Come with me into a tropical oasis. I know it's November - let's dream and just ignore the snow that is falling outside.
My husband and I had to be in Calgary city centre at an unearthly hour this morning to drop our two girls off at a dance convention. We decided we would hang out in the downtown core, which is pretty deserted on a weekend. Excuse quality of photos - just the cell phone this week.
It started to snow as we headed inside one of the malls.
We had a leisurely breakfast, and did a little shopping
and as we walked through an overpass, we could see that the continuing snowfall was starting to settle on the branches of the trees, which always looks pretty - but it was not settling on the roads or paths (yet!).
At lunchtime we wandered up to the top level of The Core shopping mall off 7th Avenue in the heart of the city. Here we munched away on our lunch, sitting among a lovely chunk of indoor tropical greenery.
The Devonian Gardens were originally opened in 1977, but were closed for several years and re-furbished. They opened again in June 2012. There are over 500 palm trees up here. I don't even want to think how much that weighs, or the stress it puts on the floor and ceiling joists!
The Devonian Gardens is the only indoor urban oasis in Calgary.
On a quiet Saturday lunchtime, there were plenty of seats and not many people, but during the week the office workers descend and the place is hopping.
There are living walls of plants and flowers
and water features provide an interesting distraction
from the commercial hubbub of stores.
Little children are particulary enamoured with the koi.
Wooden carved masks adorn the walls
and parents bring their small people to burn off some energy.
And then you are back out into the mall again,
and look how much snow has gathered
on the curved glass roof.
It's time for us to go and pick up the girls and check out how pooped they are after dancing for 5 hours.
That snow sure wants to settle on these gentlemen.
And the trees provide glistening, feathery silhouettes
to the urban scenery.
And winter begins in Alberta.
Linking to Our World Tuesday this week.
