View from McD's in Calgary

Today we roused ourselves at 5 a.m. to journey to Calgary, the largest city in Alberta, Canada.   Cowboy clad volunteers greeted us at the Calgary airport on our way to customs.  We were in a foreign country, but we felt at home.  There was that cowboy theme after all and the freeways had those familiar green signs.   Everyone spoke English and I recognized most of the franchises. But there were some differences.  All the signs were in French and English and the Canadians have sensibly converted to the metric system.  It was a balmy 23 degrees Celsius and we zipped along the freeway at 110 km an hour.   We also arrived on July 1st, Canada Day, otherwise known as "Canada's Birthday" and Canada's equivalent of our Fourth of July.  A lot of Canadian flags were in evidence. 

Quel est le secret? 

We were on our way to the town of Banff, so we did not dally in Calgary, which is getting ready for their famous Calgary stampede and rodeo.  Instead we headed west on the TransCanada highway, stopping briefly at McDonald's on the way.  Now, we inevitably visit McDonald's in every foreign country we go to and why not?  McDonald's always adjusts its offerings for the locals.  We consider it a good cultural education.  This time, all the packaging was in French and English (pictured).  That was all good.  But more interesting was that our McDonald's was just across the street from the 1988 Winter Olympics venue.  We had a few french fries while viewing massive ski jumps across the street.   

It's not everyday you see an Olympic venue. 

Massive ski jumps used in 1988 Winter Olympics.