The Enchanted Hotel

A funny thing happened on my way out of Waterton.  I was loathe to leave and made the process as slow as possible. On my way out, I stopped at a picnic bench by the lake and did some writing in my life journals for my daughters Megan & Erin. It was a beautiful place to be reflective and give a hug to some old memories.

Reluctantly packing it in, knowing I should get on the road soon, I left the lake and drove slowly toward the park exit.  Then I remembered I wanted to stop at the Prince of Wales hotel on my way out of the park. I had never been inside before, and wanted to see what it looked like.  I parked, telling myself I would just pop in and look around.  Maybe take a few pictures.

Then I discovered that it was tea time!  They serve a traditional British tea complete with little sandwiches, pastries, cookies and a variety of teas with all the trimming.  You get to enjoy all this while sitting with the perfect view of the lake.  How could I pass that up?  I stayed for tea.  I got strange looks, being there by myself for tea. They were no doubt wishing they were as brave as I. Or feeling pity, sympathy and curiosity.  One of those, I'm sure.  But I am comfortable in my own company, and blissfully ignored them. Grinning like a fool at my own delight in this perfect moment.

The longer I sat in that beautiful, historic hotel, the more I knew that I could not leave yet.  I was enchanted, and had to stay at least one night in this charming place. I texted the girls. They were complete enablers and encouraged me to do it.  I even texted my ex-husband. He also encouraged me to do it. Not that he could have stopped me.  So, deciding that another several hundred dollars didn't matter in the great scheme of things since I technically could not really afford this trip anyway, I made up my mind to splurge once more and stay the night.

I asked at the front desk if they happened to have any rooms available.  I didn't have a reservation, and this was their second busiest week of the year (wildflower festival...no kidding).  As luck would have it, they had two rooms left.  Both on the tippy-top 6th floor.  I was delighted, and whipped out my much abused credit card.

It was then that I discovered that the elevator, an old two person manual lift that required an operator, only went to the 4th floor.  After that, you took a series of ever narrowing and steepening staircases up to the 6th floor. The bellboy and I hauled all my luggage up.  I hadn't packed for just an overnight, so needed it all!

Anyway, once ensconced in my room, I had a little giggle.  I was paying slightly less than I had for my deluxe previous room with the full size jacuzzi bath and air conditioning, with a kitchenette. This room barely had room for the bed and a small antique desk with a narrow space for me to walk between them, and a bathroom, complete with slanting walls, that had the shortest shower I have ever seen!  The plumbing was of course old, but serviceable.  I had a large box fan in case I got hot, one window in the bathroom, and one at the end of my bed (which would later become a source of surprise). The bed and pillows were more comfortable than the one at the newer hotel. There was of course no television or internet, or air conditioning.  I was delighted!  

I excitedly read up on the history of the hotel, which was complicated and a fairy tale of its own.  I was both disappointed and relieved to note that there were no mention of any ghosts, hauntings, or other supernatural occurrences of any kind.

One of the things I was dying to do was to dress up and go sit in the enormous lobby and read my book, watching the guests go by and pretending that I was independently wealthy and never had to leave.  I did this, and was extremely satisfied.  It felt like I thought it would. like a dream come to life, or maybe a pop-up storybook memory that I had stepped into.  It was great!  Then I wandered around the gift shop, picking up little things that suited my fancy.  Always on the lookout for raccoon themed items for Erin, I was disappointed that I didn't find any here, but did buy some nice tea to give away at Christmas time.  Or keep for myself.  I haven't decided yet.  I didn't feel like having a full dinner in the dining room, which was quite expensive, so I opted for a cup of coffee and some gift-store snacks to nibble the night away.  I planned on reading my book and relaxing in my room for the night. 

I took my coffee outside to enjoy the view and take some photos before retiring to my room.  To my delight, I discovered a family of 5 foxes had their den in the green space in front of the hotel.  There was a sign nearby asking guests to respect their space and not approach the den.  These foxes, the mom, dad, and 3 kits, frolicked like they didn't have a care in the world. 

They were not disturbed in the least by all of the people standing and being entertained by their antics.  It was a real treat to have such an intimate peek into their private, carefree world.  I felt just like them.  On my way back inside, I had to stop and let a deer walk by me, lest our paths literally intersect.  I felt like Snow White walking through the forest!  Every minute of my stay was more and more healing, as the serenity of this magical, natural oasis calmed my soul.  A reluctant and truly life changing realization would come to me later.