We arrived in Stettler around 1 p.m. and ate a late picnic lunch before hopping on the diesel train at 2 p.m. We had seen these train rides in a brochure and thought both kids, Ben especially, would love it! There were quite a few options to choose from, but we chose the "Family Special to Big Valley", as this route did not have a "train robbery" included. As much as we could prepare them for that, we still thought it might be a bit frightening for strange men to be stealing Mommy and Daddy's money. Smart choice, eh?
It was about 90 minutes to Big Valley. Beautiful Alberta countryside to see and there was entertainment for the kiddos too.
Around 4 p.m. we arrived in the "big" town of Big Valley, a village of about 350 people. We strolled around for a bit, took turns going to "jail", ate dinner at Jubilee Hall with all the other passengers, and then strolled back to the train. A cute, sleepy little town.
Back on the train at 6 p.m. for our ride back to Stettler. The clown made his way to our car, and the kids loved watching his tricks and asking him for a balloon doggy and bunny. Mommy and Daddy treated them to some suckers, and they were happy little clams. What a day!
Back in the car around 7:30 p.m. It was another two hours to Edmonton, the next stop on our long weekend journey. We were sure the kids would crash after such an eventful day, but nope, they were plugging right along with music, books, and such. As we drove into Edmonton around 9:30, the sky was a beautiful mix of pink, orange, purple, and blue. A beautiful ending to a fun day!
On Saturday morning, we found a spot to enjoy breakfast, Haps Restaurant. It was great...we got to sit outside, enjoy our coffees, and watch the kids devour their pancakes. :) From breakfast, we drove to Fort Edmonton Park for the day. Fort Edmonton reminded me of Heritage Park in Calgary, experiencing life as it was from 1846 through 1929 in Edmonton.
Our first stop was the train! Apparently, we didn't get our fill yesterday and hopped aboard to arrive at the Fort.
This Fort was built by the Hudson's Bay Company as a trading post...to trade European goods to the local Aboriginal people in exchange for valuable beaver pelts. This fort also produced goods and supplied smaller posts. The population of the Fort varied according to season, but approximately 110 men, women, and children lived here. It was fascinating to explore the different areas of the Fort, and Ben and I made a scavenger hunt using the Fort map (hence we are holding up fingers in certain photos). Loved seeing the huge clay oven and the teepee!
We left the fort area and walked along the path to find a little pond and picnic spot. Nathalie was zonked out at this point, but Ben had fun watching the trains go by and the ducks hunt for their lunch too.
After lunch, we strolled along the old-fashioned streets. Peeked inside the schoolhouse, the church, the sweet shop, the Ukrainian bookstore, and more.
Across from the Ukrainian bookstore is the Hotel Selkirk. It is a reconstruction of a 1920's hotel that was originally located nearby. You can actually stay at the hotel; it looked beautiful! There was a bridal party floating around while we were there, and it looked like they were going to have their reception at the hotel. What a cute idea! No wedding for us, just some giant-size checkers, complete with Ben's own set of rules. Ha!
Lastly, we walked back towards the front of the park for some Midway time! Carousel, ferris wheel, and more. It's always fun to feel like a kid again! On the way back to the hotel, we grabbed a pizza and relaxed the evening away after such a long day of walking and exploring.
We found another yummy spot to eat breakfast on Sunday morning, and then drove downtown Edmonton to see the sights. Check out the funky building that houses the Art Gallery of Alberta!
We were able to cool off and splash a bit in the fountain near the Edmonton City Hall. The pyramids in the design are meant to evoke images of the jagged Canadian Rockies, and I read that the fountain is used as a skating rink in the winter. The last picture in this bunch shows a monument in memorial of the 1930's Ukrainian famine, when millions of Ukrainians lost their lives. I was reading more about this, and Canada has the world's third largest Ukrainian population behind Ukraine itself and Russia. A bit of random info in case you ever see this question on Jeopardy...Alex Trebek is a Ukrainian Canadian. :)
In front of the City Hall is Churchill Square, a popular square in the heart of downtown used for festivals and events. We got lucky enough to enjoy the Cariwest Festival, an annual three-day Caribbean arts festival. Lots of fun music, food, costumes, and art. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the kids got to pick out little goodies...a mask and kitty purse.
On our drive out of town (after hunting down an Edmonton Starbucks mug), we were able to stop and snap a photo of the Edmonton skyline.
And this is what the drive home looked like...Nathalie with her nose in a book, Ben with his whole face in the Nook, and Greg and I enjoying the Alberta landscape. What a fun trip exploring east and north of Calgary!
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