Canada: Calgary
Calgary was a quick 1 day stop and a 3 hour drive for us from Edmonton. The main reason we were going to Calgary was to attend the Calgary Stampede, as part of my cross-country Canada150 train trip with the Via Rail Canada150 youth pass.
Calgary was way better than Edmonton. I was impressed with the malls as they had green and red lights on top of each parking stall to indicate whether there is a spot open or not.
The air was very dry and hot and I think I almost got a nosebleed though.
It was insanely hot in Calgary, and even more so at the Calgary stampede where we were mostly out in the sun. I debated if I should purchase a cowboy hat or not, but decided against it because it would get squished in my backpack. When we were taking public transit to the stampede, it was filled with (white) people wearing plaid shirts and cowboy hats, screaming “Yeehaw!” after every stop. It was actually hilarious.
We bought tickets to watch a rodeo and laughed our heads off at the cowboys on horses that would be kicking and jumping up and down as the tried to stay on and not fall off.
I wish we stayed overnight in Calgary, as there were lots of parties that night too at bars due to the stampede. Unfortunately we had only planned for a day trip and had to drive back to Edmonton that night.
Sincerely, Loewe