This photo shows what a typical street in a residential area (108 Street just around the corner of my flat) looks like: In the middle you've got the street and usually on both sides, mostly sperated from the street by a small strip of lawn like on this picture. (I wonder, whether legally they are part of the house owners' properties and whether they have to mow that lawn - although they can't really use it and also clear the sidewalk during wintertime.) Sometimes there's a paved sidewalk only on one side, but little trails indicate that people frequently use the other side as well. (No photo available, it might follow.)

The following sidewalks (110 Street very close to university) I have noticed already in my first week (but only today did I finally manage to take the illustrating pictures.) : Wood. That looked very strange to me. A couple of weeks ago when we visited Fort Edmonton Park Kalman, one of Lilla's Hungarian friends, explained that actually right up to the 1950s sidewalks in Edmonton used to be of wooden planks. Only afterwards they were gradually substituted by concrete - and, as Kalman said, people actually complained because the concrete was so hard in comparison to the wood and hurt their legs. (They only moved here in the 60s or 70s so please note that this is third hand knowledge and might not be accurate.)

So I assume that these are the remains of such old sidewalks. On the first one you can clearly see that the sidewalk consists of lengthwise planks of wood. As to the second one I assume that short wooden planks might have been attached across the blocks or alternatively that the space in between might have been filled with gravel..

Actually I’d really love to attend a class about Edmonton’s history and development involving field trips all around the city. Unfortunately I haven’t found any in the online course listings of the history department but I think I’ll go there this week to enquire this matter..

Selbiger duerfte nun wirklich schoen langsam zu Ende gehen. Dieser Tage laeuft das 10-taegige "Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival". Bis heute - dem vorletzten Tag - ist es spurlos an mir vorueber gegangen. Ich schaetze, wir werden morgen mit Premysl, dem tschechischen Kollegen, der heute angekommen ist, hingehen, sofern er Lust hat. Heute hab ich nur kurz mit Eric und Mariko vorbeigeschaut, was die Strassenkuenstler so treiben. Der Typ der sich durch den Toilettdeckel zwaengte, war ziemlich beeindruckend. Und natuerlich machte er sich dabei ueber uns Zuschauer lustig, wie zum Beispiel ungefaehr als ich dieses Foto machte:
Zwischenapplaus als er mit den Schultern durch war.
Performer zu einem Zuschauer, der nicht geklatscht hatte: "Can you do this at home?"
Zuschauer: "No."
Performer: "Then clap!"
Zuschauer klatscht.
Was mich selbst betrifft so erlaube ich mir an dieser Stelle zu verraten, dass beinahe, beinahe jenes Kunststueck, fuer das dieser Performer sich minutenlang abmuehen musste, die erste Aktion meines geborenen Lebens geworden waere. (Special thanks an das Krankenhauspersonal das es verhinderte..) In der Folge schaffte ich es nie weiter durch den Toilettdeckel als bis zum Kopf und selbst dabei habe ich, wie der einen und der anderen leidvoll in Erinnerung geblieben sein duerfte, dieses einzige verhaeengnisvolle Mal in meinem Leben, als ich es alkoholbedingt (Wodka Cola brrr!) noetig gehabt haette, so tief wie moeglich darin zu versinken, schmaehlich versagt..

Und dann war da auch noch der Shop, der Schmuck aus altem Silberbesteck verkaufte. Gut, aus dem Stiel lassen sich annaehernd vernuenftig aussehende Dinge (siehe die rechten Ohrringe) machen, aber, und das war meine Frage des Tages: Wer bitte kauft solche (die linken) Ohrringe??? Beziehungsweise, wer kauft solche Ohrringe, nicht um sich darueber lustig zu machen (Analogien zum HC Rap draengen sich auf) sondern um sie zu tragen, weil er/sie sie schoen findet???

The longer I stay, the more I like this city. As I told you in my first e-mail in the city centre the valley of the Saskatchewan is practically one large recreation area, a green oasis right in the middle of the city. Yesterday afternoon I went for a long walk with Lucka (and David but he returned after a while in order to get some work done). Here is a map on which I've marked our approximate route and also you can see the green around. Also you can see how the green devides the built up area.It was just amazing! I saw two hawks quite closely, but not as close to take a good picture. This in itself is already a reason to return.. And in Mill Creek there were something like cicadas; they looked like grasshoppers when sitting, but when jumping or flying they unfold beautiful butterfly like wings, similar to that of the Mourning Cloak (Trauermantel). I should have tried to take a picture of one of those as well.. Anyway, I thought to myself: I definitely have to go for a walk, or cycle, into Mill Creek again and - as you can see on the map it extends quite a distance to the south.

And yet, despite such moments of pure nature you have the constant reminder that the city is all around you, especially at the Saskatchewan river you walk inside the green, along the skyline of the city. I just love this combination of the nature and technology contrast! Also that day the sky was just amazing. The clouds looked so close. Unbelievable! Well, what I'm talking, you can judge by yourself anyway. Too kitschy to be real, isn't it. (I wanna point out that apart from what my camera may have done automatically I did not digitally edit them!)

Our destination which defined our route was Gallagher Park where the Edmonton Folk Music Festival was taking place and we just wanted to have a look (or a listen) from the outside. (Allegedly it was sold out but I'm not into Folk Music anyway. If it was rock, that would have been a different story...) The pyramids by the way are the Muttart Conservatory, a botanical garden just at Gallagher park.

Apart from nature, moving, beautiful surrounding I enjoyed Lucka's company so much. It's such a pity that she doesn't stay longer. For me she's the perfect person to explore the city with. I had this feeling already the day we went to the cemetery: Firstly, I had the feeling that she had a genuine interest in history and culture, which is very important for me. From time to time I need to visit museums and historical sites. Of course it's nicer if you don't have to go alone but also I don't want to worry about the possibility that people might accompany me just as an act of politeness. Furthermore, that day, on our way back we stopped several times or made little detours just because one or the other spotted a possibly interesting building (that's how I came to see St. Joachim's). This is what I like: If you roughly have a rough route but still walk around with open eyes, and your eyes determine the exact route. And Lucka also likes to go for walks (in fact she goes for more and for longer walks than I would) which enables you to discover all those little things. Finally just as me she also likes to take photos, not just photos, but photos with a little more - and she has a very good eye for it. (Actually it was quite funny, when walking around Muttart conservatory, I had just found an excellent spot to take a picture when she laughed that this was exactly the same spot she chose at her previous visit.) And this hobby of course again causes many stops and detours. But the thing is, if both like it than it's just the way it is, without a feeling that you're causing delays you're constantly off the defined track. Exploring Edmonton true to the phrase "The journey is the reward"...