Unable to stay in Jasper National Park much longer, and with only one night unplanned until our stay in Banff and our subsequent return to Montreal, we eyed different routes and options. We decided going to Calgary for the day would be an excellent idea. To be honest, the only thing I was familiar with in Calgary was the Calgary Zoo. When I was younger, my childhood best friend moved to Calgary and I was given a memento from the zoo when she came back to visit.
Drive to Calgary
The views of the mountains on our way to Calgary were i.n.s.a.n.e. We stopped by the side of the road and I went by a small stream and watched the clear freezing water flow. Several small inuksuit were made along the bank of the churning river. In the distance, we saw mountains, discernible yet not entirely visible as the smoke in the air was still omnipresent.
Visiting the Calgary Zoo
When we got to Calgary, our first stop was the zoo. We spent most of our time there. I was initially mesmerized, excited to see the animals, but the more time we spent there, the more we noticed that the wild things in the zoo might have been the children (definitely not all, but still!). Screaming at the animals, throwing garbage inside their cages for them to eat, etc. I was outraged. (To note, I did notify a zookeeper of the garbage I saw thrown into the cage, so as to keep the animal from ingesting it!)
The more I looked at the animals, the more they looked… sad. Is that possible? Or was I viewing them through my human lens of emotions? Were all zoos like this and was I, as a child, too enamoured, too busy to notice their possible lonely existence? Maybe I’d spent the past week seeing animals out in their natural environment that seeing them caged made ME sad? And therefore I transposed said sadness onto the animals? I knew I wasn’t imagining all of it: there was definitely a turtle trying to escape its cage. These reptiles were free-roaming in a cage and every time the door opened, they tried to get out.
I still enjoyed learning about the different animals and where they came from, and some did seem to be enjoying their living quarters, nonetheless.
The Westin
When it comes to our last-minute deals and booking, we enjoy using Priceline. This time, once again, it didn’t disappoint. I booked our hotel stay mid-way through our zoo visit. We paid about 50$ less than one would have paid for a regular stay at The Westin Calgary (and this was on a weekend). The room was beautiful, and the bed really comfortable (which is always good after walking all day long)! We explored the city on foot a little and ate supper at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. Well-fed, we went to bed, ready for Banff the next day!
Want to see what we were up to the day before? Be sure to check out my previous post about our day at Jasper National Park!
P.S. Once again, #NotSponsored.
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