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December 25, 2014

Alberta Postcards

Kananaskis Country

For most Europeans their western Canadian vacation trips essentially start out from Calgary, before heading west into the Rocky Mountains, visit Banff, then drive up Icefield Parkway, take a gander at Lake Louise, stop in Jasper, and then go west towards Vancouver. We have done it, too, and fell in love with the country.

Tourists will leave Alberta with most memorable impressions of high mountain roads, snow covered peaks, nature, and wildlife encounters if lucky. The travel books weren't exaggerating, it is all beautiful and true.

Above Banff, Peyto Lake and Alberta wildlife
Dogsledding in Kananaskis Country

But Alberta has so much more to offer. 


I fondly remember the prairie and the badlands, the endless roads, the fertile grounds and the huge farms, and oh, the clear blue skies. And although we lived right on the outskirts of Calgary, the air always tasted and smelled clean.

I certainly don't miss the cold Alberta winters, however, I sometimes find myself missing two-wheeling these empty roads, taking in the fresh air and admiring the wide open skies.

Silver-Winging somewhere near Olds, AB
Out and about on my Ladyhawk
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Cypress Hills Provincial Park
Road to anywhere.
Rolling Hills
Upcoming Storm

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Postkarten aus Alberta

Die meisten West-Kanada-UrlauberInnen beginnen ihren Urlaub normalerweise in Calgary, von da aus geht es dann in die Rocky Mountains nach Banff, dann vielleicht den Icefield Parkway entlang, um Lake Louise und Jasper zu besuchen, bevor es dann gen Westen Richtung Vancouver geht. Wir haben es so gemacht und uns dabei unsterblich in das Land verliebt. Touristen werden sich an die Passstraßen, Schnee bedeckte Berge, an die Natur, Begegnungen mit wilden Tieren und das großartige Abenteuer erinnern. Es ist tatsächlich so, wie es der Reiseführer verspricht.
Doch wenn ich an die Provinz denke, in der ich fünf Jahre gelebt habe, denke ich eher an die Prärie, die Badlands und den ach so blauen Himmel. Und, obwohl wir direkt am Stadtrand von Calgary gelebt haben, schmeckte und roch die Luft immer klar und frisch.
Ich vermisse die kalten Alberta Winter ganz und gar nicht, aber ich ertappe mich dabei, dass ich das Motorradfahren auf den leeren, schier endlos erscheinenden Straßen, diese knackig frische Luft und den weiten Horizont vermisse.

December 20, 2014

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays!
Frohe Festtage!

The Same Procedure as every Year

It's time to watch our all time favourite X-Mas movies:

1. Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
What have the romans ever done for us? Offensive, annoying, funny.

2. Die Hard (1988)
Now I have a machine gun. Ho. Ho. Ho. Suspenseful, thrilling, and funny, too.

3. It's a wonderful Life (1946)
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. Wonderful, lovely, and awww.

What are your favourites?

Wishing you a Merry Christmas (or: insert otherwise multicultural or interfaith Holiday greetings here) and a Happy New Year.

And btw: the header "Same Procedure as every Year" is a quote from the British skit The 90th Birthday with Freddie Frinton, which is very popular in Germany. It happens to be a weird German tradition to watch this on New Year's Eve!