Day 7: more tourism

So today started with my second trip to the Running Room for the Sunday Long Run.  There are a LOT of people who turn up to these runs, and they all seem friendly.  I set out with a group going for either 18K or 23K, it gradually separated into different speed groups leaving just five of us running together after the 18K split.  I kept wishing I'd bought my camera with me as it was a great way to see a lot of the city, especially the nice river valley roads and the "posh" end of town.  I miss my running buddies, but at least I don't have to try and do all my running on my own, I think I will like these running room groups.  
After rushing home for  quick shower, I headed out to Fort Edmonton Park with a group of Couchsurfers.  I was quite excited about this and it was just as good as I expected.  It is a historical reconstruction type open air museum with people wandering around in character who will tell you endless information about Alberta's history.  It usually starts with a steam train, but this was closed for maintenance.  My disappointment didn't last long as instead we got to ride in a street car (tram) from the 1920s for half the journey, then a horse and cart the rest of the way... back to 1795!

The first section is the fort, where we learnt all about the fur trade, particularly beaver fur, particularly for making top hats for rich English folk.  It was great just poking around nosing into all the buildings.  We then went through 1885 street, looking at the settlement houses and shops, and we discovered "honey sticks", which is some sort of Edmonton thing.  its a plastic tube full of honey, there are different flavours.  Getting the tube open with your teeth is something that requires learning the knack.  Canadians are weird.
Next was 1905 street, it was turning into a nice warm day so we wandered very slowly through to 1920 street.  This had the cinema, with a short film introduced by a guy in character.  it started as a small black and white silent movie, then expanded out to the whole theatre, across three walls, with "snow" coming down from the ceiling.  We then bought ice creams and headed to the Midway (canadian word for fun fair), getting there just in time to catch the last ferris wheel ride.  I felt like a seven year old but it was fun!  I was quite disappointed that they just had posters for freak show people, there was no actual bearded lady.

It was a great day, and I think I learnt a minimal amount of history in the process but got to spend time with a very diverse group of couchsurfers.  I was definitely the newest in town, some had been here a few weeks, or months, or years and there was one local.
For the evening I had arranged to go and see a house belonging to a friend of a friend of Cecily's.  All three of us went, and it was a pretty amazing place.  The rented bit is basically the whole of the basement, and its huge.  It would include absolutely everything, and Dawn is lovely too.  She has travelled a lot, and has spent the last few days being a simulated patient for trainee doctors.  I need to see more places before I decide, and it may be out of my price range, but it was fairly close to the Running Room!  It would be amazing to live there.