Even though I’m from the rocky island of Newfoundland, I’ve never actually seen mountains before. So, I asked a friend of mine if he’d be willing to travel to Alberta with me to see the Rocky Mountains… and off we went!
The first stop was Calgary for a couple of nights. One of the best things about travelling with my friend is that we both prefer to travel as cheap as possible. We booked ourselves into “Canada’s Best Value Inn Chinook Station” which cost us each around $25 per night. It was clean, had a full bath, and the beds were comfortable; perfect! We arrived at the inn sometime after midnight, checked-in, and then went to bed.
After enjoying waffles, cereal, and coffee for breakfast (provided by the inn), we made our way to the “Chinook Centre” which is a huge shopping mall in Calgary. I was excited to visit the Build-a-Bear Workshop and create my own bear, but after being disappointed by the selection of bear bodies, I decided not to bother. So, I walked across the hallway to blow my money in Hot Topic! Purchased a cute dress themed from “Alice in Wonderland” as well as a necklace. Also bought an “Alice in Wonderland” long-sleeved shirt that’s incredibly comfortable to wear.
We left the shopping centre and wandered down various streets. We crossed some train tracks, stopped into a “Value Village” where I bought the novel Angela’s Ashes. We also checked out a couple of other local bookstores. One of the bookstores, “Fair’s Fair Books”, had a lovely collection of older texts and classics. My friend found the Complete Works of Lewis Carroll and I knew I had to buy it. It was a 1976 edition and had illustrations by John Tenniel. I simply couldn’t resist.
On our way back to the inn, we found a Brazilian restaurant called “Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue”. We were hesitant to check it out at first, since we’re both striving for a vegetarian diet, but we figured there’d be no harm in asking if they had a salad bar – and they did! Boy, oh, boy, was the food ever delicious! They had a damn fine cuppa coffee as well! Would definitely recommend this place to anyone travelling in the area.
The next day we woke up early to explore more of the area before it was time to check-out of the inn. This may sound strange, but one of our favourite places to explore in new cities are the local cemeteries. We made our way to the “Union Cemetery” which was quite large and full of unique-looking tombstones. After spending a couple of hours admiring the graves, we went back to the inn, grabbed our backpacks, and headed to the “Chinook Centre” for some lunch.
We ate lunch at “Bourbon Street Grill” located in the food court area. Their veggies and rice were delicious and satisfying. With our stomachs full, we left the shopping mall to wander and find some more bookstores and the bus station we would need to take us into the downtown area.
We found two little bookstores called “Owl’s Nest” and “Owlets” which were joined together on the inside. I didn’t find any literature that caught my eye, but I did purchase a handy little pencil case to hold my art supplies. It’s probably my favourite purchase from the entire trip.
After leaving the bookstore, it was time to find the bus station and head into downtown Calgary. Once downtown, we wandered the streets and saw a few interesting places. There was the “Wonderland Sculpture” which was this huge geometric head that you could walk inside. We visited the “Olympic Plaza” and saw the “Famous Five Sculpture” as well as people having fun on an outdoor ice rink. We tried a cuppa coffee from “Rosso Coffee Roasters” but were in agreeance that it was one of the worst cuppas we’ve ever had. Finally, we came across “Recordland” which is a little gem with so many treasures inside. I didn’t buy anything, but my friend bought a record he’s been hunting for and was so pleased to find it there.
We eventually made it to the Greyhound station and purchased tickets to Banff. It would be dark by the time we arrived in Banff, but I hoped to see a glimpse of the mountains before the sun set. Onwards to Banff!
Whoa Dana 