Daniel_Williams

So, I took the Canadian train from Toronto to Winnipeg. A nice way of spending 36 hours, with a banjo entertainer, good food, delightful scenery in the Canadian Shield and plenty of socializing with strangers who I’d never meet in any other context. A nice couple from Guelph ON taught me how to play cribbage. Good times all around.

In Winnipeg, I stayed at the Fort Garry Hotel, one of the famous Canadian railway hotels built in the early part of the 20th century and with a perfect location, where all I had to do was roll my luggage across the street. Although the room was ordinary, the hotel still has a certain magic about it, with a grand lobby, a chef with a crisp, tall white hat preparing omelettes and eggs benedict in the well-kept dining area, a pianist playing songs while people drink cocktails in the lounge at night. Really, more than I could ask for $150/night.

I was rather excited as the next day I was due to take the train to Churchill, a town on the Hudson Bay inaccessible by road, for my first visit ever to the Canadian North! But my first day, the goal was to explore Winnipeg, a city I had only passed through briefly when I’d taken the train from Vancouver to Toronto in the past.

*General Thoughts on Winnipeg*

Unlike other North American cities which can seem like ghost towns during non-work hours, people are milling about in Downtown Winnipeg (even though many stores do close at 5pm), bringing energy to the city even into the evening. I thought the significant Métis and Native American population gave Winnipeg a feel unlike other cities I’d been to in North America. In the middle of Canada, Winnipeg is on few tourists’ radars. I can see why—Winnipeg is a relatively young city and not particularly scenic-- the Red & Assiniboine Rivers are unappealingly muddy brown and the city, built on a grid, is boxy in appearance. This said, I’m glad my life brought me here as the people I met were extraordinarily friendly and there really are interesting things to do to keep you occupied for a few days.

*I walked everywhere in Winnipeg*

My first inspiration was to see the Manitoba Legislative Building, an imposing, impressive building from the outside with a “Golden Boy” on the top, and equally grand from the inside with two large bison statues greeting you as you climb the wide stairs; the grounds are verdant, well-tended with plenty of statuary and modern art (look for the painted polar bears). Definitely one of the most attractive legislative buildings and grounds I’ve seen in North America. From there, I strolled to the near-ish Osborne Village neighborhood, which has an interesting quasi-counter-culture vibe and quite importantly, restaurants and pubs are open reasonably late into the evening in this neighborhood. I had supper in Osborne Village both days (Nu Burger here prides itself on using only meat raised in Manitoba, much of that nearby Winnipeg).

Next on the itinerary, I strolled toward the corner of Portage & Main, the busy epicenter of business life in Manitoba’s capital city, subsequently admiring the architecture in the Exchange District nearby and finally stopping at the Manitoba Museum after some excellent sushi at Yuki Sushi across the street. The Manitoba Museum is excellent to get an overview of the history, culture, geology, geography, flora, fauna and biomes of this Prairie province with plenty of dioramas & interactive exhibits to keep the kids interested. I came out of the museum well-educated, especially on the lives of the Plains Indians, but also entertained. The life-size replica of the Nonsuch, the ketch that sailed into the Hudson Bay in the mid 1600s, was quite impressive, built in England in the 1960s and miraculously somehow brought into the Manitoba Museum.

*Plans go awry*

So, I arrive with my luggage the next day ready to go to Churchill, only to find out that a derailment about 30 miles outside of Churchill is causing passenger rail to stop in Gillam, Manitoba. They tell me I could take a prop plane from Thompson, but it’s unclear if there will be space on the plane for me and also unclear whether the plane will get me back to Thompson in time to catch the return train. There is a plane from Winnipeg, but this seems prohibitively expensive at $1350 each way. I’m amazed I didn’t get any sort of message from VIA Rail telling me that this trip wasn’t happening. Disappointed, I decide that returning to Toronto is the easiest thing to do, taking the Canadian train a week earlier than I had booked after the ticket seller told me there was space available on the Toronto-bound train that evening. My great Canadian North odyssey had just turned into a trip to Winnipeg.

*Saint-Boniface*.

A bit downhearted over my plans being altered, I decide to walk across the Red River to Saint-Boniface, a historically francophone neighborhood just adjacent downtown Winnipeg. Curious about the French spoken in this part of the world, I speak in French with the folks at the Tourist Information Center and over at the Musée de Saint-Boniface. I’m amazed that the Franco-Manitoban accent resembles the Quebec accent much more than the Quebec accent resembles the MUCH closer New Brunswick accent. If I had thought about it though, it kind of does make sense since Saint-Boniface was settled early on by les Soeurs Grises de Montréal.

Anyway, even though things did not go according to plan, this was an interesting trip and I did enjoy much of it, from the train rides to exploring Winnipeg. I doubt I would have chosen to vacation in Winnipeg, so in a way the Churchill fiasco gave me the opportunity to see the prairie city, which is a more worthy destination than people give it credit for: pedestrian-friendly, some good museums and restaurants, an interesting/unique history, friendly folk and considerable civic pride. As stated, I’m glad my life brought me to Winnipeg. Now, I wonder if I ever will make it to the Canadian North one day? Happy Travels! Daniel

AndrewDavid

hey daniel, you are definetly a "glass half full" kind of traveller!
enjoying a brief weekend in toronto were i have just nbeen elected to the board of the legal network

cheers
andrew

Daniel_Williams

Enjoy your time in T.O.; I enjoyed discovering the Beaches neighborhood when I was in Toronto last week, a truly handsome urban beachfront.

I don't know if I am a glass half-full kind of guy really. I was pretty devastated at having a trip I'd planned for half a year crumble before my eyes, but trying to making the best of it.

Cheers, Daniel

tomfuller

I hope you get a sizable refund from ViaRail. I would have asked to extend the Canadian trip to Jasper which is beautiful.
Once you get past Gilliam, all of the rail switches are manual which means the engineer has to get out and check and change if required to get to Churchill. I was luck enough to make it to Churchill twice by train. Once by myself in October 2001 and again with my wife in October 2005. If you want to see polar bears, you should go in October or early November.
For shopping in Winnipeg, my wife and I liked the Hudson Bay.
She still has a very nice sweater she got there.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks Tom,

I did get reimbursed for the Winnipeg-Churchill round trip in its entirety. I considered just taking the train as far as Thompson or its last stop Gillam MB, but I wondered how I was going to keep occupied in those places for a few days. Staying in Winnipeg seemed a better option. I probably should have thought to go on to Jasper, but with only 45 minutes to ponder before the "Churchill" train left, my brain was too saturated with thinking about all my other options. I wonder though if I would have been able to find accommodations in Jasper last-minute?

I'd read that October is the best time to go to see polar bears in Churchill. Unfortunately, that's the height of my semester, so I can't get away that time of year. I was hoping for belugas in June.

I'm jealous that you made it to Churchill twice!

Best wishes, Daniel

AndrewDavid

hey daniel, i spent my last afternoon in TO riding the dundas street car est to the beaches neighbourhood. i stayed on until kew gardens and walked through that lovely park to the lake. the water was not quite as clear as i recalled from my visit to the islands ( hanlon's point) last year. but there was a marimba band playing in the beach pavilion. it's a lovely neighbourhood eh

take care

andrew

Daniel_Williams

I'm glad you got to experience the Beaches neighbourhood; I discovered it taking the Queen Street East streetcar. I too enjoyed the Kew Gardens although when I went there were tents setup for a fair throughout the grounds. I'm sorry I missed the marimba band though; it's terrific that Torontonians have access to such a lovely spot.

tomfuller

If you ever go to Jasper, the HI Hostel about 3 miles SW of town just off the Icefield Highway is rarely booked solid.
In 2001 after visiting Churchill, the Canadian was 16 hours late into Jasper. The hostel staff left me a flashlight on the desk and a map to my bunk. They didn't charge me for the night.
On the way out in the taxi, I saw the best Northern Lights of my life while others slept.

AndrewDavid

daniel, the times colonist , our local daily had an article about why your train wasn't running. small world of coincidence. i hope you are able to replan another time
cheers
andrew

Daniel_Williams

AndrewDavid--

Thanks for bringing my attention to that article. While it's easy to wallow in my own disappointment on not being able to do the trip, I do also really feel for those in the tourist industry in Churchill who've been affected by these derailments.

Best wishes Daniel

SusanInToronto

So sorry that your trip didn't turn out as planned. I was born in St. Boniface. My mother was a nurse at the St. Boniface hospital, where she had been trained by nuns in the 40's (although she was neither French nor Catholic). But it's been many years since I've been back to Winnipeg.

Daniel_Williams

SusaninToronto-- Saint Boniface really had some lovely architecture, especially the cathedral and main building of the university. Saint Boniface and Winnipeg in general seemed like a nice place for one to grow up (if it weren't for the rough winters; Winnipeg makes Montreal seem balmy!). I'm glad my life brought me there. Best wishes, Daniel