We started in Toronto by spending the day exploring the city and visiting the AGO and ROM both of which featured Asian exhibits...the Maharajah and the TerraCotta Warriors respectively. Today in Edmonton we finish after a visit to the Alberta Art Gallery- a wonderful new building reminiscent of the Guggenheim- where we enjoyed a Canadian Landscape exhibit and an Oil exhibit with photos by Edward Burtynsky. I am sure there is a message in that somewhere...
We loved Jasper in our little stay at our fancy hotel downtown and the dinner in the one and only Swiss Bistro in town where we were the only diners. It sure was quiet there! only two rooms occupied in the hotel. We spent the morning hiking on trails which featured the railroad and local history, then headed for the transit "hub" where both train and bus converge. We picked up a wonderful wrap sandwich at Patricia's deli...which she nicely identified as his and hers...a pastry from the Bears Paw and boarded the greyhound bus. There were 3 of us on board..not counting the driver.
Great trek back through the mountains with stops at small places along the way and a handful of people getting on and off. Beautiful sun to see the Rockies and then a slow descent into a nice sunset and darkness before we reached Edmonton. We hoofed it pulling our suitcase through the downtown to the Westin Hotel...not sure that most residents of the hotel arrive that way.
So another luxury hotel..on the cheap of course...brings us to the end of our odyssey.
We have liked Edmonton...lots of modern architecture, great underground Pedway and a LRT system underground (does Rob Ford know you can do that?) We also met some of Edmonton's finest...waved aside as we walked into the library, a young man who claimed also to be from Ontario, informed us so nicely that our crossing of the totally empty road in front of the EPL was jaywalking and should result in a $250 fine...which he would waive. If he had been standing out on the cold road to really prevent jaywalking, rather than hiding in the warm library to catch us...I could have taken this seriously. However we did make sure we crossed at every light after that.
We take the"easy" way home...a flight to Toronto with little to see, nothing to eat and no one to meet. Quite a contrast to the wonderful train travel...especially the security end of it all. On the train the only security issue is that there are no longer lockers or possibily as many trash receptacles. One has to show a ticket to leave baggage at a checked facility...no scanners or sniffers or body patdowns.
I have posted pictures at picassa
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