Justin Trudeau May Have Forgotten You Alberta, But We Didn’t

A few days ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau forgot to address  Alberta in his speech (find excerpt video below). Later, the country’s beloved politician also told the media, “I’m a little embarrassed.” Of course, he was forgiven quickly, given his outstanding reputation with the people of Canada. Since we love Canada as much and felt a little sorry for Alberta, we decided to dedicate a post to its awesomeness. By Devyani Nighoskar

With its sprawling prairies, the gorgeous and the magnificent Rockies, the jagged snow-capped peaks, the glistening Alpine blue lakes, and coniferous forests in all its wilderness; Alberta, in Western Canada, is all kinds of beautiful. Here’s why we love Alberta:

The Phrase ‘Trick Or Treat’ Was Invented Here!

The history of Halloween is quite colourful (or err.. dark) and dates hundreds of years, but the first usage of this phrase was reported in Blackie, a little hamlet in Alberta, in 1927. Here the children in costumes decided to get a little creative (read: mischievous) and went from door to door uttering; “Trick or Treat!” Must have been quite a feast of candies for them, that spooky night.

Vulcan’s Not a Distant Planet But An Actual Town in Alberta!

“To Boldly Go where no man has gone before…..” If you are a Star Trek Fan, then you’ve probably dreamt of meeting the Vulcans; fictional extra-terrestrial humanoid species from the distant planet, Vulcan. But the good news is you do not need to venture out so far, or invest in a spaceship. A flight ticket to Alberta would do, for Vulcan is an actual town here. It also used to have its very own Star Trek Museum with a 31-foot replica of the Enterprise right next to a spaceship-shaped visitors’ centre. However, the museum has been relocated to Drumheller now, which has its own share of a fascinating history.

Alberta Was the Playground of Dinosaurs

If you’re one whose antennas buzz with the slightest mention of dinosaurs, just like Ross Geller on FRIENDS, then you’d want to check out Drumheller in Alberta; which claims to be the ‘Dinosaur Capital of the World’. Hundreds of dinosaur skeletons and fossils from 60 different species that date to the late Cretaceous period have been found in the vicinity. Alberta’s Royal Tyrrell Museum houses more than 150,000 fossils found near Drumheller.

Free Pancakes During Stampede Season in Calgary, Alberta

Supposedly, the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ in the Great Outdoors of Alberta; the Calgary Stampede; an extravagant festival hosts ten day of cowboys, rodeo events, chuckwagon races, and superb music. But amidst the festivities and the celebration, the sweet smell of freshly made pancakes with the sugary fragrance of maple syrup continuously lingers in the air.  Every year during the stampede, hundreds of volunteers offer their time and resources to offer free pancake breakfasts for visitors. If you’re lucky, you might just get free bacon and coffee too.

 Alberta is the Birthplace of this ‘Bloody’ Cocktail

Julius Caesar once said, that all bad precedents began as justifiable measures. And so did ‘The Bloody Caesar’, the popular cocktail made of hot sauce and vodka. If you’ve ever been drunk on it, you’d know it’s a bad precedent. And well the justifiable measure to this invention was that a bartender named, Walter Chell was asked to create a signature drink to celebrate the opening of a new Italian restaurant at Calgary’s Westin hotel in 1969. Taking inspiration from his trip to Italy, where spaghetti was served with tomato sauce and clams; he decided to mash and mix them up with tomato juice and some vodka. Thus, was born the legendary, Bloody Caesar in Alberta; that has been making people tipsy since 1969.