Canadian Trip Day 11 - Downtown Calgary and back to Panatella

I have been studying the map to cycle downtown Calgary from Panatella Court and it's either using the cycle path or the normal roads to the city center, maybe a combination of  both  but it all depends how it goes as I pedal towards the city.

After having covered Harvest Hills, I decided to connect to Centre Street which is not passable for vehicles except for buses and I think it is passable for bicycles.

This is the vehicle trap and no way any cars could cross it. I was told that the politicians staying at this street were the ones who implemented this system so that there will be lesser vehicles using this stretch of  Centre Street especially those coming from the northern side of Calgary.

There you go only for buses....

Somewhere at Beddington I saw another free Stampede breakfast with a live band entertaining the local folks. The CS (Calgary Stampede) fever is still on..... I could have queued up for some free pancakes.

I could see high rise buildings poking out from a distance....yes it's approaching.

The skyline contrasting against the blue clear sky on a hot cool summer day, I was jubilated after arriving at this spot and love admiring the beautiful landscape .

Taking the maiden cross over Bow River using Centre Street Bridge which was built in 1916, restored and reopened in 2000.

From the bridge I found my way down to the cycle path (Bow River pathway) heading to Eau Claire Park.

Slightly a bit further up I could see Peace Bridge that caters for cyclists and pedestrians from both sides of the river. It was ranked among the top 10 architectural projects in Calgary in 2012 and it was opened in March 24, 2012.

That's was my breakfast in a foreign country where Wan Tan Mee or Prawn Mee is a "no no".

After getting bored with the cycle path I branched out into the vehicular roads to see some old buildings and parks. This is Central Memorial Park located at the center of the City.

I had a call from nature and it had to be delivered at this Sheldon M Chumir Health Centre...hehehe.. everything went well at the clinic and thanks for the emergency relief.

And it was back to Central Memorial Park again.

The next place I visited was Talisman Centre, it is the largest sports facility in Canada.

One of the many sports facilities found at Talisman Centre.

I took a rest and a simple meal at Talisman Centre, just a cup of soup and a coffee.

The cycling continued and I was lost several times at this pathway.

Little did I know I ended up at Erlton Stampede Train Station, the station where we disembarked for our visit to Calgary Stampede a day ago.

Cycling aimlessly without any specific place to go will make one in a lost position but most of the time it ended up with nice surprises. This is Elbow River I thought it was Bow River all the while, the people loves to picnic during summer time at the river side.

One of the many old and historical buildings in Calgary.

I decided to get closer to Calgary Tower, the tallest free standing structure in Canada 191 metres with an observation deck above. Originally it was known as Husky Tower.

Here I was at the bottom of the tallest tower in Canada.

As I was roaming I stumbled into Stephen Avenue Walk a lively and colourful avenue. This was another great discovery of mine and I like it so much

I gave him a loonie as he wanted to save some money to buy a sleeping tent. Well at least he knows Malaysia.

Stephen Avenue's "The Conversation" sculpture is one of the icons found at the Walk.

Portrait artist at work.

The end of my discovery of Stephen Avenue Walk.

A statue of a man with a cigar playing chess, I think he is in a tough position.

Testing Peace Bridge and its connecting areas.

There are several bridges crossing Bow River making the cycle lanes interesting to maneuver.

And going through the park as I moved out of the city to head for home.

Summer time is a precious time for the Canadians they only enjoy it 4 months a year whereas we have it 365 days.

I saw similarity of this petty trading here and Sri Rampai these "Ah Sou" were selling fresh self grown vegetables.

A bit of poking here and there at Chinatown before I say goodbye to this place.

And it was back to Panatella after pedalling a distance of 48km and it was an awesome city tour.

The Downtown Calgary Experience.