Stampeding to Calgary - a bit late! 12th August City on a Sunday

[parisdisneyfan]

Although we woke up around 5 again we tried to doze a bit until we felt hungry. We had breakfast in today enjoying some of the fruit we had bought with toast and coffee. Would have been nice to have it on the balcony but it was quite grey and a bit chilly. I unpacked my case and put stuff away as well as enjoying using all my own toiletries (sorry if tmi ) although the hotel stuff wasn’t too bad!

By this time it was after 11 so I made some sandwiches and we decided to head down to Calgary to see what it is like. I’m not that fond of busy cities so going on a Sunday suits me, we did that in San Francisco as well and enjoyed it then.

Not sure where dh set the sat nav for but it really didn’t take long at all to get into the centre. We passed the Olympic Park and debated whether to call in but as we weren’t doing any activities were unsure if we could. We were just deliberating where to park, when we saw a MEC store that dd had told us to visit and had given me her membership card. It seems very similar to our GO Outdoors stores so we parked there and headed inside. First thing we saw were some packing cubes so we got our own set, dh also got some Moon Cheese which looks like dehydrated cheese, not sure what it tastes like yet – crunchy cheese ummmm! I also found a chalk bag that looked like an Egyptian mummy which I picked up for my nephew (who climbs) Christmas. After that we headed further in to the centre and found some onstreet parking near a shopping centre called The Core. This seemed quite upmarket but had a great food court on the top floor alongside an indoor botanical garden type place called Devonian Gardens, it was very nice. We had a little browse and dh bought me a Canada Pandora Charm, a red maple leaf before getting some food – dh had Poutine with pulled pork, I had a hot dog! He declared his Poutine quite tasty, well he ate it all, I didn’t even get to try a chip!

Back to the car and set the sat nav for Princes Island, thank you for the tip for that Gunna and Jo! We hadn’t realised how close we were or we probably would just have walked but ended parking on the north side of the Bow River. As I said before I’m not a city person but I think I could quite happily live in one of the houses above the Memorial Drive facing the Island and the city, you would soon get fit up and down the hill as well! Anyway as we walked over the bridge there was an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona just finishing.

We stood and watched for a few minutes as they danced the finale to Beat It by Michael Jackson and a couple of others that we can’t remember! At the end they announced that they were theatre students at University, they do it 5 days a week at 7pm with an extra matinee on Sunday afternoons that we had just caught. That together with the sunshine and gorgeous park surroundings really made you feel happy, it was I imagine a sort of Central Park for Calgary. We walked to the end of the island and saw the Peace Bridge, and considered going back over to the City and visiting the Eau Claire Market, however it looked really busy so we decided not to and headed back to the car.

As we walked back over the bridge we commented on how black the sky was looking to the north and as if on cue there was a clap of thunder. The rain started as we got back in the car and it really came down for about 20-30 minutes, until we were clear of the city. This curtailed our idea of calling into the Stampede Park and Saddledome to try to see the sculptures, which I was a bit disappointed about but hopefully we may have another chance later in the holiday.

As we headed back we thought the mountains were looking clearer but didn’t know if we were imagining it. I can’t remember what time we got back but it seemed a long afternoon so after eating the sandwiches I’d made earlier we headed off to bed. We don’t feel particularly “jet lagged” but I think the early mornings are meaning we need early nights so sort of catch 22!

[Gunna]

The park is lovely in Calgary. I thought it was a nice city and we enjoyed our time there.

I ate loads of poutine whilst we where across there, I love it.

[jocat]

We saw the staging area for Two Gentlemen of Verona, but how lovely to catch the end of it.

The sky in that last photo looks clearer to me too, than it was when we were there, so really hope the haze is starting to go for you.

[WileyCoyote]

What a lovely feel good day, the city looks really nice and even better that the rain waited till you were leaving ...

[parisdisneyfan]

Originally Posted by jocat

We saw the staging area for Two Gentlemen of Verona, but how lovely to catch the end of it.

The sky in that last photo looks clearer to me too, than it was when we were there, so really hope the haze is starting to go for you.

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I would really have liked to have seen more, I really love outdoor theatre.

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

What a lovely feel good day, the city looks really nice and even better that the rain waited till you were leaving ...

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It was quite scary as the wipers couldn't go fast enough and the road was like driving across a river but within a few minutes of leaving the city it had gone and didn't even look like it had rained!