This is part 4 of a series on our vacation to Canada and Minnesota in 2002, before I had a blog. Eventually, we see polar bears. Honest.
November 6-7, 2002
After our brief stop at the Mint, we drove into Winnipeg to find the posh Fairmont Hotel. On the outside, it was a tall, gray, nondescript building, but the inside was nicely furnished and the staff was helpful and friendly. They were not ready for us when we arrived, so we drove to the Forks Shopping Mall, not far from the Hotel, right across from the train station.
I bought a big red fleece jacket that said “CANADA” across the chest, like the wildly popular ones the Canadians wore in the 2002 Winter Olympics. I'm pretty sure now that actual Canadians didn't wear these jackets, but I felt a sort of solidarity with them. Plus, red is my color, so it was as much a fashion statement as political a political one.
There was a small Manitoba Museum outside the mall, so we checked that out as well. It had a stuffed polar bear, a buffalo, and some exhibits on Manitoba agriculture. This was our first polar bear sighting on the trip, albeit a stuffed on.
When we got back to the hotel, they were ready for us, so we checked into our room on the 19th Floor. We were on a Gold Level floor that had a special lounge for tea and evening drinks, along with coffee and pastries in the morning. The floor also had its own concierge desk. The people who worked at the desk took a shine to Alexander immediately and lavished him with attention.
Frank decided to pack a few things to send home, including all the Mennonite paraphernalia he bought. Clarence, the morning concierge, was very helpful. He gave Alexander a special Winnie the Pooh bear to take home that had a note explaining that “Winnie” was named for “Winnipeg”, so that character has a special place in the hearts of Winnipeg natives. He also gave us a voucher for the Manitoba Children’s Museum and said he thought our little guy would enjoy it. Nothing quite warms the heart of a parent more than someone being genuinely kind to your child.
We checked out and checked our luggage with the bell desk, then took a taxi back to The Forks and the marvelous Manitoba Children’s Museum. The museum was a fantastic place for kids, and not terribly crowded. There was a full-size train car to explore, complete with a sleeper to climb into. Alexander loved the water tables with boats and locks, giant steam valves, and the small backhoe he used to practice digging.
The only way would could entice Alexander to leave the Museum was to promise him a trip through the Mother of All Gift Shops. Since Alexander had long since passed from Thomas the Tank Engine Fanatic to Thomas the Tank Engine Obsessive, he was in heaven amidst the floor-to-ceiling Thomas selection. They had a train table set up by the Wall of Thomas, and he did not want to leave. After about an hour of watching him play trains, we told him it was time to leave. He said, “You go. I’ll stay here.” Frank had to hoist him over his shoulder and carry him out of the store, quite literally kicking and screaming.
We had lunch at Muddy Waters Barbecue, and then called for a taxi back to the Fairmont to collect our luggage. When it was time to leave, a white stretch limousine pulled up for us, to take us to the train station. We thought this was a little excessive, given the fact that the train station was about five minutes away, but it was part of our tour package. So, we climbed in for a five- minute luxury ride, which was not even enough time to drink the scotch in the mini-bar. The car unceremoniously dumped us and our luggage at the VIA Station.We wandered around the train station for a bit, trying to find Chris, Frank’s stepmother, and her sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Ralph. It was Ruth’s idea to take this trip. She researched various ways to get to Churchill, and found the John Steel Rail Tours for the trip. When Chris told us about it, we asked if we could come along. We had seen a PBS special starring Ewan McGregor about the polar bears of Churchill and were intrigued. Originally, Jim, Frank’s dad, was planning to go with us. He had some heart problems over the summer, and thought it best not to go to such a remote location. We missed Grandpa Jim, but all agreed it would be safer for him to stay home. We had traveled with Jim and Chris before to the Bahamas, but this was our first trip with Ralph and Ruth, and the first time Alexander and I met them.
Frank generally refuses to go on organized tours. He gets a thrill out of mapping out complex routes, finding bargains, and generally being the master of his own destiny. When the tour was first suggested, he tried to find a way to do it his way, but his hopes were dashed when he found out that tour companies booked all the lodgings in Churchill. So, he reluctantly agreed to go with the tour, but I could still see the wheels turning in his head every step of the way, trying to plan an escape.
We headed over to Earl’s Restaurant a block away for our pre-train dinner and met up with Ruth, Ralph and Chris. At the restaurant, our group assembled and our tour guide John from John Steel Rail Tours welcomed us. He handed us our tour packets, with nametags, room assignments and information about the tour. John was the owner of the tour company, and was also a pharmacist. He was a tremendously nice guy and very enthusiastic about the trip.
After dinner, we went back to the VIA Station to wait for the train. They opened the Railroad Museum for our group, and Alexander got to run around with Daddy and Grandma Chris. It was inside an unused portion of the station on an old platform. They had a number of different obsolete models of steam and diesel engines and a few displays about the Canadian Railroad. Alexander was very excited about the whole thing, and the man who ran the museum gave him a coloring book about trains.
After visiting the museum, we went back to the waiting area. Suddenly, John rounded up the group and announced that the train was ready to board. We all hurried on look for our assigned rooms. Our Polar Bear Adventure had finally begun.
