Blog and photos by Garrett Fulton
Beauty should never be the sole possesion of the rich and priveledged. Yet that is clearly the case with Lake Louise Canada. Its no wonder that throngs flock to Lake Louise. The chilly water is an enticing crystal green , the glacier which fills it a frozen white river, and the mountains that surround, sentinals who tower in triumph of the ages.
Tourists swarm the grounds from Korea, Holland, America and countless other countries who are drawn to its beauty like moths to the flame.
Despite the beauty, I found myself however rather disturbed by the solitary hotel and restaurant which ruled the grounds. Although it boasted not much more than a crystal lake and mountains, it capitolized on its well planned location like a lemonade stand in the middle of the Sahara. Rooms started at $400 dollars per night, dinner started at $50 dollars a plate, canoe rental was $55 dollars per hour and I didn't begin to even investigate the real cost of what it would cost to stay a weekend there with trinkets, drinks and novelties.I found myself despising the hotel for raping the tourists with such outrageous prices.
Although it was in name a "French Chateau", it didn't bother their consceince any to have Canadiens acting as Bavarian look alike porters to compliment the poorly imitated copy of Germanic architecture. Banking on tourist naivity, they created a conflicting, "cultural" salad of people,places and times to snow those with fat wallets and no taste to shell over money in exchange for bragging rights to what boiled down to fraud.
Having lived in France and Germany, I knew the real thing. Was I to cheer that the materialistic had been sold the emperors clothes? Should I have been glad that the workers were exposed as phoney? Should I have delighted to be able to laugh at the hotel as one would a Disneyland Castle? I don't know......... the scenery was heavenly, but the capitolism seemed debase.
Beauty should never be the sole possesion of the rich and priveledged. Yet that is clearly the case with Lake Louise Canada. Its no wonder that throngs flock to Lake Louise. The chilly water is an enticing crystal green , the glacier which fills it a frozen white river, and the mountains that surround, sentinals who tower in triumph of the ages.
Tourists swarm the grounds from Korea, Holland, America and countless other countries who are drawn to its beauty like moths to the flame.
Despite the beauty, I found myself however rather disturbed by the solitary hotel and restaurant which ruled the grounds. Although it boasted not much more than a crystal lake and mountains, it capitolized on its well planned location like a lemonade stand in the middle of the Sahara. Rooms started at $400 dollars per night, dinner started at $50 dollars a plate, canoe rental was $55 dollars per hour and I didn't begin to even investigate the real cost of what it would cost to stay a weekend there with trinkets, drinks and novelties.I found myself despising the hotel for raping the tourists with such outrageous prices.
Although it was in name a "French Chateau", it didn't bother their consceince any to have Canadiens acting as Bavarian look alike porters to compliment the poorly imitated copy of Germanic architecture. Banking on tourist naivity, they created a conflicting, "cultural" salad of people,places and times to snow those with fat wallets and no taste to shell over money in exchange for bragging rights to what boiled down to fraud.
Having lived in France and Germany, I knew the real thing. Was I to cheer that the materialistic had been sold the emperors clothes? Should I have been glad that the workers were exposed as phoney? Should I have delighted to be able to laugh at the hotel as one would a Disneyland Castle? I don't know......... the scenery was heavenly, but the capitolism seemed debase.
(The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor...JK Hahahaha)
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