Round The World 2019

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Smooth 14 1/2 hour flight to Vancouver which, contrary to Shaun’s misgivings about Air Canada was very comfortable with good food, plenty of leg room and friendly staff. Then a couple of hours at the airport with time for a snack lunch, then another hour and a half flight to Calgary. Met at the airport by our BnB hosts then half an hour in the car to our accomodation. Very nice place on the edge of the city.

So we are nicely settled in and there’s a knock on the door - Shaun and girlfriend had decided to surprise us by driving 3 hours up from Medicine Hat. Great surprise. Then we all headed off to grab some groceries and later went for a great meal at a nearby Italian place. It was helpful that Shaun decided to pop in because it meant we were able to keep awake in an effort to get our body clock on track. So in the end we had been awake 32 hours and needless to say slept like babies.

First day in Calgary a pleasant 24C forecast and it just happened to be a public holiday in Canada celebrating Heritage day. So we had a lazy morning before Shaun and Michelle joined us and we headed downtown. We get there by walking 10 mins then hop on a train which takes into the city centre. Which is very odd because it is a train, but goes through the middle of town like a tram. But there aren’t any trams. Calgary isn‘t that big (population 1.4 mill) and there is one ‘train’ line running from North West to South East, another going North East to South West. Both run through the centre of the city and you can then walk to to any part of the CBD in about 20 minutes. Avery unusual set up, supplemented of course with an extensive bus network.

Anyway, we strolled through the main mall area, decorated everywhere with beautiful hanging baskets, grabbed a very nice coffee - not easy to find - then headed for a major park which was the focus of activities for the day. in the centre was a large children’s splash pool which doubles as an ice skating rink in winter. Behind that was a stage area where a variety of multi-cultural groups performed. So this was a huge amphitheatre with the crowd spread all round and we all enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon.

After that Shaun and Michelle headed home, we had DIY dinner at the BnB and flopped into bed, ready for a big day in the Rockies tomorrow.

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