From ERin in Edmonton:
Edmonton- The City of Champions
Right smack in the middle of the dry, dusty prairie province of Alberta. Approximately 4000 kilometres away from my home in the 1000 Islands, my family and my friends. That’s a big move to do in 4 days. And that is exactly what I did, with my then fiancée, when we found out we were posted to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton in October of 2008.
When I first moved here I was in tears- a city so completely different than the lovely lakes and rivers of eastern Ontario; no humidity, -40°C winters and stop lights that were hung the wrong way and were painted green instead of yellow.
When my husband left the country on a 7 month deployment I really got to know Edmonton. Instead of comparing it to Ottawa and Kingston, I realized it was pretty fantastic just the way it was. The river valley was absolutely beautiful in the summer time and filled with well kept trails, there were tons of festivals and outdoor markets, and to make things even better, there were cupcake shoppes and French bakeries.
This will be my second summer in Edmonton and I can finally say that I love this city. We will probably be moved within the next 12 months, and I will have to go through the entire adjustment again in a new city, but I think I can officially say, Edmonton, Alberta is pretty awesome once you get to know it!
1 comment:
ERin, (why is the 'R' capitalized?) I fall on my knees in admiration of your volte-face . I couldn't do it, but maybe that's because I'm a Calgarian, and we are forbidden by law to say anything nice about Edmonton.
Were it not for Anne, I would have been able to say that my last visit there was in 1982, and I didn't think things had improved since. Only spread.
But fortunately for her, you were there. I'll try and be a bit more receptive to its charms next time, if there is one.
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