift in their carry-ons. I even had my pink hard-side for the computer. Sister calls this my “Barbie bag”. In 2007, the wine we were toting was removed and placed in the bin behind the scanners. That was painful. This time, it was snuggled into the dirty clothes in the checked bags. Also, it helps to smile often and make some friendly conversation with airport employees. Cute really does rule and Sister is the Queen of cute!
Once in our gate area, we had 1.5 hours to wait. The free WiFi was a joke and after fiddling for 30 minutes trying to get online, we just gave up. By then it was snowing and then it was REALLY snowing. Sister has a great picture of the snow. Little did we know that this frosting would delay our flight. Planes ice over in no time flat and this big NWA baby was no exception. Fortunately, Calgary is totally accustomed to ice and the machines were de-icing at warp speed. The attendants on this leg of the journey were having good days and were actually cheerful. When Sister commented on this to one lady, she gave us free drinks! See, nice is good. We made it to Minneapolis with thirty minutes to race to the Birmingham gate. Now, where do you think that was? Right, the entire, other end of the airport. I wanted to take the tram and then made us miss our stop, due to my inattention. So, we rode it again. (think that old song by the Kingston Trio…”The MTA”)
With minutes to spare, we skidded into the Birmingham gate. This was a small jet but it was packed. Most of the passengers were men from the Birmingham area, who started talking about ‘Bama or Auburn and the lack of “sweet tea” above the line (that would be the Mason-Dixon line). This was not just seat to seat; it was from one end of the plane to the other. I wanted to start yelling either: “ROLL TIDE!!!” or “WAR EAGLE!!!” but Sister would not condone it. Having grown up in the South, there is football rivalry but in all my years, I have never seen anything like Alabama and Auburn. These fans are rabid diehards. Even the love of NASCAR in the South cannot compare. They dress their newborns in team outfits before leaving the hospital. Their cars and homes are decorated year ‘round with team stuff. Now some of you are reading this and thinking, “She is crazy”. Nope. UNC, UT, USC, Clemson, UG and Georgia Tech are nothing compared to this insanity. Unless, you are totally sure of your friend’s preference for ‘Bama or Auburn, never, ever voice the opposing viewpoint while in the state of Alabama.
Home by 10:30. Left our luggage in the car. A hearty welcome by Bismark (has he grown or what…see picture) and then to bed!
Tomorrow is another day…
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