The Hotel Book [antikvár]

zmerald Lake Lodge, Field, British Columbia Canadian Jewel Sometimes nature startles us with a display of color that seems almost unreal, too stunning not to be a mirage or digitally enhanced. But the intense, opaque aquamarine green of Emerald Lake, high in the Canadian Rockies, is real, just as real now as it was in the late 19th century, when the Canadian Railroad company's workers were pushing the rails westward through this challenging mountain terrain. The Canadian Railroad company built grand hotels and lodges along the rail lines, to lure tourists out to the wilds of western Canada. Nearly 100 years later, these marvellous buildings, great examples of Canadian vernacular architecture, still continue to welcome visitors to Canada's wilderness. Emerald Lake Lodge is one of the more remote of the railroad lodges; until it was restored and expanded in the 1980s, it was just a couple of cabins by the lake surrounded by white-capped mountains. The eco-sensitive renovation and expansion has not disturbed the impressive isolation and beauty of the area-visitors must leave their cars a distance away, and take a shuttle bus to the lodge. Inside your log cottage room, a warm stone fireplace awaits; ski trails and hiking trails begin right outside your door. But after hiking to high mountain meadows thick with wildflowers, you can return to civilization (and to dinner in the lodge's fine restaurant). Step out onto the wooden porch, relax in a cushioned chair under a blanket, snug against the chill, and take a deep breath of this crisp, clean Canadian air. The lake spreads before you, reflecting mountains and fir trees in splendid stillness. Booli to Pack: "Call of the Wild" by Jack London. Famous novel about life in the far north woods.