Yeeeeehaaa!!!
Big smiles, bigger hats, Canada flag red shirts, boots, chaps and more denim than a Status Quo gig... welcome to The Calgary Stampede!!
Calgary has a population of 1 million but this is nothing when the Stampede is in town! Everyone is friendly and having a good time... when I say friendly, I asked someone on the tram which stop to change trams at and she escorted me off the tram, walked me down the street and waited until the correct tram came along so she knew I was getting on the right one!! This friendliness is right from the start - there are 'greeters' at the airport who are there just to welcome you into Canada!
 |
Calgary is often known as ‘Cowtown’ and never more when it's Stampede week! I bought an 'in-field' seat which is, as it sounds, set actually in the field of the action! The cowboys are just so good-looking it's unreal... mind you, they know it! I think the attraction would wear off after a week or so back at the ranch! The rodeo was all I expected and much more. Snorting bulls throw the cowboy from their back and try to charge at them; wild horses buck and buck trying to dislodge the rider sometimes managing it; calves, released from pens, make a break for the other side of the arena only to be lassoed, flipped over and tied up... they always looked a little surprised at this! |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
The couple I sat next to on the second day seemed normal enough - well she did! He was a bearded, checked shirt, waistcoat and jeans with the ubiquitous cowboy boots and huge hat. He would shout “Gaw’dang” whenever a rider was thrown from a horse!
| I went to the Indian Village where tepees were open to view. They were lovely and cosy inside with traditional clothing hanging up adorned with wonderful beadwork, incredibly soft deerskin gloves and jackets and feather head-dresses straight out of a John Wayne film!! I watched a traditional dance competition which was great as it wasn’t put on for the tourists but was an actual competition with native people from all over Canada competing for trophies in about 6 different styles of dance while lads in tracksuits beat out time on huge skin covered drums and chant rhythmic songs - the competitors were deducted points if they danced beyond the end of the song and were masters in knowing just when to place that last footstep. |  |
There was a huge indoor market at the Stampede which was interesting but mostly filled with the usual stuff – with the exception of one stall selling produce from the UK... pots of marmalade, Marmite and Walkers crisps all jostled for space on the crowded shelves! It was all really expensive but the woman said there were plenty of people wanting to buy stuff from the UK which was a bit surprising.
I really enjoyed Calgary and am looking forward to seeing it 'back to normal' in September when I fly out. There are so many other things to do than the Stampede so I intend to spend a few days here before my flight.
Join me in Alaska on the next update