Nei em sua viagem pelo Canada 2007/2008 visitou o Lake Louise, no inicio do inverno e no final do inverno, para conhecer o local. Saiba mais sobre o lugar.

O Lago Louise (em inglês, Lake Louise) é simultaneamente um lago e uma aldeia na província canadense de Alberta no Parque Nacional de Banff. A cor esmeralda da água vem de partículas de rochas conduzidas ao lago por águas derretidas das geleiras que sobrelevam o lago. Há atividades de recreação na área, tais como caminhadas pela região, escalada de blocos e esqui.

O Lago Louise recebeu este nome em homenagem a Princesa Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939), uma filha da Rainha Victoria do Reino Unido e esposa de Sir John Campbell, Governador Geral do Canadá de 1878 a 1883. A província de Alberta também é nomeada a partir da princesa.

O pequeno povoado do Lago Louise está localizado ao lado de Trans-Canada Highway, a 180 km oeste de Calgary. O plano de fundo do Lago Louise está cheio de montanhas cobertas de neve, dentre eles o Mount Temple (com 3543 metros de elevação), o Mount Whyte (com 2983 metros) e o Mount Niblock (com 2976 metros). O vilarejo tem uma pequeno shopping centre, chamado Samson Mall, que contém um centro de informação, uma mercearia, uma padaria, uma loja de equipamentos esportivos e estabelecimentos Refeição rápida. A área de esqui Lake Louise Mountain Resort também está localizada na região.

Na costa leste do lago está o Chateau Lake Louise, um elegante hotel quatro estrelas, que foi construído gradualmente no fim do século XIX e nos princípios do século XX pela Canadian Pacific Railway. O hotel é considerado um "primo" do famoso Château Frontenac, na cidade de Québec.

No inverno todo o lago congela, podendo as pessoas caminharem por sobre ele. Tambem no lago em frente ao Hotel é criado uma pista para patinação e ao lado um campo de Hockey para as criancas ou adultos brincarem.

Ainda na parte de traz do lago tem uma cachoeira, que congela, permitindo qualquer pessoa chegar la, e com cuidado ou sapatos com grampoes, poder chegar até sua base, alem disso com apoio de guias ou servicos, pode-se até escalar suas paredes congeladas.

Existe tambem outra cachoeira junto ao lago menor e ao fundo o glacial, que diminui se afastando do lago conforme estatisticas.



Chateau Lake Louise

Diamond in the Wilderness

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is situated on the shore of Lake Louise about 45 minutes west of the town of Banff in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The famous view from the hotel is a stunning vista of green glacier-fed water framed by mountains and the Victoria glacier.

The first white man to see Lake Louise was Tom Wilson who was taken there in 1882 by a Stony Indian. It was then called "Lake of Little Fishes." In 1883 Dr. G.M. Dawson visited the lake with Wilson and renamed it "Emerald Lake." In 1884 the name was changed again to Louise; some say it was named after the daughter of Lord Mount Temple, the President of the British Medical Association and others say it was named after Princess Louise, the daughter of Queen Victoria.

In 1888 John Enselwood, a Canadian Pacific employee, built a lean-to shack - near the present swimming pool - to be used as a shelter for fishermen. A year later, William Whyte of the CPR asked W.J. Astley of Banff to make arrangements for a log chalet to be built by the company's carpenters at Lake Louise. This chalet had a lounge, a kitchen, two bedrooms, an attic and a veranda. The chalet was destroyed by fire in 1891.

Astley was instructed to build a larger Swiss-style rustic chalet and he chose the site where the present Chateau now stands. It was completed in 1893. A new wing was added in 1913. When the chalet was again ravaged by fire in 1925, this new wing was all that remained and is now part of the present Chateau.

When the Chateau opened in 1926, there were no cars in the park, so the Company ran the "Lake Louise Tramway," an electric trolley on a track, from the station to the hotel. After the arrival of the automobile the tracks were removed but parts of the old track bed are still visible from the road.

Today Lake Louise is a year-round resort offering a range of outdoor activities including skiing, skating, sleigh rides, horseback riding and more. The Chateau boasts 487 rooms with a long list of modern amenities. Guests looking for a touch of luxury and elegance may choose special accommodation called Belvedere suites. Located on both the lakeside and mountainside of the hotel, these suites occupy two floors and include a spiral staircase, two bathrooms and an open balcony. The lower floor has a sitting room with sofa bed and the upper floor has a king-sized bed and ensuite bath.

The modern Chateau offers visitors a choice of six restaurants and two lounges, as well as a beauty salon and barbershop. For convenience, the Chateau's room service is available 24 hours a day. Guests can take advantage of the health club, or simply relax in the swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna or steam rooms. Special services are available for families, and guests from around the world can expect a welcome from multilingual staff.