4.21.2012 Winnipeg (Part II)

The thing I love about walking is that you often come across unexpected sights. Such was the case with the walk to the Manitoba Legislature Building where I was greeted by this group of polar bears.

 

Behold. The Legislature Building.  You can barely make out Golden Boy on top of the dome.

A closer look. And an even closer look.
Officially named Eternal Youth, the statue is the symbol of Manitoba. It carries several meanings, one of which being the eternal pursuit of prosperity.

 The south face of the building.

Left: To the south, the building faces the Assiniboine River.

Right: Louis Riel stands guard over the southern entrance.

The trouble with traveling solo is no one can help take a picture of yourself.

In a pinch I find that a flat surface and a quarter will serve nicely, as long as the camera has a timer function. How's THAT for innovation and self-efficiency?

You know you love it. 

Left: Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and that of the Royal Family whenever they visit.

Right: The "official" northern entrance of the Legislature Building.

Unfortunately, I didn't know the building was open to the public and ended up missing out on seeing the Grande Staircase amongst other things.

Also, it would seem that there was a public rally/event of some sort the day just before because by the entrance road, there were small mountains of garbage as well as portable toilets.

Walking back towards the train station, I saw only a handful of people walking about. Very surprising since it was downtown Winnipeg on a Saturday morning. Maybe everyone was still resting from whatever it was the night before.

Union Station in Winnipeg. It's celebrating its centennial this year. 

On the recommendation of a fellow passenger, I decided to tackle Portage&Main. The intersection known as one of the windiest spots in all of Canada. For a spring day, it was pretty windy at that spot.

Back at the train station, I had just under an hour to kill, so I decided to visit the famous Forks Market.
Not before taking a shot at the beautiful dome in the station lobby.

I don't know what I was expecting from the market but it certainly felt more like a tourist spot rather than a local market.

So I quickly left and explored the rest of the Forks park instead. 

 

Eventually, I made my way across the Esplanade Riel once more and into the French Quarter. 

I have to say I was quite disappointed with what I saw of the French Quarter. Maybe I didn't walk far along enough, but instead of quaint buildings, small bakeries and boutiques, I saw a sushi restaurant and an electronics store.

Near the end of my walk, I finally came across two buildings that satisfied my expectations. The old City Hall and the Postal Office .