When we were in Montreal the ever friendly Canadians were always asking why we were visiting and where we were off to next; when we said Winnipeg we were often met with a slightly bemused silence. It's not on the tourist trail... To be fair when we arrived in Winnipeg and said we were then going to Red Lake on a wilderness course we were met with utter incomprehension!
I didn't have a great impression of Winnipeg before we arrived, it's an industrial town with much of the industry being mining, and it's been Canada's murder capital until recently. (To be fair Canada's murder capital probably doesn't event register on the worldwide list). I'd also read a long article on the BBC site about the vast number of First Nation women who go missing, are assaulted or murdered here and are sometimes found when Red River thaws in the spring;
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32115683
My actual experience here could not have been more different; I have never been anywhere friendlier!
We spent two full days in Winnipeg and followed a walking route around the city for those two days. The first day had us visiting the city hall, the beautiful Fort Garry hotel and some very snowy gardens before stopping off at the Dalnavert Museum.
The museum was the restored house of the son of the first president of Canada. It's amazing to think that the whole area was once full of houses like this; all having been pulled down in the 60s and 70s to develop high rise offices and apartment blocks.
It was a pretty house that was restored in the 80s after being used as a boarding lodge and it told the history of the family, of Winnipeg and of the people who travelled here from Europe to settle. The house had been filled with period furniture, much of it original, and even matched wallpaper; some of which I recognised from my Grandmothers house! The lady who gave the tour was fantastic and I would highly recommend a visit.
We found the original Hudson Bay Company HQ, now a department store
The afternoon was spent somewhat less seriously walking around the forks watching people skate on the river, special skate paths have been built
Having a go on the ski chairs
And visiting the ice show with Ice carving and toboggan runs!
We picked up the rest of the walking route the day after and started with the Museum of Human Rights; some heartbreaking displays and videos about human rights in Canada. They had a version of segregation at the time of apartheid. They have deep rooted issues with the treatment of their First Nation people and a display about the red dress programme trying to fight against and remember the victims of violence against First Nation women.
The building itself had stunning architecture
School kids were being taught about the holocaust, we found it unusual that they didn't already know. In turn we found out about the residential school programmes for First Nation children and the abuse and lack of identity that resulted...
Final stop of the day was at the Museum of Manitoba. This unassuming looking building contains a wonderful and in depth look at the history of the state of Manitoba; from its dinosaurs, ecology, geography, First Nation people, customs, the arrival of Europeans and the animals that live here. There is even a replica of the Nonsuch, a boat that arrived here from Bristol, to clamber around. Really worth the visit and has a very cheap entry fee!
The theme throughout all the places we visited on Winnipeg is how friendly everyone has been, in shops, restaurants, lifts, anywhere people just want to chat and are so interested when they find out we are from the UK. It's even the most cheery airport security I have ever been through, the city is well worth a visit!
We sign off our stay with locals beers, Poutine (chips with gravy and cheese) and Mac & Cheese served by the friendliest waitress I the world :)
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