Canada: I finally got to visit, eh! / Canada: J’ai finalement eu à visiter, hein!

As some of you may or may not know, I have been trying to get to Canada since 2016 and each time I have tried to get to Toronto.

The first time was in April of 2016 and I couldn’t get there because of illness. I then left it until May of 2020 to go there and, of course, I couldn’t because of Covid. I then rescheduled for March of 2021 and Covid was still gracing us with her presence and the flight was cancelled. I then tried for October of 2021, Covid still had other ideas. I was getting frustrated that I would never get there. I decided for one last time to book for march 2022.

This time I decided against Toronto (because she obviously didn’t want me there) and tried for Calgary – I have a childhood friend that lives there with her husband and kids. I decided that if it didn’t go ahead that Canada didn’t want me to visit and I would just sack it off. Due to this, I never really looked at anything to do fully expecting the flights would be cancelled and I didn’t want to get myself excited for no reason.

I told my friends that I would only believe I am in Canada once I had been there for a few days. The time was getting closer and closer to visiting and there was no sign of the flights being cancelled (woohoo). I received an email from WestJet (think long haul Ryanair) a few days before the flight was due to take off and I fully expected it to be a cancellation. To my surprise, it was a reminder that the trip was getting closer. Could this actually be going ahead? Could it? Is it? I was still sceptical about it dear readers.

The day came to head down to Gatwick for the flight. Peterborough now has a direct link with Gatwick Airport and it takes about 2.5 hours. I was leaving East Croydon (and 30 minutes from Gatwick Airport) when I got an email from WestJet – I was fully expecting a cancellation of the flight. It was just an email to say the flight was a couple of hours late (thankfully). I breathed a massive sigh of relief and got to Gatwick and headed to the terminal. It seemed like a forever walk as the South Terminal was closed and only the North Terminal was operating.

I got to the check-in desks and had my documents checked and sat for about 30 minutes and had something to drink and then went to find some food and sit close to the gate.

I will add that going through security here was time-consuming and not so fun. My bag was selected for additional screening because I had some Cadbury Highlights hot chocolate for Jennie and I was told I should have taken it out of my bag. Oh well, you live and learn.

The time came to head to the gate and board ready for the 9-hour flight. I forgot how gruelling long haul flying is. This was exacerbated by the fact I had just finished a 12 hour night shift and only had time to shower and get ready before needing to leave.

The flight was pretty uneventful and I slept for about half of it. I was in an aisle seat so couldn’t really get much sleep and a kid was climbing the seat in front of me and making noise and talking and touching me.

The flight had an interesting twist which I’ll mention in a second. We landed and then got off and I stopped for a few minutes so I could open my case to pull the handle up (I had so much in there as I didn’t have checked bags) and wheel it properly.

I got to the border and had to go through some electronic system to show my documents and get my pass to get across the border (I’m sad I didn’t get a stamp). Once I had done that, I had to speak with a border guard to advise of my reasons for coming to Canada and what I was going to do. Once I had done this, he sent me on my way and then I was stopped by another agent who asked the same questions. I was again sent on my way and finally got to the exit and had to hand my slip in before I went out of the airport.

Once I was out, I got a cool text from O2 to say that I could use 120 minutes/120 texts/unlimited data each day I was there. That saved me some money. Yay.

I looked to see how I was going to get from the airport to the hostel and there was a bus that went right to downtown and a block (I know, I don’t even know how we would measure that here) away from the hostel. I checked in and had some major issues with my card and it wasn’t allowing me to pay. I had to turn on an old fashioned way of paying in Canada. I know. Once this was done, I was shown to the room and put my stuff down and went in search of food and Root Beer (whatever Ken, it’s delicious!!!) and then had a look around. I saw these +15 signs everywhere but not a clue what they were about (more on that for later in the post). I headed back to the hostel and started to chill. There was me and 2 other guys in the room and this new guy came in. He was from Germany.

Remember the twist: well here it is (and it took us a day to realise this). Wolf (pronounced Vulf) is his name and we got to chatting about his journey from Hamburg to Calgary. He went via Dublin and then to Gatwick. It didn’t click that there was only one flight per day from Gatwick to Calgary. The next day we realised we were on the same flight from Gatwick to Calgary. We wondered why I had gotten there quicker. He was there on a working visa which is what had taken up so much of his time at the airport. It also transpires that I was in seat 17F and he in 20E (3 rows apart – I know, right). He remembers seeing the kid in the seat in front of me causing trouble.

I know there was only 1 downtown hostel open in Calgary but with the number of rooms they had, what are the chances we’d be in the same one!?!? I’m of the opinion that people come into your life for a reason and, after chatting and sightseeing the city together for the few days we were there, the reason became clear on the last full day he had there. Every day is a school day. He helped make the trip that little bit more special and for that, I will be forever grateful. Always be open to chatting with new people as you never know what experiences you will miss out on.

Now for the irony of these flights. Gatwick to Calgary was direct. Calgary to Gatwick was not. I went from Calgary to a layover airport and from the layover airport to Gatwick. I enjoyed the break in between (even if it was 7 hours). You guessed it, the layover airport was TORONTO!!!. Canada and WestJet were trolling me. More on that later in the post.

Calgary Stops

Toronto Stops

Day 1

Since I hadn’t looked at what there was to do in Calgary I had no set schedule and could do what I wanted. Wolf had to go and do some administration for his work permit and I was going to see my friend Jennie (whom I have known for at least 30 years). I hadn’t seen her in 22 years. Peterborough was the last time I had seen her.
I went for a wander around downtown. I decided since it was -12, I would wear a hoodie. I still wore shorts (of course I did) as my legs don’t get cold. It’s usually just my arms and hands that get cold. Today was no different. My legs were fine. I did get some weird looks from people as I was walking in shorts and a t-shirt and hoodie.
I took the tram (Calgarians call it a train. I maintain to this day that it is a tram and I won’t hear any more on that. The Europeans at the hostel called it a tram too) a few stops and got off and just walked around to see what the city had to offer. I usually get my souvenirs on the first day and today was no different. They didn’t open until 11:00 though and I had about an hour to wait after wandering around. I was in awe of the skyscrapers they had in the city. All different shapes, sizes, heights (you will see from the pictures). I was constantly looking upward and around to take in the shapes and sizes. I love seeing artwork on the street and Calgary had no shortage of that.
As I was wandering around, I had seen more of these +15 signs with arrows pointing into buildings and I had no idea what they were. More about that later.
I got my souvenirs and went to McDonald’s and got the biggest cup of Root Beer I could get. I love the stuff and drank so much of it today. I decided to head back to the hostel because (shock horror) I was getting cold and wanted to warm up before I met Jennie.
I got a message from Jennie to say that she was there and I went outside expecting that I probably wouldn’t recognise her after all these years – I was wrong. She was instantly recognisable. I was so so happy to see her. Whenever we had church activities back home in the north-east, we would usually hang out. It was like no time had passed at all and it was just like it had been a couple of days since I last saw her.
I told her beforehand that she could pick the place we eat since I knew nothing of Calgary. She took us to a desert place and I had some chicken and chips and root beer (obviously) and we swapped stories and chatted about what we had been up to. I could’ve chatted with her for the rest of the day but she had to get her kiddies from school. I still can’t believe she’s old enough to have kids that can drive. Where has the time gone?
We stopped by a Walmart and that was awesome too. I forgot how big they were. We also made plans to have dessert with hubby and the kids the next evening too. Hanging out with her also made the trip even more memorable. I told her that since Toronto had been cancelled so many times, I chose Calgary as I knew she was living there. I was so glad that I did choose Calgary.
Once I had gotten back to the hostel, I had a lie-down and then went up to the Bow River to see the Peace Bridge as I had read it was worth a visit. The reviews weren’t wrong. It was a cool-looking bridge. I decided that I would tell Wolf about it and see if he wanted to go once he had all his paperwork in order.
I went back to the hostel and it was around 8 (I think) that he came back and we decided to find somewhere for dinner. I wanted to take him to a burger place I had found but that was closed by that time. We decided to go to Subway by the hostel and sit in and have some food. He tried root beer for the first time and he said he liked it. We were kicked out of Subway as we had been there a while. I got another bottle of root beer and we headed back to the hostel. It was nice chatting about stuff and places we both have been. He was laughing at me attempting to pronounce German words and I was giving him English lessons.
All in all, today was a good day. Today was all about old friends and new friends.
Total steps: 13,163
Total miles: 6.2
Below are some pics from today
Day 2

Last night, Wolf told me that he would show me what the +15 was as he was going back to the government building to sort out paperwork that hadn’t been properly sorted at the airport.
I took just my jacket this time as it warmed up to -7. Yep, warmed up. Ha-ha. Wolf said that the +15 is warm and I wouldn’t need a jacket as it was mostly indoors across bridges and through malls and office blocks. The +15 is a walkway that connects all of downtown and you don’t really need to leave it to get across the city. I thought this was a pretty cool idea and we both decided that it was something that European cities were missing.
As we were walking, there were several art installations throughout and the signs showing you which direction you were headed also had pictures on them. North had fish signifying the way to the river, East had a castle signifying the way to Fort Calgary, South had a train signifying the way to the railway and West had mountains signifying the way to the Rockies. I thought this was pretty cool.
All through the +15, they had maps that would tell you where you were and show the walkways. Some are only open at certain times of the day too. One thing Wolf told me about this was that the maps didn’t have stickers to indicate where you were. It was like someone had taken them off just to troll you. I said on Saturday we should get some gold stars and fix it.
We had a guard ask us if we had seen people that look like us before he realised it was us.
Once I had walked with him to the government office, I decided to walk some more of the downtown area and then jump on a tram (train, whatever) to the end of the line to the neighbourhood and find some food. I had a Subway and root beer again. Tasty. I then headed back to the tram and found a shop to have a browse. It was called The Real Canadian Superstore and it was just like a Walmart. Once I was done here I headed back to the hostel for a lie down as my head was hurting. I just chilled until it was time to get the tram to go see Jennie and her family for dessert at the DQ. I had Poutine and a Blizzard. Both were delicious. We sat for an hour or so just chatting more about life and what we had all been up to. It was nice to do that. I really enjoyed it.
So: the +15 is so-called as it is 15 feet off the ground. Wolf and I were trying to figure out why it was called and we had to do some internet searching to find out.
Total steps: 14,236
Total miles: 6.9
Below are some pics from today
Day 3

Today Wolf and I decided that we would do some sightseeing as we both had plenty of free time. We decided that we would go to the Peace Bridge and walk through the park that was there and head to the Calgary Tower.
The walk to the bridge was nice and I got some more pics and we decided that since the river was frozen, we would go for a walk on that. I know, I’m usually not that adventurous. You only live once right! We walked out onto the river (sliding some of the time) and I was waiting to hear cracks since part of it had thawed. Luckily, the bits we walked on were still pretty thick and solid. Wolf told me I didn’t have to worry unless I heard cracks like they do in Ice Age. It still wasn’t reassuring enough for me though. We got off the river and had a walk through the island park.
I saw a black squirrel and it was the first time I had seen one. Here they are grey or red. I also saw some Canadian Geese. We both continued to practice our languages. My German was so much worse than his English that’s for sure.
We found somewhere to cross the river and head to the tower. The tower was amazing. We spent a couple of hours in here and I was in awe at the views of the city, of the skyscrapers, of the mountains. He was mesmerised by the glass floor and looking down. I think the majority of the time I looked over he was still there. I was just walking around the tower and didn’t know where to look. Everything was just so amazing to see. I was mesmerised by the mountains. We don’t have mountains here in Peterborough. Nothing is really that tall here.
Once we came down from the tower, we headed to go get some food and caught the tram to the stop by the hostel and stopped at the burger joint I had told him about. We then went back to the hostel to chill and later that evening we went to Safeway to pick up a few bits and pieces for meals for the next couple of days.
Wolf and some of the others went out for the night. I was far too old for that kind of stuff. Ha-ha.
Total steps: 15,052
Total miles: 7.4
Below are some pics from today
Day 4

Since today was Saturday, we didn’t know how much of the +15 would be open. We wanted to get a lift to the top of a skyscraper for the views.
It wasn’t possible as the ones that went right to the top needed a pass to get them to work. Nevertheless, we had a fun time walking through the +15 and Wolf took me to a garden on the top of the mall that had trees and flowers and ponds with Carp in them. It was really cool to see how the city had utilised all of this space to make it enjoyable for residents/workers/visitors alike.
When we went to get into the +15, some of the office block entrances were closed so we had a look at the pictures of the maps that we had taken to figure out where to get in. We found what we thought was an entrance but it wasn’t obvious that it was. A paramedic asked us if we needed help and he pointed us in the right direction. The entrance here was pretty cool as the lifts had foot pedals you could use instead of touching buttons. Screw you Covid!!!
This was the entrance that got us into the +15. As I said, we weren’t able to find a lift to take us to the top of a building but that didn’t stop us from trying.
Once we were done, we headed to a Tim Horton’s to get some food before going back to the hostel so I could rest and Wolf could complete the paperwork required for his job and accommodation. I think we pretty much kept to the schedule he needed today (even if we did sit in THs and chat more than we had intended). Once that was done, we headed to Safeway to buy some food as he was going to make me lunch that he would have with his family – fried eggs and salami on bread covered in ketchup.
This was pretty much the extent of the day. We needed to go to sleep fairly early as there was still a lot Wolf had to do before he picked up his ride to the bus.
Total steps: 10,841
Total miles: 5.2
Below are some pics from today
Day 5

Today was a little bit of a lie-in as the shop we needed didn’t open until 10. Wolf wanted a jacket and I said I would come along with him. We went to a store not far from the hostel and had a look around and he got a jacket (it was even on sale. Not my kind of price for a sale mind you) and then we went back to the hostel (not before going to the 7-11 to get some root beer and ketchup for lunch).
The lunch was quite nice (minus the acid in the ketchup stinging my chapped lips). He was all packed and we headed downstairs and to the tram to the pick-up point for his lift. I could see slight relief on his face that he was able to find a way to his job. I stayed with him at the stop for about 20 minutes but then had to head out so I could find somewhere to powder my nose.
It was really cool to meet him and chat with him and get to know him. It’s one hell of a coincidence how we happened to meet. I told him if we are in Germany at the same time he needs to buy me a Pepsi Max. I will make sure it’s the biggest glass I can find. Ha-ha.
I found a supermarket to powder said nose and also bought myself a Sprite (I know, what a turn of events. My stomach was feeling a bit dodgy) and some Junior Mints. They were delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed them. I got back on the tram and went to the stop by the hostel and decided to walk back towards the river and enjoy the views and sounds.
I sat by the river for about 30 minutes and just enjoyed listening to it flow and enjoyed seeing the geese walk on the ice too. I am mesmerised by the sound of flowing water and this was just pure bliss for me. After I was done here, I then walked to a bridge to cross the river and have a slow walk back to the Circle K (more root beer obviously) and then to the hostel. I got back to the hostel and decided to catch up on some TV from back home and then went out later that evening to get some food.
Total steps: 12,896
Total miles: 6.4
Below are some pics from today
Day 6

Today was the day of my birthday and I had a lie-in as I didn’t really have much planned. Jennie was picking me up in the afternoon so we could eat and hang out and shop.
I went downtown again as I forgot some souvenirs. I know, bad friend. Ha.
Before the souvenir store opened, I went to the city library. Wow is all I can say about it. It is such an architectural masterpiece. It has won so many awards for its design. Inside was huge and spanned 4 floors. I walked up to each floor and across each floor too. I loved it. The views were amazing. I had seen it from the tower but wasn’t aware that it was the library.
It has everything you could ever need: books, computers, music, movies, safe spaces, wellness centre. I could wax lyrical about it for a long time.
I went to the top floor as I saw the tram go underneath it. I hadn’t realised this when I went to see Jennie on Thursday. I just thought it was another tunnel. It was so cool to see. If you ever go to Calgary, the library is a MUST!!!
Once I was done at the library, I went to the Olympic Plaza rink and had a walk around there and saw the little gopher statues they had. They were pretty cool. As I was on my way to the souvenir store, I found a +15 bridge that had a Calgary sign in it so I went inside and got a picture and then went to get my souvenirs. I headed for the tram to the hostel as my feet were killing and I had a massive blister on my little toe.
I went and dropped some stuff off and went to wait for Jennie outside. It was a nice 8 degrees today so I didn’t wear my jacket (though I did put it on as it had gotten shady and cold) and it was nice to sit in the fresh air. We then went to Costco to get Poutine as Jennie swore by it being the best one – she wasn’t wrong. It was nice to sit and chat for an hour or so about life again and she gave me some advice (which I heeded) and made me see decisions I had made differently. We had a walk around Costco and you can’t take the Sunderland out of the girl. Freebies (or rather, samples of food on offer were had). Ha-ha. We’re north-eastern, it’s our M.O.
We then went to Walmart and Dollarama to pick up some stuff (mostly for me) and I really enjoyed that. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Jennie again. Like I say, it’s like time hasn’t passed. I just hope it’s not another 22 years since we see each other again.
I got back to the hostel and packed and then headed out for dinner and to take a walk downtown as I wanted to see which building had the peace sign and I also saw a bridge lit up in the Ukrainian flag colours. It was really nice to see this. I was out for about 2 hours before I headed back to go to bed as I had an early start for the flight home. Jennie was gracious enough to take me to the airport – for which I’m eternally grateful.
Total steps: 13,633
Total miles: 6.5
Below are some pics from today
Day 7 (Airport and Toronto)

Today was a super early start. I didn’t mind though as I had a plan to drop my bag off at the airport in Toronto and go downtown for a couple of hours and then head back to the airport.
I got to the airport in Calgary a little earlier as I wasn’t able to check-in online (I know man, no Apple Wallet pass for me for this trip) so had to do it at the airport. It took a little longer as it wasn’t printing out properly and it wasn’t finding my boarding pass at first. Once this was done, security was a breeze and I went to the gate and just relaxed. I couldn’t get a drink as the shop at the airport didn’t take debit cards – so weird.
We got on the plane and as soon as we were leaving the apron I fell asleep and woke up as they were bringing a snack around. I think it must have been about an hour. I was so tired at this point that I went back to sleep. Luckily the middle seat was free so I was able to get some half-decent sleep.
We landed in Toronto and it was snowing. I was loving it. The walk to drop the bag off was about 20 minutes and then I bought my train ticket and headed downtown. I was so so happy that I was finally in Toronto. It was still snowing and the clouds were really low. That’s cool though. I didn’t care. I had a look at the map and found a souvenir store and picked up my obligatory souvenirs and then continued to walk around downtown. I did this for a couple of hours and had to head back – mostly because of my feet.
I thoroughly enjoyed the little time I had in Toronto.
Once I was back at the airport, I picked up my bag and got the transit back to the terminal I was leaving from and it was really weird. There was no border to cross. No passport control or anything. I only had to go through security and my bag was sent for an additional check as they thought the bottle of maple syrup I had was more than 100ml. It wasn’t. It was dead on 100ml.
We boarded and I fell asleep. I had the window seat and loved it. I forgot how tiring long haul flying is! I wouldn’t change it though.
Total steps: 11,615
Total miles: 5.5
Below are some pics from today

We got back to Gatwick in just 6 hours (we had a decent tailwind). I forgot how big Gatwick is. I am so used to flying from Stansted and that is a tiny airport.

I was so happy to be on the train back to Peterborough and even happier to be back in my room and to have a shower.

This was a trip of seeing an old friend and making a new friend.

It taught me to make the most of the time I have and to be open to new experiences and words of advice.

Thank you, Jennie. Thank you, Wolf. You helped make this trip even better!

Total steps: 91,330

Total miles: 44.1

You can view all of my Calgary pics [blink k=”yycpics” c=”#000000″]here[/blink]

You can view all of my Toronto pics [blink k=”yyzpics” c=”#000000″]here[/blink]

chris | Sunday March 20th 2022 | Travel| Calgary, Canada, Friend, North America, Toronto, Travel | 0 Comments

Canada: I finally got to visit, eh! / Canada: J’ai finalement eu à visiter, hein!

Calgary Stops

Toronto Stops

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