From Vancouver to Whistler

 Whistler was to be the highlight of our Canadian sojourn but if we hadn't been on top of the situation I don't think our bus driver would have even picked us up.  Even when we did get on the bus we spent the best part of 60 minutes scooting around the city hotels to pick up, swap passengers until we finally had the correct mix of people for our journey.

At last we were on our way, out into the pleasant countryside.

Whistler put me in mind of the Bavarian town of Leavenworth in the Cascade Mountains.  Whistler is nestled between mountains much like Leavenworth, the buildings are built chalet style with limited color schemes to blend in with the mountain scenery. 

We stayed overnight and it was very pleasant but the gold nugget of our visit to Canada was the return journey on the Rocky Mountaineer train. 

The customer service on the train was excellent. 

The views of mountains with snow, sharp cliff faces, deep canyons with rivers at the base, all the picture book stuff we had ever seen about Canada was right there before us.

You may have to pay more for the experience than other places but well worth every mile/kilometer travelled.