Four feet, four hours - GO!

So, my friend Andrew came to town last weekend - for 4 hours.

He was traveling from Toronto to Vancouver on "The Canadian" - the train decked out with sleeper cars and a dome car where you can catch all the great views. He has a blog for his whole trip - which I recommend you take a look at! As part of his "journey" (one of the first things we discussed - how this was a "journey" - not a trip... interesting and important distinction... kind of like how I always differentiate if I go to a "movie theatre" to see a movie or a "cinema" to watch a film...) ...anyway... as part of his journey - he had a 4-hour layover in Winnipeg, during which we would get a chance to hang out - and I'd get to show him around Winnipeg - on foot, in four hours.

When I arrived at the train station, I was (surprisingly for me!) earlier than expected. So, I got a chance to roam around the waiting area while I waited for Andrew to arrive. There are some really cool pictures down there! (I'll refer to it as "down there" - it feels like you're in a basement... lower ceilings... windows on only one wall... And, they were unfortunately going through a bit of a leaky roof situation...) There were photos of soldiers lining up heading off for WWI...coming back from WWI... Immigrants... parties in the rotunda...




At precisely 8:00am... the first two people entered from Andrew's platform. So, I waited a couple minutes longer and then Andrew appeared. Thankfully enough - he'd dressed warmly - it was -30 that day, so I'd packed him an extra scarf in case he came poorly prepared... Winnipeg is a whole different level of winter! So, we had our reunion hug and greetings - and then I told him that we were going to make a dash outside and heat over to The Forks. We trudged across the parking lot - and talked very quickly to each other - trying to make sure we really took advantage of our four hours. The Forks Market was pretty dead at that time in the morning - but we weren't there for exhibits - we were there for the lookout! There is this 5-storey (?) tower at the end of the Market, where you can climb up - or take the elevator - and get a great view of Winnipeg.

And - since the sun doesn't rise until just after 8 - I had my fingers crossed that we'd make it there on time! And it paid off - because we made it!




There are a ton of snow and ice sculptures popping up around the city - here's a castle that children can play in just outside the market - you can see the lookout tower we were just in rising above.


So, although Andrew told me he was going to eat breakfast on the train...and I built our plan around a morning snack - not a meal - he told me on our way to The Forks that he didn't eat on the train. This changed our plan a bit - and had us taking a cab over to Stella's Cafe on Osborne - for their great breakfast - and best part - homemade three berry jam... It's REALLY good. So good, that I gave Andrew MINE! (He ordered the Mexican Breakfast - a favourite amongst my friends, so no toast on his plate.)


And, as you can tell from the photo... the wonder and magic of the jam went right to his heart...

So, after encouraging Andrew to eat fast, several times (he had a train to catch, after all!), we finally finished our breakfast and headed back out onto the streets of Winnipeg - namely - Osborne Village. This is a trendy little area - with boutiques, restaurants and yoga studios... So, we hurried past the stores (mostly all were closed still anyway... it's only about 9:30 at this point) - and I pointed out what I'd tried, what I'm avoiding, etc... And then we headed across the very blustery Osborne bridge! It was a really pretty scene though! On Friday, we got a ton of snow - so everything looked really fresh and pretty. When we got to the other side, I checked in with Andrew, and after finding out he was cold, I slipped him a pair of "mitten warmers" - those little packets you can slip in your mitts that warm up on their own, from the dollar store (and just so you know - they were still warm at 7pm that night!!). Anyway, we said hello to Louis Riel - Andrew had to walk through the snow to see him, but he said it was worth it... As I had to remember all my history lessons and give him a mini lecture on Canadian history...

Then we headed inside the Manitoba Legislature - for a quick self-guided tour of the main lobby... there were wedding photos being taken down the centre staircase, so we could do our own fancy photos...


And of course... I had to point out a true Winnipeg wonder in the parking lot... (if you don't plug your car in... all the liquids will freeze, and your car won't run... told you it was cold!)


We said a quick hello to Queen Victoria in her snowy fur coat... (or at least that's what it looks like...)

Then, we made a quick stop by my apartment so I could get another image for my "visual" guest book before heading on a diagonal through the downtown streets towards The Exchange District. Since I had pity on Andrew freezing his butt off... I gave him a tour of the Sky Walk - where there are blocks and blocks of buildings linked together by walkways on the second level of the building. In this photo, we're in a walkway - and you can see another walkway down the street...


We took the walkway from City Place mall to Portage and Main - quick stop for Andrew to make a short movie of all the snow swirling around at the windiest corner in Canada - and then into the Exchange District:



Unfortunately, we were too early for most things to be open! So, no Mondragon Cafe for him! So, we walked a few blocks - and then called a cab so we could get back over to the train station... But here's the fun part... remember how we'd taken a cab to Stella's?? Well, we got into this cab - and we asked to be taken to the Forks Market - and the cab driver said - "You want to go back there? I already picked you up from there!?!" It was hilarious!! (And yes, I did double check with him to make sure he wasn't the ONLY cab driving around for the company I kept calling!)

So, we stopped by the Forks again, so we could see it in action - here is some of the stuff they have set up as part of the "River Skate" (their version of the Rideau Canal) - there are "warming huts" and here you can see the "River Pond Shimmy Hockey Tournament" going on.


Once all that fun was done, I gave Andrew a chance to see all the action in The Forks Market, buy a post card and then head over to the train station again, where I had to bid him farewell...


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you take advantage of 4 short hours in Winnipeg!!

It was a great visit, great tour - and a great memory! Thanks Andrew!