Stampeding Around Calgary

Greetings from Calgary! Today’s high — 43F/6C.

Almost everyone in the States that we told about coming to Calgary asked if we were going to the Stampede. We are not. It is held in July, and we will not be here then. While it sounds like a very big, impressive event, we are finding that Calgary has much more to offer.

Calgary has a city population of over 1 million residents and is the largest city in the province of Alberta. It has a pretty impressive, and architecturally interesting skyline and some fun public art (see below).

View of the Calgary Tower and partial downtown skyline from "our" condo. — View of the Calgary Tower and partial downtown skyline from “our” condo.

Calgary provided another big head photo op for Bob.

Another feature that I like about the City is that it is laid out in a very grid-like manner with streets running north and south and avenues east and west. There are northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest quadrants with Center Street dividing east and west and the Bow River dividing north from south.

Calgary also has lovely outdoor parks and a great network of hiking and biking options including the Bow River Pathway. This is a 30 mile network of hiking and biking trails along the Bow River that connects major parks and green areas in Calgary. Bob and I have walked just a portion of this to date (see below), but I have a 22 mile run this weekend that will allow me to see much more of it.

The Peace Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that crosses the Bow River just west of Prince's Island Park. — The Peace Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, that crosses the Bow River just west of Prince’s Island Park.

The River Cafe along the Bow River Trail.

Looking back towards downtown from the Bow River Parkway.

Today we explored one outdoor park, the Reader Rock, one indoor urban park, Devonian Gardens, and, in a nod to the Calgary Stampede, did the Art Walk on the Stampede grounds.

Reader Rock Garden is named for Mr. Reader a former long-time director of parks for the City of Calgary. The garden is on the grounds of his former house which came with the position. It also abuts a couple of large cemeteries. Mr. Reader’s former home is now a cafe (open May through January). It was a lovely stroll around the grounds though we had to watch our footing a bit on the stone steps as they are still a bit ice and snow covered.

Map of the gardens and surrounding cemeteries.

Former home of park director, now the park cafe (in season).

The Reader Rock garden lies just to the south of Stampede Park, home of the Calgary Stampede (For my fellow Texans I find Calgary quite reminiscent of Ft. Worth.). We explored the grounds, outside of the buildings, to view the artwork — everything from sculptures to murals to carved stone and metalwork. Each piece depicting some aspect of the Stampede and it’s history. I don’t know if we’ll ever get back for the Stampede, but the grounds are very close to the Saddledome where the Calgary Flames play, and we are hoping to get to one of their games before we leave.

By the Banks of the Bow sculpture with the Saddledome in the background.

Bronc Twister sculpture with metal teepee in background with symbols of first people nations that participate in the stampede.

The indoor park, the Devonian Gardens, is a lovely garden oasis in The Core, Calgary’s downtown mall. When you first enter them on the third floor, you almost immediately relax due to the quieter ambiance and gorgeous greenery. The larger portion of the gardens is on the fourth floor and the various green spaces and ponds (along with a live piano player) eventually give way to a children’s play area and food court.