Saturday, April 10, 2010

Scenic Sunday - or is it?


A few more photos taken from one of my lunch time walking sessions. I'm not sure that "scenic" is the right word to be using on this cool, sunny Sunday, but the photos do hold some points of interest!

These were taken just slightly north of the downtown core, overlooking Calgary city centre.

Looking to the west, the office and apartment blocks rise up from a flat river valley.

And though a still grey-ish brown vista right now, it's great to notice just how many trees there are around these 'burbs - they look kind of feathery at the moment and you can take a guess at how different this place may look at the height of the summer. I shall return later in the year and take a comparative photo.

If it has been a much clearer day, the Rockies should have been peaking along that far right horizon.
Looking eastwards highlights more construction - there are a couple of major projects on the go at this time. And see those cranes in the middle-left?



This is where they are. Now I'm the first to admit that a construction site is not the most "scenic" thing I could show you today, but I'm liking the shape emerging - a kind of curvy three sided tower. I'm not sure if this will be another glossy, glass high rise but whatever finishing product is used on the outside surfaces will have a major impact on how good the final building appears.

The officey centre blocks of Calgary are very tall and glossy and glassy - shiny towers built on the back of the oil booms and a multitude of other administrative centres. However, my eye is always drawn to the shorter, older buildings peppered in between.

It is my mission this summer to get out on foot to find some of the hidden history. There are a few buildings about 100 years old that are still in good repair and looked after, and I'd like to show some of those to you another day.

Have a great Scenic Sunday.

6 comments:

  1. What an interesting mission you have got now. I love to take photos of old buildings too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a nice tour of Calgary, a city I've never had the pleasure of visiting. It looks like an attractive city.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A very good overview of Calgary... I've only heard of it as the place where the Calgary Stampede takes place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I liked the city centre of Calgary and thought the 15+ was a brilliant idea, for the winter of course. We visited on a look see in summer 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks folks - I have a love/hate relationship with this city. Some parts are downright ugly and others are actually pretty gorgeous - like most cities probably! Jan - I'll report back later in the year with some Stampede madness for you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I miss Calgary, especially downtown! Great shots!!

    ReplyDelete