Day 9 - More clothes, please.

11:30
I wake up at 03:00, slightly confused. I’m fully clothed, my laptop and tablet are both next to me. It takes me a moment to remember that I decided to make myself comfortable last night, and watch some TV on my bed. Predictably, I fell asleep - but I’m not sure when. I go back to sleep, and manage to stay snoozing till around 05:30. When my Garmin syncs at 08:00, I can see that I fell asleep at 21:47 (approximately). A decent result.

Looking out of my window, I can see that there’s a LOT more ice on the river this morning. I mooch for a couple of hours, then head out for some breakfast. Today’s gonna be even colder than yesterday, but allegedly dry. I dress what I hope is appropriately. Walking out of my hotel is a bit of a shock to the senses. I cover up as much of me as possible, and march into the wind. Breakfast is at the Clementine Café - a little place a few blocks from my hotel. I walk inside, and my glasses steam up instantly. It’s about a 35C temperature differential. Coffee warms my belly. I order a smoked trout dish which is sensational. Proper high-end cookery, but a relative snip at about £10. As I’d hoped, I’m finding Canada much more reasonable in terms of price than the US. Beers are coming in at around £6 instead of £9. Eating out is almost 40% cheaper on average. At this rate, I might be able to treat myself to a posh nosh at one of Montreal’s many top temples of gastronomy.

I jump on a bus out to Assiniboine Park, to the West of the city centre. The bus network in Winnipeg is extensive, fast and cheap. I guess there’s a concern about leaving people standing around in the uber-cold for too long… Arriving at the park, I set off. The park is all but empty. I can see a handful of dog walkers, but that’s about it. I’m reminded again of a wintry tundra. Amazingly, there’s a kitchen garden in the centre of the park. There’s not a ton of stuff growing outside it at the moment, but apparently, in Summer, it’s something to behold. There are signs suggesting that in warmer times, there is cricket played here, which makes me chuckle. I slip on black ice more than a few times, but manage to keep my balance on each occasion. Towards the North side of the park, I cross a bridge over a river, which is largely frozen over. It’s the coldest thing I think I’ve ever seen. There are a couple of small patches of running water, and it makes me shiver just to think about dipping a toe in them.

13:00
Back in the city centre, I decide it’s time for a beer. I stop in at a very cool little place called Amsterdam. They have an extensive cocktail menu, and I make half a plan to head back here later to sample a couple. For now though, a Guinness is what I need. It slips down a treat. I walk back to my hotel - maybe 15 minutes. I’ve walked a lot this morning, around 14,000 steps. I’m definitely going to have a rest, I’m going to review my clothing options for the rest of the day, and I might even squeeze in a nap…

22:20
I have a deluxe nap for about 90 minutes, and then get to speak to my amazing wife. We’ve been trying to chat for the last few days. When I’m West of her, we seem to struggle more. It’s awesome to hear her voice, as always. I catch up on her weekend, the boys, kind of everything that’s going on back home.

I’m unsure what to do for dinner. I’m of the mind that around 10-15 minutes is the max comfortable time to spend outside at a time. As a result, I decide to do a restaurant crawl - think pub crawl, but foodier. I start at Blufish, a Japanese restaurant not far from my hotel. I have a Sashimi plate, which is excellent. The salmon and tuna are both great, but the pickerel (a local fish, related to pike) is sensational. From here, I head down to Yellow Dog Tavern, where I combine very good hazy pale ale with some properly banging Scotch eggs. From here, I set out towards Tipsy Cow, who allegedly make the best burgers in the city. Sadly, I find them closed, despite their own website’s claim to the contrary. I march back towards my hotel, and stop at The Pumphouse. I have another of those very moreish sour cherry ciders, and accompany it with a bowl of Poutine. Think chips with gravy, but on steroids. Banging.

I briefly consider another cider, but it’s gone 22:00. I know, I know - but on this trip, that counts as a late night.Okumaya devam et