Traveling – Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada

July of 2005 found my wife and me in Glacier National Park where we enjoyed several days of hiking and sightseeing in one of the most beautiful national parks in the US. Glacier National Park is located in Northern Montana and is adjacent to Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park.

Part of our trip took us into Canada to Waterton Lakes National Park where we enjoyed several days staying at the Prince of Wales Hotel. This is a beautiful old hotel situated on a bluff at one end of the lake with a sweeping view down the entire length of the lake. While we stayed at the hotel, we enjoyed several hikes into the surrounding mountains and along the lake. We even had enjoyed watching a black bear work a nearby hillside foraging for food.

One of the features of the Prince of Wales hotel is its high tea. The tea is held in a large room in the main building of the hotel and every table looks out of two story high windows out at the lake. I have never been one for going pay to go for a tea, though my wife and her friends will sometimes go to tea as group outing. As this is a key feature of the hotel, I agreed to go.

We had a nice table by the window and had our tea with our plate of small sandwiches and pastries. We were a little disappointed at the presentation as everyone around us received their goodies on a three-tiered plate, but when we were served, the hotel had run out of three-tiered plates so our food was served on just a large platter.

Outside of the visual delivery, we each enjoyed a raspberry tart, cinnamon twist, scone, strawberries dipped in chocolate, small sandwiches, and lemon cookies. It was good – as an appetizer, but I wondered when they would bring the main course.

While high tea is not something I will probably experience again, I did enjoy the experience and especially the view out the window at the grandeur of Waterton Lake.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell