Day 4 - Mennonite Herritage Village, Victoria Beach, Winnipeg

I started the day by walking down the beach to take some nice photos. The beach was surrounded by trees and had a secluded appearance.

Once on the Trans-Canada Hwy driving towards Winnipeg again, we pulled of for the Mennonite Heritage Village of Steinbach on Hwy 12 in the middle of sunflower country. The Mennonites here were mainly coming from the Ukraine, but since they were originally Germans, they still can speak German. My mom used every chance she had to make them speak German. They were quite surprised to hear the German language back from the visitors. However, younger generations don't speak German anymore and are raised English only. It's interesting, because you still see them living their traditional lives, wearing their own clothes, but they forget about their language. There is a museum that details emigration history and a simple but incredibly detailed and accurate village that features homes, stores, businesses and even a windmill. Most of the housing styles and tools were familiar to me already, as my grandmother still has the same sort of things. The village has its own restaurant serving hearty Mennonite foods. I had Borscht soup and Kielkje (which is homemade egg noddles with sour cream and onion served with grilled ham or farmer's sausage) and some traditional dessert whose name I can't recall now.

From their we headed north on Hwy 12 to Victoria Beach on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is the greenest village ever. Cottage-centric with limited vehicle access. You have to park your car at the gates (same for cottage owners). Only walking and biking is allowed. As you walk through the dirt roads of the village, you are surrounded by high walls of trees and occasionally a gap allows you a peek to one of the hundreds of tastefully erected cottages in this silent Eden of Manitoba.

Also named as the sandiest beaches of Lake Winnipeg, I instantly realized that Victoria Beach has to be one of the most sought-after spots in Manitoba. The community seems to be close-knit. People greet you with a natural smile. Next stop was Winnipeg, Humphry Inn & Suites and the first bed and solid cover above my head for the first time on the road. I am not saying I am tired of camping, but I will definitely enjoy every inch of that mattress.

Distance travelled: 384 km