Day 14 - July 28th - Calgary - Winnipeg

Rockies Trip - Day 14 - July 28th, 2014

Calgary - Winnipeg

The flight from Calgary to Winnipeg was just under 2 hours. We had the very back seats in the cabin, which gave us a view of the luggage being loaded. Imagine our surprize when we saw our two suitcases sitting on the tarmac waiting to be loaded!! (We also saw them being unloaded at the end of the flight, because we were last out of the cabin upon arrival).

The Prairies in Saskatchewan

Winnipeg from the air

We had not had time to explore Winnipeg on our way out, and felt that we owed it some respect this time around. After settling in to the hotel, we used the GPS on our phone to take us to St Boniface Cathedral, the Legislative Building, and the House of Louis Riel.

The cathedral (the 5th one to stand on this place due to fire) had an impressive frontispiece which was actually part of the 'ruins' from the previous building. The round circle, which used to be the large front, stained-glass window, was now open so that you could see the sky and clouds through it. There is a fairly modern building behind the ruins that is in place while they are raising funds to restore the cathedral to its former splendour.

The '5th' Cathedral project

The ruins from the inside

Modern inside of St. Boniface Cathedral

Model of he Cathedral as it was before the fire

In the graveyard, it was easy to see the tomb of Louis Riel - now considered the founder of Manitoba, in spite of being hanged as a traitor. Even today, he remains a controversial character, and the subject of man opinions. However, there is evidence that, at the official level, he is recognized as a great Canadian historical figure who has influenced the relationships between French and English Canada. His story is an interesting one - and I am glad that I have rectified my ignorance now that I have visited this area, as I felt the need to read up about him. He has various streets and edifices bearing his name, and a statutory holiday in his honour (which is celebrated on the same day as Family Day in the rest of Canada - on the 3rd Monday in February).  

On the way to the Cathedral, we crossed the Red River and saw the Esplanade Riel - a pedestrian bridge connecting the old Saint Boniface with Winnipeg. It stands next to the newly erected and dramatic Canadian Human Rights Museum, which opens in September of this year. We have added a visit to this museum to our bucket list, as it looks imposing from the outside and speaks to an issue of which we have personal interest. 

Canadian Museum of Human Rights - opens September, 2014

The Red River is, once again, very high this year, as can be seen by the flooded walkway.

Next stop was the Provincial Legislative Building. Mark and I have promised ourselves that we will visit the legislative building in every Province and Territory over the years, and so this was a 'must' on our visit to Winnipeg. A very clean building, it is situated overlooking the Broadway, and is surrounded by green bushes, trees, and flower beds which are well-kept and manicured. In front of the building stands a large monument of Queen Victoria - a reminder of the importance of the era during which Canada became an independent country through Confederation. 

Queen Victoria Monument 

Lastly, we took a 20 minute ride out to the home of Louis Riel. Imposing in its simplicity, it stands beside the Red River and has been preserved for posterity by Parks Canada. 

Arriving back at the hotel, we decided to have an early night in anticipation of our long drive to Thunder Bay tomorrow.