| One of the places to
visit in Edmonton is the West Edmonton Mall. When it was built it was
the largest mall in the world. Now it is only the largest in North America
and the fifth in the world. It occupies over six million sq ft. By
comparison, Meadowhall in Sheffield, has one and a half million and the
largest (in China) has over ten million. |  |
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Having found an external parking space for our 12ft high RV, we came in
through one of the food halls and stopped for a steak sandwich. |
| In Meadowhall they are
steel workers, here they are oil workers. Otherwise the sculptures are very
similar. |  |
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This being Canada they have a full sized skating rink in the middle. When we
first arrived there were beginners on the ice and this was the typical view. |
| Later was obviously a
period for more expert skaters. Difficult to see but she is at least a foot
off the ice! |  |
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So was this one. They gave quite a display as they practised various jumps. |
| And she is turning round
at the same time! |  |
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There are several aquaria. This is a Reef Squirrelfish which inhabits corals
from Bermuda to South America. They can grow up to six inches long. |
| We stopped and had coffee
and cake (indulgences) and looked down on the common folk in a faster food
area. |  |
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There are many shop names that we recognised and we probably could have been
anywhere in the world. There is a definite Georgian theme to the
architecture in this wing. The whole mall is on two levels and is very light
and airy. It was also quite busy for a Monday but not crowded. |
| There are several themed
areas in the centre with shops round the outside. You can hire this boat for
a private party. The little boats at the front are radio controlled. There
are also two submarines (top right) which run along underwater tracks. |  |
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And at 2pm and 4pm they feed the sea lions. I thought this was a shopping
mall (I know - there are 806 shops!). |
| A swimming pool with a
difference. This is a concrete beach. I'm not sure if the tide goes in and
out. There are waterslides and a deeper section at the back.. |  |
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And there is a full sized amusement park with rides. This may be the largest
mall but I do wonder when so much of it is taken up by non-shopping areas. |
| This however is an Asian
supermarket. Edmonton is a very cosmopolitan city with a large Asian
population. It also has a significant Muslim population and the mall was
built and is owned by a pair of Iranian brothers. It is valued at C$1
billion. |  |
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There is the obligatory cinema complex including an IMAX and a hotel and
casino and .... |
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