Winnipeg: Assiniboine Park Zoo

The only touristy thing I requested to do while in Winnipeg was go to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.  I lurve going to zoos (and haven’t been to one since like 2002).  Since this is a kid-friendly touristy option, FH was easily convinced.

The photos speak for themselves.  The little man and I were hoping for giraffes…no such luck.  :)  Oh well, I guess humpty back camels had to suffice (oh, and humping monkeys).

Dirty monkeys!!

In the spirit of this actually being a food blog I remembered to take a picture of the VitaminWater I bought.  What an advertising gimmick, but if I was paying $3 for a bottle of water it might as well be “fancy” water.  It tasted good and at least the label was funny…

Photo op:

 

More furry beasts.  This leopard had his eyes on a prize.  What we saw later was a couple of zoo employees walking two reindeer through the park just across from the cat’s cage.  Poor kitty was hoping for a real meal!

   

And I know this is going to seem childish and somewhat odd considering I’m supposed to be a healthy girl, but I was DYING for a Froster when I realized that Winnipeg has Mac’s convenience stores.  After a couple of hours wandering around in the sun, this was a perfect treat.  (We don’t have Mac’s or 7-Eleven in Nova Scotia so getting a frosty beverage like this is next to impossible…which sucks for a West Coast girl that enjoyed these EVERY Summer of her life).

 

The little man had been ready to go home for about an hour, but the good little trooper made it through most of the rest of the animals before we called it a day.  Now we see why he wanted to leave.

Tired little bugger.

:)

Winnipeg: Banville & Jones Wine Co.

Leave it to Winnipeg to be home to the BEST wine store I’ve ever step foot in.  FH had told me about this place, but honestly he didn’t do it justice.  This was a particularly lovely find because I’ve been terribly disappointed in the wine stores in Halifax.  The so-called “high end” stores here have a dismal selection (and I am NOT a wine snob by any stretch…I just know what I like) …we prefer New World and for some reason Halifax seems to stock a lot of Old World.  Needless to say, Banville & Jones Wine Co. was a welcome stop!

 

We were only shopping for a few bottles for the night but I could have roamed around for hours.  They have a beautiful speciality section, all of the wines housed in locked glass cabinets…complete with champagne and sparkling wine display.

The staff were extremely helpful and knowledgeable.  FH couldn’t recall the name of the wine he bought last time, but with a few quick questions and a trip to their cellar they were able to find it for him in one try.  (Tate, if anyone is interested!)

We mainly wandered through the Australian section, where the helpful guy explained to us about the different store selections.  They mark their shelves with three types of tags so customers know whether the wine is a) available at any Manitoba liquor store, b) brought in special by a group of importers that work together, or c) specially imported by B&J only.  These three options make for a wealth of variety and selections.

We of course left with only Auzzie reds (FH is very select on his tastes) but I did have a good chat with the guy about fun BC wines…including the cool story of Blasted Church and the sad story of Silver Sage.  Made me homesick for an Okanagan Wine Tour.

I wish we could have spent more time exploring the different brands I had never heard of and just overall enjoying the store.  Alas, the sun was shining so spending the day outdoors had to take priority.

FYI: The recommended wines we purchased were pretty much as described although FH wasn’t as strongly in love with them as he had hoped.  The Tate has been saved for a later date.  :)

Winnipeg: St. Vital Park

In order to work up an appetite for the delicious BDI ice cream, we spent our first full day in Winnipeg at St. Vital Park with FH’s little man and his bicycle. 

He doesn’t ride much at home because they live on a short street very close to two incredibly busy thoroughfares so it was a fun day for him (and his Dad!). 

    

We logged about an hour in the sun (and probably 5k!) walking around the duck pond, trails, and roadways while the little man road his heart out.  Took him a bit of time to get going, but once he did he was off like a shot.  Kept us moving the whole time. :)

I was having a nice day, so I showed the trees some love.  :)  (Mainly I just made FH take this shot as proof that I was there.  50 pictures and none of moi!)

After the long ride, we found some shade so the boys could play catch.  FH has been waiting forever to play catch with his little buddy…it was a good time, although it was more like “chase the ball” than “catch the ball”. 

I wore myself out taking pictures and cheering them on.  LOL.

Winnipeg: Ice Cream

On our first whole day of vacation we spent the majority of the day outside.  Hello glorious sun!  Due to this lovely feeling of actual Summer (as opposed to the gloomy non-Summer we left in Halifax) a trip for ice cream was in order.

I give you Winnipeg’s own Bridge Drive-In (affectionately known as the BDI).  Old school vintage ice cream stand.  Perfect.

I loves me some soft serve.  I’m a simple gal.  Medium twist cone.  Nothing fancy for me.

Fun anecdote…  FH’s little man had himself a tiny chocolate cone.  We learned quickly that a 5 year old and a cone don’t mix well.  haha.  He couldn’t lick it fast enough and the sun was melting it too quickly.  I did what any good “mom” would do and licked up all the drips for him…and when I handed it back and FH and I were busy chatting, the little man let go and dropped it smack on my flip-flop clad foot.  LOL.  Ha.  Welcome to “motherhood” right?

Of course, little man didn’t even care.  He just shared his Dad’s instead.

This place was so good I got FH to take us back there again later in the week. Deeeee-freaking-lish.

Treats were the theme of the week.  We also enjoyed a trip to Marble Slab where I totally overindulged.  (I might add that the perfect soft serve was only $2 at the BDI and this monstrosity was like $8!)

  

This is my incredibly decadent birthday cake ice cream mixed with Smarties and brownie pieces in a white chocolate and sprinkle dipped waffle cone.  Glad I tried it, but I felt ill after.  Over-freaking-load.

Damn, now I want more ice cream. 

*runs off to find soft serve deliciousness in Halifax*

460 photos, 3400 emails, 7 days to catch up

I’m baaaack!!

Yesterday was mainly a travel day.  Flight home was uneventful…in fact on my second leg from Ottawa I slept pretty much the entire way (which means I got no blog posts written!).  Nice.  I was exhausted and felt blah due to the lack of good food in my system (a Tim Horton’s muffin just doesn’t cut it for breakfast).  I am so stoked to return to my healthy eating regimen…particularly salad!

In fact, I wanted salad so bad I decided to try the Mediterranean Salad from McD’s for dinner (got home too late to hit the grocery store).  It was pretty good.  Lotsa feta and the dressing was Renee’s.  Only real complaint is that the olives weren’t kalamata, just regular black olives.  Oh well.  Better to have a boring olive than a McChicken, right?  :)

I know, I know…you’ve been waiting like 10 days for the food porn to return and I give you McDonalds.  haha.

Last night was spent enjoying a long hot shower, comfy jammies, and some couch time with my kitty.  Poor Mr. Stoopy sure doesn’t love a week alone with only the neighbors popping in to feed him.  Poor guy.

I plan to do a grocery shop today (the produce section won’t know what hit it!) as well as a long, hard gym session.  Here are a few Winnipeg teasers to hold you over until I can get everything organized and put some posts together…

 

Yes, you saw some humping monkeys in there.  That one’s for you, Mikey.  :)