Canada - Winnipeg

After 7 busy weeks I was overdue for a break, so i headed to the flattest part of Canada to avoid the temptation of mountains. Located in the Manitoban prairies near the geographic centre of North America, Winnipeg has incredibly seasonal weather, ranging from +40 in summer to -40 in winter. Although the weather wasn't perfect, I was never in danger of freezing to death.

Although Winnipeg is a lovely, elm lined city of 630,000 people (with a surprisingly similar atmosphere to Adelaide) it isn't the most exciting or popular tourist destination. In fact the locals were so impressed with my visit that they immediately rushed me in to anchor the daily news bulletin.

Many thanks to Vince and Anna for letting me crash at their place and also for doing everything possible to make me feel welcome. They introduced me to their friends and family, loaned me a great bike, gave me beer and even remembered to take me out for my birthday. They both worked weekdays, which gave me a chance to relax and wander around, and at night we managed to fit in plenty of funness.

My trip coincided perfectly with the Winnipeg Jazz festival and I made it out to see a critically acclaimed experimental jazz band, (Vijay Iyer) and a blues guitarist, famous for being able to play whilst standing on his head (Guitar Shorty). On the weekend we took a road trip out to Lake of the Woods, a gorgeous weekend escape about 200km east of Winnipeg. I also fit in a some running, a little baseball and couple of great bike rides.

I've convinced Anna and Vince to come and visit Adelaide for a few months (provided i help them find work, which should be easy given my job expertise) so hopefully we'll get a chance to catch up again soon!