Saturday, June 21

We love to visit folks when we are travelling, because it gives us insights into the places we visit that we could never gain on our own . We were lucky that Chris and Irene were in Winnipeg, because they travel even more than we do, and they only spend about four months out of the year at their home base there. We had met them in Panama last year and found them to be kindred spirits. And what a welcome they gave us! They have a small camper, too, and they had arranged for us to park ours right next to theirs in the parking lot behind their condo. They got us off to a great start by taking us to a revolving restaurant atop a high building in downtown Winnipeg, so that we could get the lay of the land. Next we visited Manitoba's impressive legistature building, and there we encountered a wedding party that reflected Winnipeg's diverse cultural scene: a Scottish bride and East Indian groom, decked out in a kilt. We learned from his grandfather, a Hindu priest who had performed the ceremony the day before (with all in Indian garb) that they were having two ceremonies, and today's was the Scottish one. After a lovely drive around the city, we retired to Chris and Irene's condo for dinner and to watch the sunset. They have a magnificent view over the Assiniboine River.