Mom asked me to update my blog because she was getting sick of the Peter Pan reference. Sorry for the delay! Here are some pictures from my adventure of last Saturday. I can't believe it's almost Thursday already! Bryna reminded me on the phone yesterday that I'll be home really soon. Pretty amazing.
The picture above is of Edmonton's University LRT station. I was SO EXCITED to take Edmonton's subway! It's way cleaner than the TTC, but lacks the certain "je ne sais quoi" (AKA character) of the Yonge/University line.
On Saturday morning I jumped on the 30 bus and took it to Southgate, transferred onto the 6 and took it to the U of A campus, then got on the LRT at University station and rode to Churchill Station. The above picture is basically the sight that met me when I came up the stairs from underground. I was at the annual Edmonton Street Performer's Festival, 10 days of fabulous performances, great food, games and fun in the heart of Edmonton's downtown. There's no admission; in true "pass the hat" tradition, you donate what you can to the performers you like. I came armed with a bunch on toonies, and wound up giving them all away.
Two words: YUMM and O! Contortionists and strongmen. GOOD GOD!
These guys were the bomb. They practice a form of performance art, kind of setting up tableaux scenes wherever the mood strikes them, and that day they decided to go fishing in the wading pool/fountain. All the kids in the pool thought they were a riot. So did I.
After the festival I wandered around downtown, got myself fantastically lost in the basement of a mall, and then found my way to the biggest, most gorgeous library I've ever seen besides the Toronto Reference Library. Then I hopped back on the LRT and went to the University again to wander around their campus. All I can say is in terms of gorgeous buildings, green spaces and student community centres, York's got NOTHING on U of A. Neither does U of T or Rye High for that matter. Amazing.
Upon returning to Southgate Terminal I kind of flipped a mental coin and decided to wander down Whyte Ave instead of going home; there was an art walk on, and I wanted to see it. I wound up powering past everyone instead, and walked from 109th street to 99th street before turning back and catching the bus back to Southgate. I mosied in the door at around 7 pm, and using Google Pedometer figured that I'd walked about 11 km, give or take.
My calf muscles screamed for the next 2 days. Totally worth it.
-
Laur
4 comments:
I think I might have enjoyed spending that day with you. Glad you had fun and proud that you felt you didn't need company to enjoy it.
Mom
street festivals like these pretty much sum up the best of summer .. all the walking has a sweet and lazy aimlessness that i love (as do you too, by the sound of it!)
enjoy all you can of Alberta!
Laura the Explorer! i love hearing of your adventures, keep 'em coming please. i loved hearing about the university. york tries to get ahead by building new buildings on each corner..they have got it all wrong. nature is all we need! :)
hope you're still smiling.
aww do ou have pics of u of a? i wana see - oh actually i can just google it - but yeah i never thought york was pretty. and i must concur with valerie above.. street festivals SCREAM summertime i love it and that's prob the best of what we're msising in toronto!!
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