a modern garden

during the first few days of our visit in calgary,

we went downtown, to the TD centre, to meet up for lunch.

did you know that this is the longest atrium / skylight in the world.

it measures 85 feet wide (26 metres) and 656 feet long (200 metres).

after lunch and some (big city) people watching, 

we went to check out the devonian gardens

that was housed inside the same building.

the first thing we encountered was the 'living wall' within the gardens...

and all the beautiful hand carved masks, 

all unique, and hung throughout the space.

the devonian garden is calgary's only indoor public park.

under the atrium's natural light thrives an assortment of tropical plants.

having seen the original gardens 20 years ago... 

i was expecting more flowers during this visit.

to my disappointment... 

i learned that after the very recent renovations of the garden,

 all the flowers were removed.  

one of the reasons for this is that the designers were trying to achieve a 
more modern aesthetic with a monochromatic colour scheme.

it was modern all right !!!  

a bit too modern for me,

but the wooden masks, perfectly displayed, gave the garden a little warmth... 

i thought they were stunning.

and the koi ponds... were teaming with fish!!!

overall, it was an interesting garden adventure.

did i mention there was no cost for admission and that there were tables everywhere 

to sit and enjoy a coffee and conversation?

erica

xoxo