I tried figuring out something to actually do with this blog instead of simply rambling on, as it is supposed to be a travel blog, after all. There’s just one problem with this. I’m not going to be doing any major traveling until August when my Japan trip happens. I spent a solid couple of hours thinking about this, trying to figure out how I was going to stay on topic while still doing the “travel” thing. Then it hit me:
I’ll travel around my city, highlighting various aspects of my city for those of you who don’t have the privilege of living here. What better way to get my “travel legs” and get off those training wheels as a relatively new blogger. It’ll give me something to do on my “down days” and an objective for the blog.
Anyways, enough of that rambling that I’m trying o get away from. Without further ado, I bring you: Alberta’s Legislature. It’s located in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. and built in a “classic revival style” with “Greek, Roman and Egyptian elements” in the design.
Oh! Before I forget: Alberta’s Legislature is free to view with guided tours up until 4pm in the winter and 5 pm in the summer.
The Alberta Legislature was built between 1907 and 1913 in the Classical Revival style, popular in Canada at the time for legislature buildings. Strongly influenced by similar American government buildings, other Canadian examples from the time include the Manitoba Legislative Building and the Saskatchewan Legislature. Utilizing classic Greek, Roman, and Egyptian elements that suggest power, permanence and tradition, it was built on concrete piles and constructed around a steel skeleton.” — http://www.edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca/structures/alberta-legislature/
The grounds of the Alberta legislature are quite extensive and used for social and city functions on a regular basis. I visited during the winter (obviously), and as such, not much was going on. We might be Canadian, but even we like the heat. I’ll try and revisit the Legislature (“The Leg” as it’s affectionately referred to by Edmontonians) during the summer months and hopefully compare and contrast the differences during the two seasons. Out front of “The Leg” covered in snow are actual wading pools which draw in crowds during hot summer days.
In the back of the Legislature is a rolling expanse of public use space. This space (which extends far on either side of this picture is painted in a brilliant green during the warmer months of the year. This area can be utilized for celebrations and the like, used for everything from Pokemon Go players to those that utilize marijuana on the ever-so-infamous “420” or April 20th.
The video above is the complete unedited footage of the interior of the Alberta Legislature rotunda. It’s the only place I was allowed to go, so I tried to gather as much media footage (video and pictures) as I could while I was there. I tried to document everything I could. Unfortunately, I neglected to grab photos of the rotunda as a whole, only bits and pieces of it, so I figured I’d share it.
In the video, the stairs that go up, head to the legislature itself. At the time I was in, they were still in session.
Looking straight up, you see this magnificent sight. I love the artistic license taken with this room, and the lighting in it is absolutely amazing for photos and videos.
In the direct center of the rotunda is this decorative pool. It’s lit up from underneath and my camera really didn’t do it justice. I’ll have to remember to play around with it a bit more in order to learn some more ins and outs. This pool is located directly under the roof I showed in the last picture.
SO that’s it. It’s a quick look at the legislature in Edmonton, Alberta. I actually had fun photographing this place. I’ve got a couple places in mind for next time, but I’d like to invite you all to let me know if you have a place that you’d like me to cover. Unfortunately, I’m only one person and my brain can only think of so much.
Until next time, I’ll see you on trails.
