HYDERABAD: As I drove down from the airport to the hotel, in the city of Winnipeg, capital of Manitoba (Canada), I thought of it as another North American city. The next day, at St Boniface I had to change my opinion.
Thousands of elm trees were planted in the city long ago which resulted in a lovely green canopy along the pathways, roads, parks and the million dollar houses. Winnipeg is said to have given birth to cartoon characters like Winnie the Pooh, Bugs Bunny and sleuths like James Bond. Ethnic diversity is one of the hallmarks of Winnipeg, with Britons, Germans, and Ukrainians heading the list of the many ethnic groups. Today, it is a city renowned as a thriving arts, culture and business centre: A cultural melting pot where more than 100 languages are spoken. My focus was on St. Boniface followed closely by other places. Here are some highlights which no visitor can afford to miss.
Saint-Boniface is home to a proud Franco-Manitoban community, with a pride in its Metis and European ancestry, and a sense of perseverance and determination and joie de vivre of the first settlers and explorers that is still carried on generations later.
St. Boniface Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in western Canada, founded in 1818. The building was considered Manitoba’s best example of French Romanesque architecture, but it has been rebuilt on several occasions due to fire. Set in a pleasant park, the cemetery is Western Canada’s oldest Catholic burial ground. It has many old gravestones of the first settlers, including that of Louis Riel.
St. Boniface Museum, the oldest building in Winnipeg, was constructed in 1846 for the Grey Nuns and was the first convent, hospital, girls’ school, and orphanage in the Canadian West. After restoration in 1967, it became a museum documenting the history of Manitoba’s French minority.
Winnipeg’s oldest park, Assiniboine encompasses 445 hectares of grassy lawns, mature trees, cultural facilities, and an English garden. The Assiniboine Park Zoo is located within its grounds and is home to a wide variety of animals, flora, and fauna. Besides the indigenous animals of Canada, exotic species such as the Siberian tiger and red kangaroo are also there.
Built of local Tyndall stone and Italian marble, the magnificent neo-classical Legislative Building in Winnipeg was completed in 1919. Its lavish grounds feature statues, monuments, and manicured gardens. Surmounting the 72-meter dome is a statue known as the Golden Boy, a four-meter-high bronze weighing five tons and plated with 23.5 carat gold. A torch in his right hand and sheaf of wheat on his left arm symbolise Manitoba’s enduring agricultural prosperity.
The North West Company built Fort Gibraltar at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in 1810. For over 6,000 years The Forks was a meeting place for many different First Nations. The fort was able to tap into already existing trade networks for provisions such as pemmican, fish and locally grown produce. Food traded here was used to supply brigades of voyageurs destined for the rich fur country in the north -west.
Boasting of lollipops, bubble gum, licorice, and soda pop, the Sugar Mountain Express is a candy lover’s dream. Located in two restored 1920’s rail cars, which are as unique as the candies inside them, this is one train you don’t want to miss.
I was pleasantly surprised – close to the Museum of Human Rights, stands our beloved Bapu, watching over the world, with a toothless smile!
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; blogs at www.vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)