We’re in Winnipeg primarily to visit my Camino Brother, Len. Having met in 2015 while walking the pilgrimage on Camino de Santiago in Spain, we have each paid visits to our respective homes. The connection one has with other pilgrims while walking across Northern Spain is long lasting and a special relationship one can only understand by experiencing the Camino for themselves. So, we visit Winnipeg and Len and his wife Janet are the best of hosts.
Our first day was spent dodging the rain which we did with a tour along the Red River. We made a stop at the St Andrews Church Rectory Museum, which depicted the history of the area. Of course any drive in the countryside wouldn’t be complete without a stop for ice cream at a roadside diner. The following day, with clear skies, we took a look at downtown Winnipeg with it’s many old historic buildings. For lunch a Canadian staple Poutine, which if you haven’t tried it, it’s a must at least once. But be carful, it sorta grows on you and the desire for more can be irresistible. Consisting French fries, brown gravy and cheese curds in it’s simplest and original form, it can be taken up a notch or two with just about any other ingredients one desires. With a calorie count up to a billion, depending on ingredients, a 500 mile bike ride would be required as a counter measure.
Winnipeg is home to the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and as luck would have it they were playing a pre-season game later in the evening. Len just happen to be a fan and a season ticket holder. So while the girls stayed home to watch a chick flick, the boys headed to the game. With an official Jets jersey provided by Len, I fit right in with the locals as long as I didn’t start chanting, “we want a touchdown”. Anyway, a really fast paced game, interrupted about every 10 minutes or so, with the shovel crew skating around the arena scraping off the loose ice. In the end, Jets win over the Calgary Flame 4 to 1.
Also in store was a trip up to Lake Winnipeg for fish and chips and later because it was my birthday, ice cream. Made from the local fish pickerel it is on par with any good white fish. The area around the lake that we visited is home to what seemed like thousands of “cabins” owned by local families. On our visit, most are vacant as the beach season is over in Manitoba.
We were treated like royalty during our stay, with many home cooked meals prepared by Janet. Before leaving, Len, who considers himself a vintner of fine wines, gifted me two bottles of his Pilgrim’s Merlot. At the appropriate time, each will be opened for a toast to Len, Janet and to Pilgrims everywhere.
As I write this, we are now at Itasca Lake State Park, in Minnesota. It is here where the mighty Mississippi begins in long and winding journey to the Gulf of Mexico. You can walk across the river at it’s source, but with the wind blowing and the air temperature hovering around 45, we opted to stay dry. After our visit here we will be heading south looking for warmer climes and more opportunities to take a hike, ride a bike or paddle a kayak.
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