Basketball Beginnings
North of the 58th Parallel

Cold Canada

Winnipeg-1

Who in their right minds (okay...that part is questionable...???) would do a winter getaway in northern Canada?

Yours truly and my game-for-almost-any-adventure husband Kim, that's who! I've always dreamed of seeing the aurora borealis, aka northern lights, and when we received a promotional mailer from one of our favorite travel companies Natural Habitat about going north to see them, we jumped at the chance.

Okay, truthfully I jumped. And Kim followed me, like the true adventure partner he is.

 

Winnipeg-39

Our trip began with a 2-night stay at the beautiful historical Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada...where the temperatures were a balmy -15 degrees with plenty of wind. I say "balmy" because we would be getting a whole lot colder later in the week... Winnipeg is just 100 miles north of the US border.

 

Winnipeg-4

We had one full day to explore the city of Winnipeg, so after breakfast we started walking...


Winnipeg-4

Just a couple of blocks away is the working train station, designed by the same fellow that designed Union Station in New York City.

 

Winnipeg-36
Winnipeg-37

Gorgeous interior, but hardly any travelers...very quiet compared to its east coast counterpart.

 

Winnipeg-10
Winnipeg-10
Winnipeg-10

I would say there was 18-20" snow cover on the ground. With temperatures so cold, the snow accumulates all winter without a chance to melt off until spring.

 

Winnipeg-14
Winnipeg-14

The top of the Fort Garry Hotel...looks like a castle!


Winnipeg-21

Winnipeg has some very unique architectural structures...

 

Winnipeg-17
Winnipeg-17

The Forks is one of Winnipeg's landmark areas...where the Red River and Assiniboine River come together in downtown. Long before Europeans came here, this has been a meeting place for ancient peoples to come together for trading, celebrations, and festivals, and that tradition continues to this day. Except not in February's sub-zero temperatures.


Winnipeg-17

A nice concert area with an ice-skating rink in front of it...

 

Winnipeg-23
Winnipeg-23
Winnipeg-23

We did see several ice skaters on the skating trail...

 

Winnipeg-25

Of course, this time of year the rivers are frozen over and snow-covered...this will be a totally different scene in the summer.


Winnipeg-27

The iconic Forks bridge...

 

Winnipeg-30

If this Children's Museum building looks wonky, it is...on purpose. I was afraid to go inside lest I get dizzy and fall down!


Winnipeg-30

Reproductions of native huts...I cannot even imagine surviving these temperatures in those huts....


Winnipeg-30

I'm always drawn to ice cream shops, but somehow I just wasn't feeling the ice cream urge that day...

 

Winnipeg-34

Inside the Forks Market are lots of shops and eateries.

And an opportunity to warm up my frozen face and fingers...

Winnipeg-35

Winnipeg-35

When we were frozen purt-near to the bone, we walked back to the hotel to warm up and take a midday nap. Because that's what free days are for.

Kim saw on TV that there was supposedly a huge ice sculpture display downtown, featuring ice sculptors from all over the world. So that afternoon, we struck out into the cold again, in search of ice sculptures.

 

Winnipeg-45

I don't follow hockey, but this guy must be a local hero.

 

Winnipeg-43

A whale...

Winnipeg-43

And I thought MY fingers were frozen!

 

Winnipeg-47

A pouncing wolf...(I think...)

 

Winnipeg-48

A couple of street musicians that look like Frosty's band...

Winnipeg-50

Then we came across an area where the artists were still creating their sculptures...


Winnipeg-50

Tools of the trade...the ice chunks were harvested from the river.

 

Winnipeg-52
Winnipeg-52

Incredible detail!

Winnipeg-55
Winnipeg-55
Winnipeg-55

A work in progress...but we were too wimpy to stick around and see the end result.

 

Winnipeg-41

Back to the hotel for dinner and a good night's rest before the true adventure begins the next day.

In cold Canada.

 

Comments

The comments to this entry are closed.