CANADA CALGARY & EDMONTON DESTINATIONS


’m in the Canadian Badlands. Except I think it should be called the Canadian Goodlands, for it’s quite the stunner: a 360-degree expanse of arid, amber-coloured mountains swirling off into the distance and, right in front of me, a cluster of bright-yellow autumnal trees, swaying gently in the breeze. It’s blissfully silent – and eerily empty. It might sound like your bog-


I


standard trip out to the country, but as I look down at my new outfit – oversized dungarees, chequered shirt and oh-so-stylish hat – I’m swiftly reminded that it’s not.


I am, in fact, about to descend


into a disused coal mine several metres below this lunar-like surface, dressed as a miner and


brandishing a candlelit lantern. When in Rome. A quarter of an hour later, I amble out the other end into daylight, pleased to have survived and ready to collect my weekly ‘pay cheque’ – all $79 of it. Drinks are on me. I’m at the Atlas Coal Mine, one of about 130 former mines in the Drumheller Valley, 70 miles northeast of Calgary. It might have closed in 1979, but today guided ‘mine and dine’ tours take visitors around a small section of it before stopping off at a former school for a traditional Hungarian lunch – evoking the nationality of many of the area’s original miners. It’s quite the experience, I can tell you. It’s not exactly what I’d


These vibrant cities have a lot more going for them than just their proximity to the wild Canadian west


envisaged when I’d pictured Western Canada, but that’s exactly why I’m here – to explore Alberta’s cultural, culinary and historical side, as part of Destination Canada’s international mega-fam. Visitors have a tendency to rush through Calgary on their way to the Rockies – just an hour-and-


a-half away – and barely spare a thought for nearby Edmonton, but it turns out these vibrant cities have a lot more going for them than just their proximity to the wild Canadian west.


w CALGARY More than a million people flock to Calgary every July for the legendary Stampede – a 10-day extravaganza featuring rodeo, music, food, theatre and more – but it also has plenty to offer outside cowboy season. At its downtown heart is a


strikingly modern cluster of reflective skyscrapers, artsy sculptures, hipster coffee shops and high-end boutiques. Stephen Avenue is worth a look-in for those wanting to


26 October 2017 travelweekly.co.uk 57


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