Whistler

Whistler was my first experience of the Canada I’d always imagined: Mountains, snow, lakes and forests. A friend I had made at the hostel in Vancouver offered me a ride there, (about 3 hours away from Vancouver) as that’s where she was heading, so I took the opportunity for free transport. I chose to stay in the cheapest hostel I could find, Whistler Lodge Hostel, and spent the start of the week sleeping/recovering from the physical and emotional exhaustion of the weekend. The rest of my week in Whistler was spent exploring the village, visiting lakes, and hiking – finally doing what I’d come to Canada to do, explore the beautiful scenery.

The village felt like something out of a fairytale. All of the buildings were beautifully crafted and had such an alpine feel. My favourite lakes were Lost Lake and Alta Lake. I did a loop track around Lost Lake early on in the week, and saw some gorgeous views. Alta Lake was my favourite lake to swim in, and was so warm that we were able to swim in it at 7pm one night.

On one day, I headed up Whistler Mountain with some new friends for my first Canadian hike called the High Note Trail. The scenery was absolutely stunning, to the point where I felt like I was in The Sound Of Music hiking over the Austrian Alps. I drank water from an actual mountain stream, and spent the morning smelling wildflowers and feeling like I was in a dream. The rest of my time in Whistler was spent swimming in the lakes, exploring the village, and chilling with new friends at my hostel.

I had my 24th birthday in Whistler, so I went out for a birthday brunch with some friends, and went with a friend up the mountain behind our hostel, for a secret hiking trail he had discovered years ago. I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out my financial situation. My bank had finally let me into my account, but I’d quickly found out just how expensive the cost of living was in Canada, and my savings were quickly disappearing. Luckily, I managed to get a loan from family to survive in until my flight out to Vienna. I also saw my first squirrel on my birthday and it was the best gift Canada could have given me.