- Drive to Calgary
- Breakfast at Tim Hortons
- Stop for shopping in the enormous Chinook Center
- Goodbye to Carl and Judy
- In the afternoon with the LRT train to the Stampede Ground
- Follow the grandstand show with the spectacular covered wagon races
- Tented Cowboys Party until 2am
We start early and pack our things together for the last time. It's a quick way out of Banff National Park, past Canmore, out into the vastness of the prairie. We reach the suburbs of Calgary around 10 a.m. There the long-awaited Tim Hortons is not long in coming. The Canadian fast food chain still has to settle betting debts from our last trip to Alaska. Unfortunately, we no longer know what the bet was about back then. Possibly which fast food chain we would see first. After calorie bombs like iced coffee with sweetened cream, deep-fried and extremely sweet pastries or a donut, each of us is satisfied for now. The shop seems to be a real gold mine. In any case, the cars almost jam back to the street during the drive-through and also at the counter you have to be patient.
The next stop in the metropolis is the gigantic Chinook Center shopping complex. After all, each of us must have a clean pair of jeans and other fashion souvenirs. Practically all well-known labels have a branch here. The two hours are only enough to browse a fraction of the huge complex. But it is enough to make the most necessary purchases.
Now we let the GPS guide us to Carl and Judy. The two are old friends of my parents. Over the years we've met her at the reunions from time to time. We can stay with you for the next few days. After such a long time, of course, we have a lot to tell each other. After a shower we throw ourselves into the outfit we brought with us: the traditional Swiss edelweiss shirt.
Around 4 a.m. Carl drives us to the LRT station, from where we take the train to the Stampede Grounds. With our tickets for the evening Grandstand Show we get free entry to the festival area. We throw ourselves into the fray and soon into a first beer. What distinguishes us from real cowboys is the missing hat, which should not be missing here. Our two-day thrill tickets include various discount coupons, tickets for tonight's show and for tomorrow's rodeo. After a meal, you can go to the Grandstand Show. The places for the horse drawn covered wagon races (Chuckwagon Race) are good.
Then an eight-wheeled monster tractor pulls an entire stage in front of the audience. The show continues in an unexpectedly modern - in our opinion too modern - show. Classic elements like country are mixed here with beatboxers, tap dancing and much more. Then we visit the Cowboys nightclub or the huge marquee, which is right next door during the Stampede. The stately $ 25 entry fee is still worth the experience. That tops even the largest festival tents in Switzerland. Our shirts are often examined and we receive some compliments. In contrast to the many traditionally dressed boys, the local girls prefer to wear as little fabric as possible. We spend an entertaining evening with this mass of people listening to a lot of modern country music. At midnight, all the dams will be built for the Canadian national anthem. Everyone takes off their hats and people sing along fervently. A great atmosphere that gets under our skin as well. National pride can and is lived more freely here than here. At 2 o'clock the tent closes and we go looking for a taxi that will take us to Carl and Judy.
