Winnipeg in a day

I’m really glad Winnipeg is flat.

I mean, I knew the prairies would be flat. But what I didn’t fully conceptualize is that Winnipeg is the flattest. I mean, eastern Alberta is kinda flat, Saskatchewan is flatish, but the area of Manitoba around Winnipeg? It’s really, really flat.

This is a good thing because I walked more than 18 kilometres today. When surveying people before my trip and people in my hostel (and random servers in restaurants upon arrival) everyone said to go The Forks (where the two rivers meet, also the site of a market and a historic site) and/or to go the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. So I did.

The museum is incredible. Powerful. Well designed. The building itself is beautiful. I would put it in the top three museums in Canada, with the others being the Royal Tyrell Museum and the Canadian Museum of History. Well worth the two hours I spent there.

Then I set out on a 9.5 kilometre self-guided walking tour of Winnipeg called The Loop. In 30 degree heat. And that doesn’t count all the steps I took in the Manitoba Museum or the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The tour took me through the St. Boniface area (the French quarter), the Exchange area, by the legislature, through the theatre district and more. Great initiative from the city.

The Manitoba Museum was interesting enough – some similarities to all the other provincial museums I’ve seen, but the standout exhibits were its replica Nonsuch (a ship) and the Hudson’s Bay Company section.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery had a great travelling exhibit called Olympus, a Greek and Roman art exhibit from Berlin. It was outstanding. And it turned out it was $5 after 5 p.m.

I quite liked The Forks market, it reminded me of the Longsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

Not much detail today! I’ve been busy chatting at my hostel, and I’m exceptionally tired. Winnipeg has been great. I begin the great trek from Winnipeg to Toronto tomorrow (it will take three days).