Calgary, Alberta
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: This was the
first day of our trip we did not have to get up and get on the road. So, we
just didn't get up. Well, we didn't get up until 8 a.m. and had a leisurely
morning actually eating a breakfast requiring a plate and fork. The day was
cloudy and we needed sweaters, but the wind was gone. Late in the morning we
drove into Calgary and took-in a few of the local sites. I did not take
photos though, so if you want to see Calgary you will have to visit the
websites.
Calgary is a huge city - it takes up an immense span of land and nearly
800,000 people live here. We saw the
Calgary Tower,
which looms over the city and must fill the same purpose as the Seattle
Space Needle. It is no longer the tallest building in town. We toured
through the downtown, China Town and spent a while walking through the
Eau Claire Market
- local crafts and vendors, imports, produce and restaurants - all very
interesting. Great postcard shopping! The Market is on the Bow River and we
strolled through the park that runs along the river and walked over two of
the many footbridges from the park to a river island. The parks were alive
with a mix of people: tourists from all over the world, business people
enjoying their lunch hour, joggers, families with picnics, nannies pushing
strollers, police patrolling the park and bicyclists. The gardens were
beautiful - very English - in full bloom and weed-free.
After our stroll, we were ready for a late lunch and at 2:00 we found
ourselves on
Stephen's Walk - a car-free section of streets downtown near the Calgary
Tower, with quaint shops and sidewalk cafes. Beautiful hanging baskets
dripping with blooms decorated the lampposts. We sat down, outside, at the
James Joyce Pub
and were handed a menu when we ordered our pints. When the waitress brought
our beer, she took the menus away, to replace them with new choices because
"we are now using the 2:00 menus". (I don't know if they also have 3:00
menus, 4:00 menus, etc.) I ordered a boxty - sort of an Irish latke. It was
delicious! DT had a sandwich and a very good time "people-watching". The
street performers were entertaining - as they are in every city. Cowboys in
Calgary now have cell phones and wear DKNY tee-shirts. European tourists
still just dress strangely. We saw an adorable little girl - maybe 7 years
old - walking out of a Western shop with a new cowgirl hat on her head and
new cowgirl boots on her feet - her old sandals carried in a shopping bag!
Calgary at night
After viewing
Olympic
Park and the
Calgary Stampede Grounds, we went back to the camper for a rest! I baked
brownies and did a little needlepoint while DT snoozed. The wind did not
show up this evening. After our rest and a run (walk for me) we drove into
town a bit - the world's longest strip-mall - and had a just-wonderful meal
at a Greek Taverna - can anything taste better than fried cheese??? Greek
Salads, saganaki, spanokopita and calamari rings). Fun proprietor, good
food... a nice way to end our stay in Calgary.
RV Park: Pine Creek RV Campground (actually in De Winton,
Alberta) NOTE: I believe this campground is now closed!