Hello, Winnipeg

We were all so excited for this trip with Grandmama and Granddaddy - especially the kids who were pumped to go to Canada and add another country to their list of places visited.  Winnipeg is just a few hours north on the interstate, and we took advantage of fall break to get out of town! 

First stop once we arrived in Winnipeg? The zoo!  And every good zoo visit needs a lot of map consultation :) 

The best exhibit at the zoo was called "Journey to Churchill".  Churchill is a town on the Hudson Bay in the far northern reaches of Manitoba.  It's known as the Polar Bear capital of the world and is currently accessible only by air.  It's remote remote remote, and the chances that we ever really get to Churchill are slim, so the zoo exhibit was very appropriate.  {Julianna is in the middle of a semester long study of Canada and she knew more about Churchill than anyone else!}

Seals, arctic foxes, snowy owls, reindeer, caribou, and the best? Definitely the polar bears!  The exhibit was designed so the bears swam overhead, and it was amazing.

Luke sat down in the middle of the tunnel, he would have stayed for an hour just watching them swim and play.

But the rest of the zoo exhibits beckoned and on we trekked.

The day was just perfect - still way warmer temps than typical for the area and we are enjoying the sunshine!

A short walk from Journey to Churchill was the Asia loop - tigers and yaks and camels too.  That evening we walked from our downtown hotel to a nearby Indian restaurant for a delicious meal (we do miss ethnic food and there was much discussion and one disappointed Julianna that we didn't choose Vietnamese!)

Day two the kids hit the hotel pool with Mom and Dad while Matt and I visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  It was amazing!  so worth a visit if you are anywhere close by!

{The spire in the photo behind us is the Human Rights Museum.}

Lunch at an old fashioned drive in just a few blocks from our hotel and we spent the afternoon at the Manitoba History Museum before starting our drive back to America.