Travel at Home

Chowing down on delicious Argentinian-style pizza at Corrientes

I don't know about you, but whenever I travel, I'm continually filled with wonder. When I walk down the street, I'm looking up at what's around me: pausing, commenting, taking pictures and generally, just taking everything in. But when I return home, that wonder disappears. I walk down the street looking down or straight ahead - going from point A to point B as quickly as possible. But something I'd like to explore on this blog is how you can bring the spirit of travel into your everyday life. In effect, how you can be a tourist in your own city.

I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A place that, when I tell someone where I'm from, in Canada, people respond with "Ohhh..." and when I'm in any country that isn't Canada, they ask, "And where is that?" And the answer is the middle of nowhere. My ancestors plunked themselves down in a giant, marshy hole in the prairies that faces some of the worst winters you can find, floods nearly every spring, is plagued by mosquitos during the hot, sticky summers and basks in a lovely autumn for all of two weeks. People who live in Winnipeg often lament that there's "Nothing to do but drink." And I know many young people who headed for Toronto or Vancouver the minute they had the means and opportunity to do so.

And yet, there is a kind of weird charm to this city. We're home to a vibrant music and arts scene, a number of architectural gems, and some great spots to eat and drink. And when the elm trees canopy the streets in the summertime, it's like walking through an urban forest.

So from time to time I'd like to feature things to see, eat and do around Winnipeg, with the hope that it will inspire you to feel like a tourist in your own community. Because let's face it, very few of us have the means and freedom to live a life of constant travel, and there's no sense depriving ourselves of that relaxation and wonder the other 330 odd days of the year.

And trust me, if I can do it here in Winnipeg, you can do it too, in whatever place you call home.