Thursday, October 11, 2012

A Walk Through Downtown Kingston: A Photographic Essay

A walk is a beautiful thing. It has been praised by many who write. We walk for exercise, to sight see, to commune with nature.We walk for the necessity of getting from one place to another. We walk with our children, our dogs, our friends and loved ones. We walk for the peace and some walk for the challenge. In the space of our lives we traverse a variety of terrain and from this we learn life lessons.  


I began my walk atop Fort Henry Hill.


Walking is a tool for clearing space in our heads, like a scythe clearing a field of wheat. The more we walk the more space we have, then the thinking begins. Artists find walking allows space for creative thoughts to meet and reproduce. Philosophers and the devout walk to commune with their thoughts or with their gods. Many walk when they are angry. They walk away from the door they just slammed and into the night until the space in their head clears and embraces the emotions.

The view from whence I came. This is where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, and where the Thousand Islands begin.
 
 We walk to and fro, we pace until that firmament that is our mind has cleared the clouds of judgement.
Today I walked. Just for the beauty of it. Just because I could. Just because I cannot take for granted the nature that surrounds my hometown. I submit to you the first of many walks I will share; the first of many thoughts.  



I used to row in high school. I took a moment to remember this bridge which we rowed under to get from the bay to the lake. It is so low that we had to lay back to fit underneath!

A peek at the historic cannons lining the waterfront.


The old limestone wall surrounding the old stables of Fort Frontenac.
 


 

 


Kingston has many plaques.
 

 My walk today was a real life lesson in history. I trailed my hands along the limestone walls and read the plaques.


Wolfe Island, one of the Thousand Islands, is also full of history and just a twenty minute ferry ride from downtown Kingston.

The bottom of Princess St. I walk up and down this street frequently
looking at the beautiful window displays and buying books and chocolate!







 






  
City Hall



Morrison's Restaurant and Kingston Market Square. Two of my favourite landmarks.



Again, the old meets the new.

An artist's alley. Note the iron laundry.


Kingston is said to be the most haunted city in Canada.






It is said that this limestone passage way is haunted....



Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Walking to these places was worth a thousand thoughts.


As I walked, the clouds rolled in. My body signalled that I needed practice. My total ramblings - which included some window shopping - lasted almost three hours and I walked close to 7 kilometres.
With this new blog I will be adding when I can a link to map quest for those of you interested in my walks.
Thank you for walking with me today.







 

1 comment:

  1. I love this... the pictures make me homesick... thank you for taking one of the ferry terminal for me... I know I walked with you in spirit. I want to take a walk with you. :)

    ReplyDelete