Mall Walking (Part One)
These last two years have been tough on me physically. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
I counted on my aquasize classes for 30 years , 3 times a week, to keep me limber and in less pain.
But when the pools closed at the start of Covid I struggled to find a way to move that helped me as much as the water. Of course in the summer I could walk outside, even though that is still difficult for me. But when winter arrived I didn’t feel safe walking outdoors.
A friend let me have the key to her building so I could swim in her condo pool for a while and that was a life saver for me. But, unfortunately, even that wonderful opportunity has stopped . (boiler broke)
I’ve tried chair yoga , walking around the house, stretching, etc. , but I just can’t get my heart rate up.
Even the malls closed their doors to walking early before the shoppers arrived!
But, finally, Terry urged me to try the West Edmonton Mall the minute the doors open to see if the crowds would be smaller so I would feel safe that way too.
Hallelujah! I tried walking the mall at 10 am when it opened and it was really great!
The West Edmonton Mall used to be the world’s biggest mall but if you can believe it….it’s now the 23rd biggest in the world. It is the second most visited mall in Canada after Toronto’s Eaton Centre.
I haven’t been in the mall for over two years so it was crazy to see brand new stores.
At 5.3 million square feet, the Mall is the size of a small city and is accredited as a zoo! West Edmonton Mall is home to more than 800 stores and services including nine world-class attractions, two hotels, over 100 dining venues, the widest variety of one-of-a-kind retailers, and entertainment for all ages.
I’d like you to accompany on my walk…..
Above you can see a ‘fish tunnel’ which leads to the water feature. There is a new little train that takes guests through the mall. And above you can see a statue of men working on an oil rig.
One of the stores I’d never seen before is a year old ….the Lego Store! Inside I saw a full size Lego car!
I enjoyed walking the full length of the mall and was surprised and happy I could complete it …while wearing a mask…as I don’t breathe well. I actually walked much longer than I normally will so that I could take these photos for you…ha ha.
There is a full size skating rink in the mall as well as a gigantic “Pirate ship” which used to be used for private parties.
If you’ve never been to the mall , it really is worth the trip. You can stay at the Fantasyland Hotel where each room has a different theme.
One year, when we still lived in Calgary, we drove up with the children and stayed there in the “Train Room”.
It just happened to be a blizzard that weekend so we stayed right in the mall and had plenty of entertainment to keep us busy all weekend.
One of the funniest things that happened was when we discovered a small chapel in the mall on Sunday. I think the pastor was SO thrilled with how many people showed up for the service that he went a little crazy with the longest , loudest sermon ever! As Catholics, we are used to rather reserved services so the children were trying not to laugh at the very evangelical flavour of the whole thing. (It was actually very nice.) And he gave each congregant a mini bible when we left too.
My walk continues…..