A must see when in Chicago. The only problem with this tourist attraction is that everybody wants to see the view from the observation deck. So waiting lines are very long. We had to wait 1 hour and 30 minutes before we could enter the theatre for an introduction movie. After that we could enter the observation deck.

The view is definitely worth the wait! For persons who are not afraid of heights, there is a special attraction: you can stand on the glass viewing platforms and look down at the city beneath you. A dizzying experience indeed.

Skydeck Chicago – Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Entrance on Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60606-7147 (Formerly Sears Tower)
http://www.willistower.com/
+1 312-875-9447

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Skydeck Chicago – Willis Tower also on TripAdvisor.

The Cave in Banff is the birthplace of Parks Canada. That in itself makes it worth a visit. An hour is enough to visit this site, but the entrance fee is low.

The Cave really was a magical place, very beautiful. I also enjoyed learning more about the very small and endangered snail that lives in these sulphurous waters.

I was really impressed by the beautiful video presentation of Parks Canada. Exceptional!

Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Cave Ave. west of downtown Banff, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ab/caveandbasin/index
+1 403-762-1566

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Cave and Basin National Historic Site also on TripAdvisor.

A must see when in Chicago. The only problem with this tourist attraction is that everybody wants to see the view from the observation deck. So waiting lines are very long. We had to wait 1 hour and 30 minutes before we could enter the theatre for an introduction movie. After that we could enter the observation deck.

The view is definitely worth the wait! For persons who are not afraid of heights, there is a special attraction: you can stand on the glass viewing platforms and look down at the city beneath you. A dizzying experience indeed.

Skydeck Chicago – Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Entrance on Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60606-7147 (Formerly Sears Tower)
http://www.willistower.com/
+1 312-875-9447

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Skydeck Chicago – Willis Tower also on TripAdvisor.

Definitely worth the visit, especially on a sunny day. Calgary Tower is no longer the highest structure of Cagary, but the view is still worth while. You have a 360 degrees view of the city and its surroundings. The most spectacular attraction is the glass floor on which you can step to see the cars beneath you. Not for people with fear of heights!

Calgary Tower, 101 9 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1J9, Canada
http://www.calgarytower.com/
+1 403-266-7171

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Calgary Tower also on TripAdvisor.

Kimchi House is a food stand situated in het food court in China Town, Calgary. The food court isn’t very inviting in itself, but boy, the Korean food sure is good. If you like Korean food and you’re looking for a no nonsense place to have lunch, this place is great.

I tried the yuk gae jang, an excellent noodle soup with beef. My boyfriend went for the kimchi bibimbap. The portions are huge, so you won’t leave hungry.

Great place for healthy fast food at a cheap price.

Kim Chi House, 303 Centre St SW # 111, Calgary, Alberta T2G 2B9, Canada
+1 403-265-8098

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Kim Chi House also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 4/5, food 5/5.

This hotel is located very close to the airport, which was also the reason why we booked a room here. If you want to visit the city centre of Calgary you’ll need to drive by car for about 20 minutes.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Really every staff member I met seemed to be proud working in this hotel. And why should they not? This is a beautiful and modern hotel with spacious rooms and excellent bath rooms. I found our room to be very comfortable ánd very clean.

The lobby is also very nice. Breakfast is nice, lots of different options to choose from (cooked breakfast, waffles, cereals, yoghurt, fruit, pastries). I especially enjoyed the freshly cooked omelet. A real treat..

We had dinner in the restaurant twice. Both meals were decent and value for money. Not exceptional, but just good. I really loved the white wine though. The Australian Chardonnay was excellent and our waitress was very friendly.

My only (minor) complaint is that the dinner and breakfast room was too cold to my taste. I really had to put on an extra jacket to feel comfortably warm.

Best Western Premier Freeport Inn & Suites, 86 Freeport Blvd NE, Calgary, Alberta T3J 5J9, Canada

Stayed August 2015. You can find my review about Best Western Premier Freeport Inn & Suites also on TripAdvisor. My scores: sleep quality 5/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 5/5.

This is a very big hotel right in the centre of Banff. Very convenient if you want to explore Banff National Park.

We were very pleased with our room: very big, two queen size beds, nice bathroom and everything very clean. Only remark: there wasn’t any air conditioning in the room, only a fan. It wasn’t very warm when we stayed in Banff, so we didn’t mind.

The hotel offers a whirlpool and a sauna, which sadly we didn’t had a chance to try, because we only stayed for one night. The facilities looked very clean though.

Sadly the breakfast was a big disappointment. First of all, it was kind of hard to find the breakfast area, which had no windows, had terrible impractical chairs and was not cozy at all. There were almost no breakfast options to speak of. No eggs, bacon or charcuterie. The only thing I liked was the fresh fruit salad and the yoghurt. A super healthy breakfast, it was.

Staff at the reception was very helpful en friendly. It was no trouble at all to make some bookings for us.

Brewster’s Mountain Lodge, 208 Caribou Street, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1J3, Canada

Stayed August 2015. You can find my review about Brewster’s Mountain Lodge also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, rooms 5/5, service 4/5.

You can either hike to the top or take the gondola. We were lazy, so we took the gondola. The gondola is quite expensive, but will get you on the top in no time.

The views on Banff from Sulphur Mountain really are incredible, extra bonus points for the reconstructed weather station and the interesting information about the Cosmic Ray Staion.

Highly recommended.

Sulphur Mountain, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
http://www.brewster.ca/attractions-sightseeing/banff-gondola/
+1 877-565-9372

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Sulphur Mountain also on TripAdvisor.

Our evening in Sushi Bistro turned out to be quite an interesting experience. When we arrived, somewhat after 8 pm there was a line waiting. When I see a line I always think the food must be worth waiting for. So we joined the waiting line. We got a glimpse inside and saw people leaving. We were confident that we would soon get a table. This turned out to be false. We saw tables without people, but full of dirty dishes. The waitresses couldn’t get the tabes cleaned fast enough.

Some people before us in the line simply gave up their place in the queue, looking at those dirty tables. We persisted, however. After about 20 minutes waiting, we got a (clean) table, with lots of excuses: “thank you for waiting”. The Japanese waitresses were very kind though and did there best, but they simple were horribly unorganized. Very strange for Japanese people (yes, they were real Japanese people, I understand some Japanese and spoke with them).

To order you get a sheet on which you can mark the dishes you want. There were some dishes already sold out, so the waitress had to mark this on every menu (the menu’s were wiped after every use). The cleaning of the tables remained a problem though and the waiting line never resolved while we were eating. I had to restrain myself from giving the waitresses advice. They carried the dishes separately to the kitchen instead of using a big serving plate to collect them all.

Sushi was good though. I loved the sashimi! The nigiri and rolls were also good. We ordered a sashimi combination which was also sold out (but not marked as such on the menu) and we got some extra pieces for the same price.

I have to say I really enjoyed the food and the disorganization was at times amusing, but I can understand why some customers got fed up waiting for their orders.

We left at about 10 pm. A longer evening than expected. Don’t eat here if you are in a hurry.

Sushi Bistro, 208 Caribou Street, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sushi-Train/111210592274668?rf=133982996675183
+1 403-762-4000

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Sushi Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 2/5, food 4/5.

This beautiful canyon shouldn’t be missed when you visit Kootenay National Park. An easy walk from the parking lot and lots of bridges to admire the view from.

Marble Canyon, Kootenay Highway 93, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/index

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Marble Canyon also on TripAdvisor.