Winnipeg, Manitoba

Capital of Manitoba

Friendly Manitoba license plate

We have a full day planned for Winnipeg and we are excited to see this city. The population of the city is 854000 in 2025, we had no idea it was this big. 

To start we head to The Royal Canadian Mint for a tour. This is where our Canadian coins are made but because Canadians use so many other forms of payment (Visa, debit etc), only 30% of what the Mint makes is for Canada. The other 70% of the coins they make are for other countries. 

Parade of Flags - 77 in total

As we drive into the parking lot, we drive through the 'Parade of Flags', which is a display of international flags representing the countries the Mint manufactures coins for. There are 77 flags in total :)

Royal Canadian Mint - picture of a picture

There are two Royal Canadian Mint facilities, one here and the other in Ottawa. Ottawa does collector coins, gold and  silver bullion and medals, while this one creates circulation coins for Canada and other countries. This building known for its rose-colored exterior and distinct triangular shape is very unique. 

For the most part we are not allowed to take pictures but Chris had already snapped this one of a working area before we notice the signs. The stamping machines have the ability to stamp a coin 14 times per second...that is fast. 

Working machines in The Royal Canadian Mint

Northern Lights Toonie that glows in the dark

The tour is fascinating and we learn so many interesting things about the process of creating a coin. We also learn interesting facts like in 2017 they released a Northern Lights toonie that glows in the dark. 

Or that whenever a new monarch comes onto the scenes, their head profile stamped on the coin looks the opposite direction of the last one.

Queen Elizabeth and King Charles

Since we actually paid our entrance fee in cash, we receive two new quarters that were minted right here, one with Queen Elizabeth's profile and the other with King Charles profile. 

 

Cloth bag for Philippine pesos - Erin our guide

We learn that packaging foreign coins for shipment in cardboard boxes doesn't always work due to humidity in hot countries...the boxes rot. They use bags for those countries, likened to a cloth bag of rice you'd buy in the store. Like the Philippine peso bag held here by our tour guide Erin. 

Fine Silver coin

Next we head to the French Quarter and park near St. Boniface Cathedral. We unload the bikes as they allow us to cover ground fast and see what we want to see. 

St Boniface Cathedral - first established in 1818

Louis Riel gravesite

The cemetery out back is filled with numerous old gravesites, but the one we have come to see is Louis Riel, the North-West Resistance fighter we learned so much about in our prior weeks travel. He is considered the Father of Manitoba due to his role in the Red River Resistance where he led the Metis in their resistance against the Canadian government's attempts to take control of the Red River Settlement. This ultimately led to the negotiation of Manitoba's entry into Confederation. 

View of the bridge and downtown Winnipeg

We bike across the Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the Red River between St. Boniface Cathedral and The Forks district. 

 Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge 

The bike path winds through The Forks district with its beautiful parks and so many historical sites and cool displays. It has been a significant meeting place for over 6000 years, initially for Indigenous peoples and later for European fur traders and settlers. 

Map of Canada and the Trans-Canada Trail

Tiny boat viewed through this cylinder

The Meeting Place

Confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine River

Still within the Forks District, we carry onto the confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine River, which served as a hub for trade, transportation and cultural exchange, eventually evolving into the vibrant public space of today and a national historic site.

The Forks stone wall monument

We head into The Forks Markets, a buzzing fresh and specialty foods emporium that has the feel of an outdoor market, but is actually indoors. 

The Forks Market

Great sign inside the market

We order a Sri Lankan box of food to go and enjoy the beautiful outdoor treed court yard that accompanies the market. It's a great place to just come and hang out. 

Taking a break

Views of the Assiniboine River

Covered outdoor space too 

Portage and Main ahead

Portage and Main street signs in green - very small

Next we bike over to the The Exchange District but nothing too much is going on. Apparently it is more of a night space. Oh well, we see the well known intersection of Portage and Main.

Blue Note Park

Tonight we have bought tickets to an Abba tribute band at an outdoor venue. It is on our route so we stop by to check it out for later. It looks like it will be great. 

Louis Riel statue on Manitoba Legislative Grounds

Finally we bike over to the Manitoba Legislative Grounds. A statue of Louis Riel stands on the south grounds as he is widely regarded as the Father of Manitoba. His crucial role in leading the Metis in the Red River Resistance, which ultimately led to the establishment of Manitoba as Canada's 5th province on July 15, 1870.

By now we are getting a bit tired and we still have the Abba Tribute band in a couple hours. We actually head back to the truck and sit inside and just chill. It's good timing as the smoke is rolling in and we need to get out of it. 

Mass has just ended to Chris pops into the St. Boniface Cathedral and snaps a photo of the inside. 

St. Boniface Cathedral 

Abba tribute band outdoor music event

Later we drive over to Blue Note Park and arrive about 7:45 for the 8:30 concert. We ask a couple ladies if we can sit with them and they kindly say yes. Jackie and Kim turn out to be awesome friendly, talkative people who make us feel so welcome. It's a good thing as the 8;30 concert didn't start until just after 10pm. 

When the music finally starts it is pretty mediocre to say the least.

Abba tribute band

Warm night listening to music

Chris, Sheila Jackie and Kim - new friends

With it being an off concert, we end up leaving before the end of the concert as we have about a 50 minute drive to our RV. We have exchanged contact information with Jackie and Kim and hope to see them again someday. We all agree our meeting is the best part of the night :)

That's a wrap after a long day in the City of Winnipeg. We both agree it far exceeded any prior thoughts we had on it. So much culture and history with beautiful buildings and parks. We'll definitely make a point of coming back here :)