Wow, it's funny how people have such different ideas of what is worth seeing. I've been to Niagra five times, with and without kids. I could stare at those Falls endlessly. Every time I go I do every possible "tour" of the Falls. The Cave of the Winds is not to be missed. Sometimes I get off the MOM and get right back on the next trip, and the next. I'm mesmerized by those Falls and the closer I get to them the better. I'm not fond of the cable car over the whirlpool, but I do it if the others in my group want to do it. I heard the cave that goes behind the Falls is closed now and if so I'll be heartbroken as that is a fantastic experience. I am told that Goat Island is the best of all the attractions in NF, but somehow I have never managed to get over there. There is a safari/amusement park between NF and Toronto...my whole family loves that place. The only thing I've really enjoyed seeing in TO is the "castle" that is there. I spent a week at 1,000 islands once. It was a long week, lol. The highlight of that trip was also a castle built on a privately owned island. NF does have a horrible area full of mini golf, funhouses, ripleys, etc.

Very beautiful! I love snow in the winter (not spring, LOL)! I grew up and live in W.PA where we have all four seasons and I love them all. I still get that giddy feeling when I wake up after a large snow fall and see everything white. When I was a kid it ment SNOW DAY! A day to make snowmen and snow angles, sled ride, then come back in for some hot coco. Of course now I have to shovel and driving into work takes twice the time, but I still like it. On really bad days I take a vacation day and play with my DD's in the snow and pretend I have a snow day too.

I was just in Banff in May and will be going back the last week of August. We flew into Edmonton, and drove to Jasper, on to the Lake Louise area (we actually stayed just outside LL at the Emerald Lake Lodge), on to Banff and then into Calgary where we flew home from. I know many people prefer Jasper over Banff, but personally I disagree. Jasper really didn't thrill me whatsoever. The the drive from Jasper to Lake Louise, however, was spectacular - especially in the Saskatchewan River Crossing area. I'm not sure how far outside of Banff you want to go - will you have a car? I'm assuming yes if you'll be there for 6 days. LL is about an hour beyond Banff, and Field, BC is just outside Lake Louise - that's the area Takakkaw Falls is in. We wanted to do that hike when we were there in May but the trails hadn't opened yet. We also wanted to do the Lake Agnes Tea House trail ride in LL, but our visit was just a bit too early in the year. Emerald Lake is very beautiful and is a nice drive. If you like historic properties the Fairmont Hotels in both LL and Banff (especially Banff) are beautiful and fun to explore. We spent one night at the Fairmont Banff Springs and could have spent the entire time we were there just exploring the hotel and grounds. Even if you're not staying at the hotel you can visit for lunch or a drink, and there is a little gallery on the second floor with lots of historical memorabilia and photographs, etc. They also do a historical tour each day at 1 pm I believe. There are hot springs right in Banff if you feel like a soak, and also the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. Many people find Banff busy, and it is, but I prefer a bit of hustle and bustle. This was my first visit to the Canadian Rockies and we spend a lot of our time just driving around and taking in the various sites. There are lots of hiking and walking trails and scenic look outs to visit. Every turn you go around is photo worthy. When we return in August we are spending two nights in Banff and two in Calgary, and also heading South this time down into Montana and are going to cross the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. You're probably flying into Calgary?? Enjoy your visit - it's a beautiful area!

How would we go about campaigning for some more local offerings? I looked at the Tantau website and it seems most of their list is new to me. Is this one of those cases where talking to a particular grower, with money in hand to cover some set minimum order requirement would get us some action? My German kind of lacks in vocabulary, but I understand all of the "the", "a", and "with" so I would have to resort to google translate or something to contact them. Maybe Burlington or some of the other bigger names here like ARE, Heirloom, or RU? I wouldn't be too surprised if we could drive up a 50 plant order for AL just from the regulars here. EDIT TO ADD Hooray for other people being much more multilingual than I am! I have just sent an email to Tantau asking about the option for doing a bulk order for those interested here, and additional information to see about potentially having it sold by a US source. I admit to being completely novice, and whatever they send will probably cruise straight over my head but, its a first step!