Ice Sculpture Contest in Canada's Banff National Park an Olympic Qualifier

Lake Louise is a gorgeous year-round destination spot in Canada's Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. But it's even more spectacular in the winter, when it becomes an ice wonderland. This year the International Ice Sculpture Competition -- part of the festival near the Victoria Glacier -- is also a qualifying event for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Banff Lake Louise Tourism team up for the January 25-27 events.

International teams have two_ days to create masterpieces from 15 blocks of ice. Sanctioned by the National Ice Carving Association Beginning in 2009, carvers will earn points needed to qualify for the International Ice Competition in Whistler, BC, in 2010.

This year’s theme “Celebrating Snow Queen, Ice Fairies and The Enchanted Forest” will bring ice carving teams from as far away as Nigeria, as well as the Banff Centre’s Canadian composer Patrick Cardy’s adapted score of The Snow Queen for string quartet. Also new this year is Baker Creek Chalet’s Ice Playground, Samson Mall’s Little Chippers Children’s Carving and Lake Louise Inn’s One Hour, One Carver, One Block. Watch in on the Canmore Eagles Hockey Game at the Recreation Centre or a dog-sledding demonstration, as the entire community of Lake Louise celebrates the Ice Magic Festival weekend. “This is a great step forward for the festival. Ice Magic has been growing fast and several new events have been added this year,” says Andrea Thiessen, Director of Events and Special Projects for Banff Lake Louise Tourism. For a full schedule, visit www.banfflakelouise.com/icemagic.

Tucked deep within the boundaries of Banff National Park, the Lake Louise area boasts world-class festivals, breathtaking scenery, excellent restaurants and charming hotels. Lake Louise is a terrific destination for families, couples and nature lovers.

Provincetown, MA -- Art, History, Spas

Visit Provincetown year-round for a splash of art and history. At THANKSGIVING remember the Pilgrims who first landed at Provincetown, the 1620 before moving to Plymouth. At the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, view a fab art collection. I took a four-day Cape Cod escape relaxing, strolling, beaching, biking, gallery-hopping and watching the street scene in P-town. Relaxing at the deluxe Crowne Point Inn & Spa, a block from Pilgrim Monument (look up!) and the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, open all year, eating at The Mews and Bistro at Crowne Point, is a good bet anytime of year. Of course, in the summer, Cape Cod's National Seashore beaches offer warmer options.

On my leisurely drive along Cape Cod, I followed the Arts & Artisans Trails of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket guidebook and visited some pottery makers, jewelers, painters and galleries. More than 200 artists are featured along seven different trails. Guides, $13.95, are sold at bookstores and www.CapeAndIslandsArtsGuide.com.

On November 11, 1620, 42 Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact before rowing ashore to establish a colony. Today, and visitors can learn about it in the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum at the base of the monument. The 100-year old, l0-story, 350 foot tower – the tallest all-granite structure in the country -- is on the highest point of land in P-town, and Pres. Theodore Roosevelt dedicated it in 1907. The tower will be lighted for the holidays on Nov. 21. www.pilgrim-monument.org.

The Pilgrims left P-town because of inadequate water and sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Provincetown eventually thrived thanks to fishing, tourism and art. Perched at the end of Cape Cod, the town features dozens of galleries, restaurants, shops, and theatre, ranging from the East End to the West End on Commercial Street.

Nowadays, Moms and Dads push strollers down Commercial Street (it’s virtually a pedestrian mall as cars crawl along. hikers carry backpacks, bikers whiz by and cafe sitters just drink coffee, munch cookies and chill. In season, hop aboard a whale watch or harbor cruise from MacMillan Wharf, or Art’s Dune Tour (Arts Dune Tours www.ArtsDuneTours.com, 508-487-1950, since 1946) through the National Seashore by dune buggy, horse, bike or foot and meet literati and glitterati from all over the world. Pass the beach shacks of famous writers and artists like Eugene O'Neill, a dune shack resident continuing to the Pilgrim Lake, where the Pilgrims got fresh water.

Visiting for a few days at the end of October delighted me with such warm weather I strolled around town in a sweater and tee shirt, like everyone else. Yet being off-season, nothing was crowded and the quiet beauty and charm of P-Town shone through. In Provincetown, my pals and I searched little coves, watch sunlit gulls, stroll flower lined paths, and beachcomb secluded sands, ride Atlantic surf. Here, as Patti Page sang in l963, "...if you're fond of sand dunes and salty air...you're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod."

Provincetown called P-town by locals is a high voltage, world-renowned artist's colony inspiring Norman Mailer, Hans Hoffman and Edward Gorey ("Dracula"). In the early 1900s, the light of P-Town attracted New York avante garde artists who founded artists colonies and schools – think Charles Hawthorne, Hans Hoffman -- shines as bright as ever. Today, their legacy exists in the many galleries, the newly renovated and expanded Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), 460 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657 PH: (508) 487-1750, www.paam.org. Director Chris McCarthy noted PAAM is opening yearlong and hosts changing exhibit attracting top artists.

TO DO: Moms and Dads push strollers down the middle of Commercial Street (it's a pedestrian mall by use; cars are barely tolerated); hikers carry backpacks, bikers whiz by and cafe sitters just drink coffee, munch cookies and keep on chatting.

Stroll around Commercial Street; wander in and out of the boutiques, galleries, delis, and wharves. Walk to the end of MacMillan Wharf, poke into the fishing boats, and enjoy the vista of the town and sea. Search little coves, watch sunlit gulls, stroll flower lined paths, beachcomb secluded sands, ride Atlantic surf. Here, as Patti Page sang in l963, "...if you're fond of sand dunes and salty air...you're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod." Surprises lurk behind rambling roses, crashing surf, artist’s easels, fishing reels, boiled lobsters, sunscreen, baby carriages and bicycles built for two.

Grab a pizza from Spiritus, 190 Commercial St.; sit on the bench in front of Town Hall. People watch; don’t forget the dogs, either! Stroll down Commercial Street, and the side streets; wander in and out of the boutiques, galleries, delis, and wharves.

Art’s Dune Tours take visitors on narrated, guided day, sunset tour and even clambake tours to the dunes in a beach buggy (a closed jeep). Daytime tours (beginning at 9 a.m.), from the Town Wharf, drive through narrow P-town streets and alleys, into the Cape Cod National Seashore, continue through the scrub pine, beach grass over the dunes, past beach shacks of famous writers and artists (Eugene O'Neill was a dune resident), continuing to the Pilgrim Lake, where the Pilgrims got their fresh water supplies then back to town. Seasonal, but don’t miss it.

I stayed at The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa of Provincetown (82 Bradford St., 508-487-6767, www.crownepointe.com, a classic 140-year-old Cape Cod Sea Captain's estate. This unique Provincetown hotel is Relaxing, Rejuvenating, and Romantic. It’s four-star restaurant, the Bistro is in an elegant dining room. The inn serves a hot buffet breakfast, too, and boasts one of the best spas on the Cape. The AAA Four Diamond Inn has 40 rooms in six large fully restored historic buildings including a mansion, with an outdoor pool and two Jacuzzis.

This landmark Provincetown hotel features spacious guestrooms and luxury suites wrapped around a beautifully landscaped courtyard. My room, and others, featured a fireplace and whirlpool tub. The interior design compliments the spectacular Provincetown landscape of sand dune vistas, marsh grass, blue-green waters and sandy shoreline. Natural materials with fine craftsmanship abound throughout the hotel including hardwood floors, soothing wall color and ceiling fans.

Crowne Pointe Inn features the full service Shui Spa in one of the lovely houses. The serenity of the multi-storied spa immediately put me into a warm, cozy, relaxing mod before my gentle grape-exfoliating facial, the spa’s signature treatment. The spa’s therapists offer an extensive menu of body, skin and massage treatments and therapies. A steam room and sauna, mineral pool and outdoors reflecting garden with a large Buddha statue completes the spa experience. The Shui Spa is open to the public. Visit www.shuispa.com or call The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa 82 Bradford Street, Provincetown, MA 02657 • 508-487-6767.

RESTAURANTS: The open-all year top-notch Bistro Restaurant at the Crowne Pointe Inn, is a perfect fit for the Inn, and the gourmet food is served with great charm by the terrific wait staff.

I dined at The Mews, Commercial Street. (129 Commercial Street, Provincetown, 508-487-1500, www.mews.com.) Open all year, this richly decorated and lively restaurant serves gourmet and plain food. I ordered a martini from a full menu then duck, -- delicious! -- topped by excellent Key lime pie. In season, grab an outdoor table at one of the many restaurants lining Commercial Street, or head indoor. Not all of the restaurants are open all year.

Falmouth -- After my P-Town stay, I drove south to Falmouth -- about an hour away -- for two days and relaxed at the upscale oceanfront bed and breakfast, Inn on the Sound. Innkeepers Jan Campbell and husband Howard Grosser prepared a delicious hot breakfast, featuring their famous cinnamon bread. The Inn boasts “A walk along the beach begins just steps from your door and the scent of sea air greets you outside your window.” And where my first-floor spacious room featured an ocean-facing deck and chaise lounge with Siamese cat, Bob. Vineyard Sound and famed Martha’s Vineyard are in view at just a turn of your head... sits 45 feet up on a bluff, with panoramic ocean and Martha’s Vineyard views. The Inn is perfectly located for sightseeing throughout Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Newport and Plymouth, with ferries leaving Falmouth Harbor just half-a-mile away. www.innonthesound.com. 313 Grand Avenue · Falmouth, 800 564 9668 · 508 457 9666 · For information on Falmouth, visit Falmouth Chamber of Commerce website at www.falmouthchamber.com.

I had two spa treatments at the modern Bellezza Day Spa in the town center. A scalp followed my Swedish massage by Patti Pulliam and hair treatment in the childfree spa was superb. Bellezza Day Spa, Falmouth, www.spabellezza.com.The 2007 Arts & Artisans Guide. To find artists who have open studios and galleries and welcome visitors to browse and shop on the entire Cape, buy The 2007 Arts & Artisans Guide. Its color photos and maps give an idea of places and an artwork. Www.capeandislandsartsguide.com.

The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Hyannis, prints a visitors guide, www.capecodchamber.org/GuideBook.asp, and tel. 888-33CapeCod. Www.provincetowntourismoffice.org.