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Published: December 19th 2005
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After 1 and a half days in Edmonton, the next stop of my trip is Calgary, the largest city in the province of Alberta. When the Greyhound bus approaches Downtown Calgary, I was awed by the wealth and prosperity of the city. Gleaming skyscrapers, linked with skybridges, lined the tidy streets. The sky was clear and cloudless, but I just found the weather a bit too cold for me.
When I was checking in at the hostel, I was asked to pay the fee (which I thought I had paid with my mum's credit card). As the same case in Edmonton, I was told that the credit card was only used to hold the reservation and no money was charged. However, I had very little Canadian Dollars left (thanks to the payment in HI-Edmonton) and all I had was US Dollars. The hostel had no currency exchange, so in the end, the hostel staff tried to deduct the money from my mum's credit card, using the credit card information in my online reservation. Luckily, it worked, so I didn't need to pay a single cent. (However, when I return to Singapore, I will need to return the money to my
Telus World of Science 2
Once again, when I saw snow in Calgary, I decided to leave my name... mum.)
After I put down my luggage, I went to the west side of Downtown Calgary to explore, as well as to view the sunset. At the west of downtown, there was the Telus World of Science, a modern building with interesting displays and a funky architecture. The view of downtown and the surrounding landscape from the Telus World of Science was great, especially at sunset. After the sun had set, I went back to the hostel to use the free wireless internet (and to type my blog about Edmonton).
On the next day, I woke up at 7:30am. When I walked out of the hostel at 8am, the sun was still slowly rising. From the hostel, I took a walk to the Calgary Stampede grounds. The Calgary Stampede is an annual festival which takes place in July. When I reached the Stampede grounds, the whole place was deserted. Nevertheless, I saw many cowboy-theme buildings and displays. I also saw the impressive Saddledome, a saddle-shaped covered stadium. Behind the Saddledome, there was a bridge that led me to the other side of the Elbow River. From the other side of the river, there was a wooden staircase leading
up to a hill. I climbed the stairs, and when I reached the top of the hill, I was amazed by the spectacular scenary. I could see the Saddledome and the skyscrapers of Downtown Calgary glistering in the morning sun. In the distance, I could also see the Rocky Mountains!!! The view was very very beautiful, but the weather was very very cold...
Later, I went to explore Downtown Calgary. The downtown area was very easy to navigate because of the grid-like layout of the streets. Basically, 7th Avenue is the transit artery of downtown, while 8th Ave (aka Stephen Avenue) is a pedestrian walkway, lined with nice historic buildings, fancy shopping malls, and gleaming skyscrapers. (According to a sign on Stephen Avenue, this street is the only street in Canada, west of Montreal, that retains the original state and condition as the early 1900s.) Amid the towering skyscrapers, there's a quiet piece of heaven. It's Devonian Gardens, the largest indoor garden in Alberta. There were lots of plants, sculptures, and fountains in the garden, and the most amazing thing is that the whole garden is indoors and it is just above the busy shopping centres. (The garden and
the malls are just one storey apart, and the atmospheres are so different.)
From the shopping district, I took a walk to Chinatown. Calgary's Chinatown is considered small (compared to Vancouver's one), but nevertheless it's very vibrant. The most striking landmark in Chinatown is the Chinese Cultural Centre, where there is a gigantic chinese dome modelled after the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. There were also many interesting Chinese shops and restaurants around the area. Later I took a walk to Prince's Island Park, a park situated on a small island in the middle of Bow River. Even though it's just a stone's throw away from downtown, the park is so peaceful and quiet. Back to the south bank of the Bow River, I visited the Eau Claire Market, where there were many interesting shops, cafe, grocery stores, and even a cineplex!
In the afternoon, I returned to the hostel to collect my luggage and to type this blog. Later, I will go to Calgary International Airport, to catch my flight to Las Vegas. I'm so excited!
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fred
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Thanks again
Also heading to calgary, you gave me some useful information. Thank you , your efforts appreciated