May is normally my favorite month. It holds the promises of spring, even of summer sometimes, the end of winter, sun, greenery and flowers. Yes, but. Not this year. The situation is a little complicated in Manitoba and I look forward to better days.
In Winnipeg
Saint-Norbert
Saint-Norbert is known for its farmer’s market and the ruins of the old Trappist monastery. But for the first time, I ventured into the residential side of this officially bilingual neighbourhood. And bingo: avenue de l’Eglise, rue Saint-Pierre, everything was in French! It looked like a small French village on a Sunday afternoon.
The day-to-day
And then I got vaccinated, we filled out the Census questionnaire and planted our summer plants on the balcony. The days are always a big blur, so I am grateful for good food.
In Manitoba
As I explained on Instagram, I challenged myself to go hiking in a more serious way, with good equipment (thank you Decathlon, a cheap brand that delivers in Manitoba) and on less popular trails (I have already done almost all the most famous trails in Manitoba.). Objective: 12 to 15 km of walking per week.
Blueberry Rocks and Pinawa
Short, simple hike on the rocks – this area is called the Canadian Shield. It was followed by a shortened walk on the TransCanada Trail because… there was a bear! It was my first encounter with a bear directly on a path (it was on a top of a tree at the edge of the path) and it’s still a little scary! Well, the following week, we ran into a bear even closer but that will be a story for next time!
Riding Mountain National Park
I left three days in the weekend before lockdown in a national park where I have already been several times. I had NEVER seen so many animals in the park: 8 bears, a beaver, a young moose, 2 otters, dozens of bison, a coyote and a marten.
Red River North
Red River North is a scenic route north of Winnipeg, full of historic homes and traces of the settlers working for the Hudson’s Bay Company. I had already been there twice (notably on a “guided car tour” with Parks Canada) but I discover new things each time.
Oak Hammock Marsh
New place for me which is however a must-see in Manitoba: Oak Hammock Marsh and its thousands of birds. The cover photo for this article was taken in the swamp. Lots of trails, great Geocaches, it was a great hike and I will be back.
Culture
Difficult to immerse myself in books this month and the chance of the availability of the library only brought me somewhat depressing readings.
So I wanted to find a slightly cuddly series and I started Gilmore Girls from the third or fourth time. Michel makes me laugh more and more over time.
On the Internet
For Tourisme Riel, I portrayed the CEO of Entreprises Riel, chased away hidden historical buildings, talked about the impact of Francophone tourism for the city of Winnipeg during Tourism Week and discovered the different ecosystems of Saint-Boniface.
What’s planned for June
Nothing ! Probably a few outings, then the rest will depend on new public health orders at the end of the month. At the moment, all socialization is prohibited indoors and outdoors, stores can only have 10% capacity and only one person per household is allowed to enter. It’s not very fun. Let’s hope for better days soon!
