Welcome back to my blog peeps. Today I will be sharing an interesting topic with y'all. I also need to mention that I totally enjoy writing articles that relate to facts, simply because I learn a lot from them. This one is a special one and it's related to my city (where we live at the moment). Can you feel the excitement that I feel💃? I know you do. Okiedokie, let's dive right into it.
We have been living in Calgary for 1 year and roughly 7 months and we have been trying to explore this big city since our arrival. We still have a long way to go for sure (I'm already looking forward to 2020 summer). However, today, I will be sharing 10 interesting facts that I love about the beautiful city of Calgary. Stick with me and let's enjoy the ride together.
1. Let's kick off with the Stampede: The Calgary Stampede, is an annual 10-day event which bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” It features the world’s largest rodeo, concerts, a midway, First Nations exhibits, chuckwagon racing, agricultural competitions, stage shows and a parade. We attended our first stampede last year (July 2018) and it was beautiful. We didn't attend all the events but we tried to enjoy the ones we were able to attend. I shared some pictures and also wrote briefly about my experience here, be sure to check that out. I'm actually looking forward to attending again this year since my daughter is a lil' older and communicates better.
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| What is stampede without some good food (yumyum😋) |
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| The parade was so beautiful to watch😍. I shared more on my Instagram status here |
2. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -45°C (-49ºF) in February 1893. The warmest day ever recorded was 36.1°C (97°F) in July 1919.
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| My daughter all kitted up for the weather. This wasn't -45°C btw😃 |
3. Almost a quarter of Calgary’s population is foreign-born: "If you think Canadians only speak French or English, then you’re greatly mistaken! There are over 23 languages other than English and French that Calgarians speak as their “mother tongue.” (how amazing is this? This is why I always say, it feels like home here). Talking about diversity, I wrote a similar article here on 5 reasons why I love Canada.
4. Calgary is Canada’s sunniest city, with 333 days (approx. 2300 hours) average sunshine per year. Fun fact: This is one of the best things I love about this city, especially during the winter.
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| It was a sunny day in April☀️ and we were out there doing what we love doing most - exploring our city |
5. The Chinook winds can raise the temperature by as much as 20 degrees in a matter of hours (Those lovely warm days in the winter that you can dress down) btw Chinook is a hot, dry wind that comes from the west over the Rocky Mountains. The wind can raise the temperature in the winter so much that you can be shovelling snow in the morning and soaking up the sun in a t-shirt by the afternoon.
6. You can walk 18 km (11 miles) in downtown Calgary without having to go outside: The Plus 15 , a feature unique to Calgary, is an inside walkway that connects 100 buildings with 60 suspended bridges 15 feet above the ground. This is always a beautiful walk-through, especially on those very cold windy winter days.
7. Calgary has two professional sports teams – the Calgary Flames (NHL hockey) and the Calgary Stampeders (CFL football): Btw do you know that Calgary Hosted The Winter Olympics in 1988? Although it’s the sunniest city in Canada, Calgary also has good snowfall in the winter. As such, it made the perfect setting for the first-ever Winter Olympics. That’s right; this amazing city was the first host of a Winter Olympics. The legacy still lives on today, as the speed skating track is still present. And, it’s open for public use if anyone fancies a skate. Plus, there's the Canada Olympic Park that lets people try out a range of other winter sports.
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| Image from NHL |
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| Image from Global News |
8. The Calgary Zoo is rated the third best in North America. It’s an amazing place that is packed full of great animals. So many gorgeous species of bird are on display, as well as gorillas and more! We have visited the zoo twice. The first time was during our first summer in 2018 and we also went again last December to enjoy the Christmas zoolight. Looking forward to taking my daughter on an adventure this summer. I'm very sure she is going to have a good time recognizing all the animals she has been seeing on the TV.
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| How beautiful are these birds😍 OMG I love them |
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| Summer Visit |
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| December 2018, Christmas Zoolight |
9. I wasn't going to forget my favourite peace bridge. It's a pedestrian bridge that was designed by a Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge is unique, red and made of 850-metric-tonne steel. I recently took my birthday picture there and I loved every one of it. I might be returning there to take more pictures in summer😋 #HotSummerMamaLoading
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| How cute is this picture😍I know you love it as much as I do😋 |
10. Naheed Nenshi is the first Muslim to become a mayor in Canada. Born in Toronto and raised in Calgary, Naheed Nenshi is the first Muslim to become a mayor in Canada — in fact, he was the first Muslim to become the mayor of any large North American city.
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| Image from City of Calgary |
Resources
Hike Bike Travel, Curiocity, Canadian Visa, Daily Hive, Jencor Mortgage
That's a wrap from me to you today. I hope you learnt 1 or 2 things about Calgary from this piece. Feel free to share this with your friends and loved ones. Until next time...💋
