Warm welcomes in Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba

As seen from our elevator ride to the top of Prairie 360

Warm welcome at the Winnipeg Airport

This year our journey to Churchill has been shared with our good friends Chris and Dick Haller from Holland, MA. We arrived in Winnipeg on February 11th, even though this post says February 20th. We spent several days in Winnipeg at The Hotel Fort Garry, our favorite spot for both its old world elegance and its close location to the train station. Actually it was one of the grand old railroad hotels. Hotel Fort Garry is also located very close to The Forks, a national historic site where the Assiniboine River and the Red River converge. It has been a meeting place throughout history. I found this lovely poem on a bench outside The Forks Marketplace.

   I am always impressed by how much Canadians embrace winter sports. There are long stretches of the river for skating and hockey, and this year a new entertainment called Crokicurl made its debut. I believe it originated from a board game. I know that must sound crazy, so I hope it's right. Below you see a photo of the Crokicurl court and you can also see Chris and Dick skating along the river. Those trees along the river are recycled Christmas trees (pretty sure).

Brian is playing with some folks he met at The Forks

We also took in a play called The Flats, which is set in Churchill in the area of town along the river called The Flats. It was sort of a murder mystery, and quite entertaining. Brian's favorite quote was, "Either you were born here, or you have a reason." That made us chuckle, but in all seriousness we love the people in the community of Churchill. I do enjoy hearing the personal stories of resident Churchillians. Not sure that is a correct term.

We ate a lot of food in Winnipeg, with one location being Prairie 360. This is a revolving restaurant, and one of the views is of the train station and the Human Rights Museum.

Dinner with friends at Prairie 360

Finally, the day came to board the train to Churchill. We discovered that this year there was going to be a dome/lounge car. We were very excited. Also, there was real food this year, so the ride was much easier. Here is the train in Thompson, Manitoba. I believe there are almost 300 miles to go. We are almost there!

Last car on the train- Dome and lounge! Yey!

After our 44 hour trip, we arrived at 8:30am in Churchill on February 16th. We were greeted by so many friends during our arrival at CNSC. Here is a photo of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre taken last year. I call this the "landscaped view". Not sure what magical location Brian found for this photo, as the front view is very open. On the front of the building is its mission, "To Understand and Sustain the North". That is exactly what happens here: education and research which lead to understanding, knowledge, and the ability to better sustain the north.

Churchill Northern Studies Centre- note the dome and the bear-proof side deck

Can't resist adding my favorite view. This year, I have the pleasure of seeing this when I look out our window.