A Walk Down Memory Lane in Edmonton

Edmonton:

We stayed in West Edmonton for four nights, having travelled there to visit my (Nicole’s) aunt and uncle. I had been to Edmonton a few times before as a kid, and while it was different visiting as an adult, it did bring back some good memories. I really enjoyed spending time with Auntie Carla and Uncle John, whom we hadn’t seen in a few years. We were invited to their lovely apartment for lunch and a long chat (and an early champagne toast for my 40th birthday). The next day Auntie Carla went with us to Fort Edmonton, a large park featuring a replica of the Hudson Bay Company’s fur trading fort of 1845, as well as a walk through recreated streets that slowly move forward through time, from the settlement era of 1885, to the municipal era (1905), and the metropolitan era (1920), which included a small 1920s-era midway. There was also an original steam engine that took us to the fort, an original running streetcar, and various other authentic cars from the 20s. We all enjoyed the venture through history, and the kids were in awe of how simply people once lived. On the third day my aunt and uncle treated us to an amazing Malaysian dinner at a restaurant near their home. I was really sad to say goodbye to them, especially since my aunt and I are so much alike, and I really hope that we’ll be able to see them again soon.

While in Edmonton we also checked out the West Edmonton Mall to find a toy Fisher was looking for, and had a look at the indoor water park, amusement park, ice rink, and mini golf course. The place has two food courts, a movie theatre, and various restaurants too! There was one store where Fisher and Milo found this really cool toy called Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. Each tin contains a good handful of non-drying putty that comes in a wide variety of colours and attributes. Fisher chose one that is magnetic and oozes around the magnet it comes with. Milo got one that glows in the dark and can be drawn on with the included black light. They’ve played with their putty more than any other new toy so far, and they enjoy squishing it in their hands and molding it into several forms. A good buy, for sure.

Getting around West Edmonton became a bit of joke for us. The streets tended to merge and diverge and cross over when we least expected (even when following directions from Google or Waze), and we would often have to turn around two or three times before we got to where we wanted. Sometimes we could see the destination from the road but couldn’t figure out how to get there. There were lots of multi-lane one-way streets, and many two-way streets had meridians that we couldn’t cross. Fortunately, we always arrived at our destination, even if a bit late, even if we had to figure out our own way there.