Canada 2025

Wednesday3September

Having left Nantes early in the morning, we arrive (after a short stopover in Amsterdam) in Calgary in the early afternoon, the seven-hour time difference shortening the time between the two countries. Upon our arrival, we take a taxi to the address indicated by the 'Avis' rental company where we can pick up our rental vehicle that will take us around for the next four weeks. Happy surprise, we get the superior range,  ! So it is with this Jeep Grand Cherokee that we will travel western Canada to the Pacific. The license plate bears the slogan of the neighboring province "Beautiful British Columbia", but for the next few days, it is in the province of Alberta that we will begin our adventure...  

The first point entered into the GPS will be our Airbnb in the Chestermere neighborhood, west of Calgary.

Outside, the sun seems to struggle through the clouds, but it's not that: it's the air quality that has deteriorated due to fires in the region.

That won't stop us from taking a quick tour of Calgary, a city that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988. And it was long before the Games that the Calgary Tower was erected, a 191-meter concrete structure located in the heart of downtown. From up there, we'll be able to get a panoramic view of the city's urban sprawl and the distant peaks of the Rockies.

Here we are on the circular platform with 360-degree views.

A glass area where you can test your vertigo...

In the distance, we can make out the ski jump ramp from the 1988 Olympics.

Back at the foot of the tower.

Alongside the crane, the glowing sun tries to pierce the polluted layer of the Canadian sky...

For our first dinner, we try a restaurant on 10th Street Northwest, WOW Chicken Kensington. It will be a Caesar salad for me.

With full stomachs, we continue our visit to Calgary's must-sees with the Peace Bridge. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Peace Bridge spans the Bow River without pillars, featuring a helical structure in red and white, reminiscent of the Canadian flag. These arches are a nod to the river's name, which means "bow" in French.

The Bow River originates from the Bow Glacier in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, and we will be there in 10 days! At least on the shores of Bow Lake.

Left bank side.

And that's it for Calgary. Tomorrow morning, we start our road trip, heading to Canmore!