old strathcona farmer's market

compared to this weekend last weekend was more like real winter, a lot of snow (according to my boss one third of all the winter's precipitation came down on edmonton earth last saturday...and it was really quite a lot!), temperatures around zero (which is actually pretty warm for most edmontonians and also more and more for us) and fewer cars on the streets, therefore very peaceful...

so we decided to have a look at the often recommended saturday market - the old strathcona farmer's market. it is actually only about 15 walking minutes from our apartment, even if you have to step through one-foot-high freshly fallen snow. it turned out that we were really lucky to choose this day to go there, because it seemed that many people were afraid of the "masses of snow" (they should be used to it...just my humble opinion).

so, instead of a lot of edmontonians, we met - guess whom, you wouldn't believe it - the austrian public tv station "ORF" !!!

they were doing interviews with different people for a documentary on the first north american city supporting human rights, well, yes...edmonton. we just talked a bit to them until it turned out that the "director" had the behavioral characteristics of a typical man in show business who thinks he is better than the rest...so we moved on =)

...and enjoyed the big variety of products the market had to offer.

this was the view from our balcony before we headed towards the market...

whyte ave as quiet as we'll probably will never see it again...

the building housing the old strathcona farmers' market formerly was a fire department...

here's the proof! the austrian guys making their documentary....

they told us that the documentary would be on tv on the 5th of december (on 3sat) and sometime in november on ORF...maybe you can hear me saying something like "geh heast djaniiin, do is da OAEFF!"

...and inside there's a big hall stuffed with loads of different stands of various vendors, selling either homemade food, fresh produce, crafts and arty things...

...they're raising bison here! we'll soon try it!

mmmhh...imagine: bison burger!

...and elk!... 

when i told the guy behind the counter that we don't have elk in austria, he was really eager to show me a picture of an elk...i was kind enough not to tell him that i do know what an elk looks like, but that we just don't have this animal in our country...

...it doesn't only taste the same...

...a picture for antonio;

title: "gemma, gemma!"