1st November 2017: I was really excited about going on this trip to Alberta. Here I am in front of an axe throwing target, a fast growing pastime in Alberta. Read on to find out how I got on with this! Not only was this my first to Canada, it was also the first opportunity I've had in my career to date to fly business class with British Airways. After making full use of the Business Class Lounge at Terminal 5, we priority boarded and enjoyed the comfort of our seats. The fact our seats turned into a bed definitely made the nine hour flight to Calgary far less exhausting. 
Fairmont Palliser Hotel
On arrival in Calgary, we took a short transfer to the beautiful Fairmont Palliser Hotel in the city's 'downtown'. Established in 1914, I adored the grand and traditional style of this hotel. With just over 400 rooms, many of which have recently been renovated, the hotel's central location makes for the perfect place to stay after a long day's sightseeing, shopping and visiting of the nearby entertainment venues. I found the Fairmont to be both elegant and relaxing. 
Calgary Stampede
The next morning we were treated to a 'stampede breakfast' which is served during the 10-day legendary celebration of 'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth', a not-for-profit community organisation which celebrates Alberta’s western heritage and pioneer spirit. A typical celebratory breakfast includes eggs, bacon, pancakes, pastries and berries & cream. More than a million visitors go to watch the Stampede each year, which is held in July, and marvel at the many parades, stage shows, rodeos and concerts which take place there. Tickets for this event are available to book a year ahead and sell out fast! The Fairmont Palliser Hotel is just a 15 minute walk to the Stampede Stadium, so an ideal base should you decide to go.
Atlas Coal Mine & East Coulee School Museum
After breakfast, we took a one-and-a-half hour drive through the flat prairies and farmlands to get to our destination, the Atlas Coal Mine & East Coulee School Museum. Located in the heart of the Canadian Badlands and the Drumheller Valley, the 'mine and dine' experience includes a hands-on discovery of what life was like as a coal miner in East Coulee, Alberta. 
We were given typical miner's clothes to wear and a hard-hat before being given the tour which saw us following in the historic footsteps of the miners. Set high in the Badlands, we started our tour with a hike up the inclined conveyor tunnel to the mine entrance. The Atlas is the last of the 139 mines which once ruled the valley and the site preserves an expansive range of stories and artefacts of the men who once worked there.
Royal Tyrell Museum
Following our work in the mines, we moved onto the East Coulee School Museum, a school building which has been preserved to look exactly how it did in the 1930s and 40s and, it was here, where we were treated to a hearty Hungarian family style meal. After a delicious lunch, we were off again, this time to the Royal Tyrrell Museum just a six kilometre north-west drive from Drumheller. The museum is a Canadian tourist attraction and a centre of excellence for palaeontological research. Known for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils, many of the exhibits here have been found in the Badlands area. 
My favourite part here was ‘Dinosaur Hall’, a huge room which contains over 40 mounted dinosaur skeletons including specimens of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Albertosaurus, Stegosaurus and Triceratops! The museum holds one of the world’s largest collections of dinosaur skeletons. The Royal Tyrrell Museum would appeal to all ages and provides visitors with a rare opportunity to discover the fascinating history of life on planet Earth, it's well worth a visit!
The Rouge
Tonight’s evening meal was courtesy of the Rouge restaurant in Inglewood, East Calgary, located just five minutes' drive from downtown Calgary. Inglewood is Calgary's oldest neighbourhood, having been established adjacent to Fort Calgary in 1875. It is now an area known for its vibrancy and arts and culture district with more than 100 shops, boutiques and eateries including the Rouge restaurant, which is considered to be one of Alberta's best fine-dining restaurants since it opening in 2003. The restaurant is housed in the 'Brewery House' and was built in 1891 and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure much inside has changed since then! The Rouge has an on-site garden, so it's able to serve home-grown produce as well as sourcing produce from local growers. The Rouge's goal is to provide an exceptional dining experience with a welcoming attitude and professional service and, whilst dining here, you feel as though you've being transported back in time. It's simply beautiful - a lovely evening and delicious food!
Tool Shed Brewing Company
Our meal at the Rouge was followed by two brewery visits, my favourite of which was the ‘Tool Shed Brewing Company.’ This brewery was created by two friends who met and started brewing in a backyard shed using a home brew kit. The Tool Shed Brewery Company has simply grown from there! Their beers are named after people they know which gives it a really authentic feel, and when drinking here, it's clear to see how passionate the team are. I'm sure the Tool Shed Brewing Company is destined for great things! 
Sidewalk Citizen Bakery
This bakery is set in the heart of the east village and inside the Simmons Building, a former mattress factory and now a historical landmark, and offers street food created for hungry, working people, with a blend of Mediterranean and Canadian flavours. Their century-old methods are combined with new ones which have led to new flavour combinations and offer everything from organic artisan sourdough, flaky lush pastries, desserts and sandwiches to pizzas and salads and plenty of vegetarian options. Delicious! 
Heritage Park Historical Village
Known as one of Canada's largest living history experiences, Heritage Park Historical Village tells visitors stories of early Western Canadian history across four distinct eras. In the summer season some things you can expect to see include fur traders, First Nations people, railway workers and prairie town-folk while exploring the heritage park's 180 buildings and exhibits across 127 scenic acres. 
Don’t forget about the 1930s, '40s and '50s Gasoline Alley Museum and Heritage Town Square. There are hundreds of volunteers here dressed in authentic costumes and truly bring the attractions to life so your visit here will be very memorable. 
17th Avenue
17th Avenue is awash with fantastic eateries and wine bars and during our time here we experienced a 'progressive lunch' in which we walked along the street dining from venue to venue. We started with a gourmet pizza at 'Cibo Italian', followed by fondue at 'Frenchies Wine Bar', a wine bar with a 'secret' entrance located right behind UNA Takeaway. 
From here it was on to 'Ollia Macarons', where I had the best Macarons I have ever tasted! Before finally ending our tour with ice cream at 'Made by Marcus'. I had so much fun learning about the history of each company. I thought it was quite a fun thing to do and would appeal to guests if they wanted to sample local food and learn about the area.
The Weeknd – 'Starboy' World Tour
After my adventures in Calgary, it was time to move on and we made a move driving from Calgary to Edmonton, which took approximately three hours. It was here we checked into the Matrix Hotel and stayed for two nights. The Matrix is a modern, four-star hotel in downtown Edmonton with its main colour scheme consisting of reds, greys and black and had an urban feel to it. 
Shortly after arrival, we were taken to dinner before being treated to a concert by 'The Weeknd' on his 'Starboy World Tour' at Rogers Place. Treated to a private box, we watched the Canadian singer and songwriter as he performed songs from his 'Starboy' album as well as some of his most popular singles.
Elk Island National Park
Within an hour's drive of Alberta's bustling capital, we arrived at the Bison Handling Facility and took a driving tour of Elk Island National Park; a very tranquil place, where you find bison grazing along the roadside. Here, the plains are home to a successful breeding programme which aimed to reintroduce bison to areas of Canada where they no longer roamed. Its overwhelming success saw bison brought back from near extinction having recently taken 16 bison back to Banff where they were full screened for diseases before transfers. The day proved really interesting and, if you chose to visit here, you can complete your trip, should you prefer, with a stay at a camp site or hire a cabin for the night.
Axe Throwing
Something I learned during my time here is that axe throwing is a pastime which is growing, fast. Whilst I was slightly hesitant at first, it was really interesting to visit 'Axe Hole', Edmonton's first indoor and outdoor (mobile) axe throwing facility, which is also locally owned. They use real spruce logs as targets for an authentic experience. For me, I enjoyed my time here but found it difficult to throw consistently, so I probably need a lot more practice! After our axe throwing experience, we travelled to the infamous 'West Edmonton Mall'; the largest mall/shopping centre in North America. Not only does it have over 800 shops and includes restaurants, it also houses a water park, ice-skating rink, bowling alley, amusement park (complete with 27 rides) and a mini golf course, plus so much more. It was incredible! The only thing I was disappointed with here was that there just wasn't enough time in the day to see it all. I will definitely have to go back and see the rest.
Pumpkins Galore
Dinner was at the Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm; North America's most northern pumpkin farm. Dependent on the season, this farm has 50 family-fun activities such as a corn maze and pick your own strawberries and vegetables. 
With fire-roasted appetisers and locally grown food from less than 50 metres away, it was a refreshing experience. Dinner took place at one of their greenhouses where we had a very tasty meal with pumpkin being one of the main ingredients. If you'd like to experience the more 'quirky' side of Canada this might be just be the place for you. 
Toronto
My time here was coming to an end but not before a lovely breakfast at the Hilton Toronto. The Hilton here is surrounded by the city's major attractions such as the CN Tower, Eaton's Centre, Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre. Conveniently accessible to Toronto's Union Station and the local subway system, the hotel is also 30 minutes from Pearson International Airport and just 10 minutes from Toronto Island Airport. 
During my time in Toronto we visited one of its newest attractions, 'Ripley's Aquarium of Canada'. With over 15,000 aquatic animals and North America's longest underwater viewing tunnel, there are plenty of interactive opportunities for any age group to enjoy here. Following this, we took a city tour of Toronto, Canada's largest city and most-visited destination; people come here from across Canada for a ticket to the big attractions. 
Toronto is the country's entertainment and cultural centre with more restaurants, music, culture, festivals and sports per person than any other city in Canada. On our tour, we were taken to Toronto's newly enhanced harbour-front area and, it was here where we took a harbour tour with Mariposa Cruises. It was great to see this city's skyline from the tranquil waters of Lake Ontario, I highly recommend this trip. 
Goodbye Canada
The finale of my trip consisted of dinner at Canada's iconic 360 restaurant at the top of the CN Tower. This revolving restaurant takes 72 minutes to circle completely and so, while you're enjoying your meal 350 metres from the ground, you can also enjoy the spectacular floor-to-ceiling views through its panoramic window walls. For me, this experience is a must do for anyone visiting Toronto. 
Final Thoughts
My first experience of Canada was not what I'd thought it would be. When I was told I was going to Alberta, I imagined I’d see the iconic Banff National Park and Lake Louise (which I'd love to do on my next trip) however, I was pleasantly surprised at the completely different side this province has to offer. Alberta offers so much than just stunning natural beauty, I think people can overlook some of the incredible places mentioned above on their quest to see Canada's finest. So for me, If you're taking a trip here, it would be a shame not to spend an extra day in Calgary, Edmonton or Toronto and visit Drumheller or Elk Island National Park as there is so much more on offer. I can truly say I loved every minute of my experience!
