Super Fun Adventure Times: Sightseeing in Winnipeg

Day 14 -- Winnipeg, MB

Google Earth measurements (straight line between locations)
Distance from Vancouver: 1867 km
Distance from Kingston: 1678 km

We started off today with a visit to the Royal Canadian Mint. The Winnipeg branch is where they make circulation coins (the other branch in Ottawa makes collector's only). The mint also makes coins for 75 other countries. Actually, only 40% of the coins that come out of the mint are Canadian -- the rest are for foreign governments.

Next, we drove to St. Boniface Cathedral to see the tomb of Louis Riel. The French quarter of Winnipeg is east of Downtown, across the Red River. We then drove across the Provencher Bridge over to downtown for lunch and to do some shopping. We found magnets for the Mint and Manitoba at a Hallmark. It was strange that there wasn't a Mint magnet at the Mint's gift shop.

Then, we visited the Manitoba Legislative Building. We were able to see the legislature, which is the only one in Canada to be formed in a horseshoe shape instead of two opposing rows. A very cool thing is that one of four surviving copies of the 1217 issue of the Magna Carta was currently in the building. The original Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by King John at Runnymede. He was succeeded by his son, King Henry III, who was only 10 years old so the 1217 issue was stamped by his guardians. Also, the Museum of Human Rights will be opening soon and when the Queen was in Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago, she unveiled a stone from Runnymede as the cornerstone of this museum.

Finally, we tried to see the Winnie-the-Bear statue in Assiniboine Park but we could not look up the exact location and we could not find it from driving around. Oh bother! In the end, we gave up and went to the Olive Garden for dinner. Yum!

Tomorrow, we will drive the longest leg of the trip, from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay! We will also make our final provincial and time zone border crossing!