BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER

Canada West Day 34 - Calgary

Saturday, 10 June 2023 03:27

I am not a real cities person, there are exceptions, but my contingency planning for weather allowed a sacrificial day in Calgary and as the weather was remarkable it became a real day. It was a nice day out in this modern city along the Bow River with its tower recognised across the world. My hotel is on the boundary between downtown and Mount Royal Village on an easy bus route. So off to town in the 13 bus to start the day on the riverside walk from the Peace Bridge to Fort Calgary. A nice way to spend an hour or so. The headline picture was taken towards the end of that river walk. It started with a mass of Canada goslings. Amongst the cyclists and runners were families animal and human. There were plenty of riverside apartments available. Some were even protected by dragons and coyotes. Sien Lok park has its own pyramid. The red chairs gave way to green loungers here. From the Easy Village it was time to head into town to the Olympic Plaza and then to Calgary Tower. There is some interesting and also thought provoking art in the Olympic Plaza as well as fun stuff for the kids. The Calgary Tower is not the tallest structure in the city but is a symbol of both the city and the province of Alberta. It is still pretty tall! I am not a great fan of transparent floors but I decided to check this one out. The heart is still fluttering. Others were less cautious. You get a great 360º view of the city and it was pretty clear. City Hall by the Olympic Plaza looks a little out of place amongst the glass and steel. I loved the little pink heart on a tower block looking north. Down at street level 8th Avenue was busy with people in all of the restaurants and bars seemingly having a good time. There is some very accessible street art around. I finished my exploration of Calgary with a loop through the small China Town district before eventually getting a bus back to my digs. I say eventually as finding a working bus stop proved to be a challenge after two mis-directions by drivers of other route buses! The problem being that my route was following a detour to avoid construction. Never mind got there in the end.