Calgary
During our travels through the Rockies we'd walked through several canyons, some narrow, some filled with fast flowing water. Arriving in Calgary gave us a different experience, one of walking through canyons of glass and steel and concrete.
Calgary is (in part) an oil town. Our hotel was in the downtown area, close to the Bow River, but, despite having 35 floors, was dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the oil and finance companies. It was Labor Day when we arrived and the city centre was quiet. After dropping our bags at the hotel we walked a few blocks to the downtown core to find somewhere to eat. Most places were closed but a cheap and cheerful bar served beer and burgers - sufficient to refuel a little more exploring. The main street did have some attractive heritage buildings and Calgary is quite big on statues and public art.
Our wanderings took us down to the Olympic Plaza where we caught the tail end of a trade union organised Labor Day event. There had been a barbecue, live music and various children's' activities. The local library was giving away free books - old stock - to anyone who wanted to help themselves. We returned to our hotel to properly check in and had been allocated a studio suite on the 33rd floor. It was massive, separate bedroom, living area with sofa, two arm chairs, dining table and four chairs and a balcony and floor to ceiling views north towards the Bow River. After unpacking we set off in search of a convenience store and ended up walking through a park alongside the river. The sun was shining, ice cream sellers were doing a roaring trade and the river looked sparkling. The tall buildings of the city dominated the skyline.
We had one full day in Calgary and decided to visit Fort Calgary, a recreation of the original fort build by and for the North-West Mounted Police, in 1875. The 'fort' is a recreation based on what was at the location and contains a small museum. Before heading there I'd googled 'Calgary Tourist Information' and we walked across the city centre only to find that we'd been led astray, as the nondescript building we arrived at was just a small office building. The walk towards the river and on to Fort Calgary did however take us past Studio Bell, a recording studio and, through a darkened glass window was the original Rolling Stones mobile studio where several classic albums of the 70's had been recorded including the Stones 'Exile on Main Street' and most of Led Zeppelin III and IV.
We had to pass under several bridges on our walk and the concrete had been brightened up by some more public art.
Before we reached Fort Calgary we spotted a hare - not an expected sighting - so close to the city!
Fort Calgary was a great museum. The old police barracks had been rebuilt with great attention to detail. Outside the museum was a large statue of a bison called 'Buffy'. He was used as a character in the museum and used to explain how Calgary grew from the original fort to the city it is today of 2 million people. The railway was key to growth as it enabled farmers to get their grain harvest to market. Then came the oil boom. Within the museum were displays on the Mounties who were sent in to police the whisky and fur trade, a full size pool table (I had to have a go), a prison cell (Mrs B took great delight in locking me up) and recreations of the types of homes and businesses that grew between the 1870's and the 1930's.
Almost at the end of the museum was a vintage car, next to a service station business established by Walter Boote. I had discovered a distant relative! Walter had moved to Calgary in 1916 and opened a service station in the 1920's. He was apparently a leading light, establishing the Ogden district, a suburb to the South East of the city. He later became an Alderman and author of a local history book.
After this unexpected find and an interesting morning we returned to the downtown area walking back along the riverside trail, stopping for coffee and cake at a little bakery set in an old building in an area called the East Village. This is undergoing massive regeneration so there are new buildings and cranes in abundance - the old building housing the bakery used to be a bed and mattress store. As they had a coffee roasters on site - the coffee was excellent.
Continuing our walk we crossed to the other side of the Bow River and this gave views of Calgary's downtown district from a different perspective and then recrossed the river at the 'Peace Bridge'.
By now we had walked around 10 miles so returned to our hotel room to rest our tiring legs. After a restorative cup of tea we explored another aspect of Calgary - the indoor walkways called Skywalk 15+. This is an interconnected series of walkways, 15 feet or so above ground level that are connected by bridges and pass through hotels and corporate buildings including the Calgary Stock Exchange. It was like a city within a city as the walkways led to indoor shopping malls, food courts and, at Devonian Gardens, an indoor botanical park.
It makes sense of course in the winter months - there are 11 miles of indoor walkways - meaning nobody has to brave the bitter cold of a Canadian winter. Eventually we found the sunlight again and another of the pieces of art that are dotted around downtown - another big head!
It had been a full day of exploring, so dinner and a cocktail were well deserved. Returning to our hotel, tired, but having a better sense of the city we were briefly visiting, we watched the sun set from our balcony and the bright lights shine over the northern half of the city, towards the airport where we'd start our journey home.
Before heading to the airport we had a morning to spare so spent most of it in the Glenbow Art Gallery and Museum after another walk along the river bank. It turned out to be an excellent museum. The first floor had an interesting exhibition of Canadian art including one gallery devoted to canoes. There was also a large and impressive collection of Asian religious art. The next floor was devoted to the history of Calgary and was informative and gave a First Nations perspective and greater insight into the tribal cultures that predated colonisation. To complete an eclectic mix the third floor had a collection of African Art and separately a comprehensive exhibition on arms and armour through the ages with everything from medieval armour, to AK47's!
We finished our stay with lunch in a pub that had formerly been a bank - before setting off for our flight back to the UK.
To finish, a few numbers and reflections. In 20 days we'd driven at least 1500 miles, walked or hiked 135 miles, slept in 12 places, seen 4 elk, hundreds of chipmunks, but (to Mrs B's relief) no bears. The landscapes of Western Canada had been stunningly beautiful. At times we felt we walked into a virtual, National Geographic world.
As we travelled we also became increasingly aware that Canada is a relatively young country, celebrating its 150th year as a nation. Towns and cities reflect this youthfulness - buildings tend to be modern and functional and there are vibrant arts and culture movements and almost everyone we met was helpful and friendly. There's a determination to protect and preserve their wildlife and their National Parks service is excellent.
As in other countries tensions created by colonisation remain. Indigenous people had occupied different parts of what is now Canada for thousands of years before colonists arrived and lived to very different value systems. In 2017 the legacy of this disruption and the injustices it created persist.
Across the country, suicide and self-inflicted injury is the leading cause of death for First Nations people below the age of 44. The levels of vagrancy in Vancouver, an incredibly wealthy city, were shocking. Its easy, as a transient traveller to not look beyond the astonishing scenery but I think for any journey to be worthwhile its important to have at least a little sense of place and history and for the journey to be more than a series of photo opportunities.
And so to the inevitable question. Where next? Well I've got a few guide books and maps that are helping to form some early ideas for another trip. Watch this space!
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| "The Conversation" |
We had one full day in Calgary and decided to visit Fort Calgary, a recreation of the original fort build by and for the North-West Mounted Police, in 1875. The 'fort' is a recreation based on what was at the location and contains a small museum. Before heading there I'd googled 'Calgary Tourist Information' and we walked across the city centre only to find that we'd been led astray, as the nondescript building we arrived at was just a small office building. The walk towards the river and on to Fort Calgary did however take us past Studio Bell, a recording studio and, through a darkened glass window was the original Rolling Stones mobile studio where several classic albums of the 70's had been recorded including the Stones 'Exile on Main Street' and most of Led Zeppelin III and IV.
We had to pass under several bridges on our walk and the concrete had been brightened up by some more public art.
Before we reached Fort Calgary we spotted a hare - not an expected sighting - so close to the city!
Fort Calgary was a great museum. The old police barracks had been rebuilt with great attention to detail. Outside the museum was a large statue of a bison called 'Buffy'. He was used as a character in the museum and used to explain how Calgary grew from the original fort to the city it is today of 2 million people. The railway was key to growth as it enabled farmers to get their grain harvest to market. Then came the oil boom. Within the museum were displays on the Mounties who were sent in to police the whisky and fur trade, a full size pool table (I had to have a go), a prison cell (Mrs B took great delight in locking me up) and recreations of the types of homes and businesses that grew between the 1870's and the 1930's.
After this unexpected find and an interesting morning we returned to the downtown area walking back along the riverside trail, stopping for coffee and cake at a little bakery set in an old building in an area called the East Village. This is undergoing massive regeneration so there are new buildings and cranes in abundance - the old building housing the bakery used to be a bed and mattress store. As they had a coffee roasters on site - the coffee was excellent.
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| The SideWalk Citizen Bakery, East Village, Calgary |
Continuing our walk we crossed to the other side of the Bow River and this gave views of Calgary's downtown district from a different perspective and then recrossed the river at the 'Peace Bridge'.
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| Views of Calgary - Our hotel is the light coloured building centre right. |
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| The Peace Bridge |
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| One of the Skywalk 15+ connecting bridges |
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| One of the food courts/indoor public spaces of the city within a city |
It makes sense of course in the winter months - there are 11 miles of indoor walkways - meaning nobody has to brave the bitter cold of a Canadian winter. Eventually we found the sunlight again and another of the pieces of art that are dotted around downtown - another big head!
 |
| The lights of Calgary |
Before heading to the airport we had a morning to spare so spent most of it in the Glenbow Art Gallery and Museum after another walk along the river bank. It turned out to be an excellent museum. The first floor had an interesting exhibition of Canadian art including one gallery devoted to canoes. There was also a large and impressive collection of Asian religious art. The next floor was devoted to the history of Calgary and was informative and gave a First Nations perspective and greater insight into the tribal cultures that predated colonisation. To complete an eclectic mix the third floor had a collection of African Art and separately a comprehensive exhibition on arms and armour through the ages with everything from medieval armour, to AK47's!
 |
| Inside Glenbow Museum and Art Gallery |
To finish, a few numbers and reflections. In 20 days we'd driven at least 1500 miles, walked or hiked 135 miles, slept in 12 places, seen 4 elk, hundreds of chipmunks, but (to Mrs B's relief) no bears. The landscapes of Western Canada had been stunningly beautiful. At times we felt we walked into a virtual, National Geographic world.
As we travelled we also became increasingly aware that Canada is a relatively young country, celebrating its 150th year as a nation. Towns and cities reflect this youthfulness - buildings tend to be modern and functional and there are vibrant arts and culture movements and almost everyone we met was helpful and friendly. There's a determination to protect and preserve their wildlife and their National Parks service is excellent.
As in other countries tensions created by colonisation remain. Indigenous people had occupied different parts of what is now Canada for thousands of years before colonists arrived and lived to very different value systems. In 2017 the legacy of this disruption and the injustices it created persist.
Across the country, suicide and self-inflicted injury is the leading cause of death for First Nations people below the age of 44. The levels of vagrancy in Vancouver, an incredibly wealthy city, were shocking. Its easy, as a transient traveller to not look beyond the astonishing scenery but I think for any journey to be worthwhile its important to have at least a little sense of place and history and for the journey to be more than a series of photo opportunities.
And so to the inevitable question. Where next? Well I've got a few guide books and maps that are helping to form some early ideas for another trip. Watch this space!
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