The Icelandic connection - 01.12.2020, Side 35

Vol. 71 #4
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
177
found very fascinating.
The first thing we did was to have
Chinese food at a restaurant known as the
Shanghai. We had never eaten Chinese
food before and found it to be delicious,
but very different from anything we’d had
before.
We had now begun to spend the ten
dollar bill.
Next my Dad and uncle Bergur went
to a hotel called the Green Briar Inn where
they met the person they were dealing with
on the stacker, while Uncle Einar took us
sight-seeing along North Main Street.
We had never seen so many large
buildings. Walking beside them made us
feel very small. Many of the stores had
interesting displays in their windows; even
brand new bicycles!!
As we walked along, we met people
who were speaking different sounding
languages that we had never heard before.
It wasn’t English or Icelandic, we were sure
of that.
Now Dad and Bergur joined us and it
was time to start off for home.
Dad said, “We are going a different
route home. We will go north on Main
Street, past the town of Selkirk and on to
a place called Winnipeg Beach which I am
sure you will find very interesting.”
The summer sun was still fairly high
as we drove into the town of Winnipeg
Beach.
“The Beach”, as it was called, catered
to hundreds of Winnipeg city dwellers
who loved to spend part of their summers
there. Many had summer cabins or homes
and the women and children might stay
over the two summer months while
the men worked in the city. There were
many passenger trains that ran out to the
Beach in those days. The late ones and
the weekender ones were there to serve
the dads who would join their families at
every opportunity. The train they called
the Dad’s Special, arrived on Friday
evenings.
This idyllic spot was also a favorite
of young lovers and it has been said that
a large portion of the population of the
city of Winnipeg had been created on the
beautiful beaches of Lake Winnipeg.
Along the edge of the lake ran a long
boardwalk on which was an assortment
of all kinds of arcades known as Penny
Arcades where you played neat games of
chance for a penny apiece.
Right behind this were rides of all sorts
in the shadow of the giant roller coaster.
These rides cost five or ten cents and the
roller coaster was fifteen cents.
One ride I forgot to mention was the
carousel or merry-go-round as we called it.
It was unbelievable - a round table with
about forty carved and painted wooden
horses that pranced up and down on their
shiny brass rods as the whole thing went
round and round. Of course there was a
kid on every one and they laughed and
shrieked as the horses sped around on their
wild ride.
In the middle of the carousel was a
calliope, a gorgeous pipe organ that played
all kinds of beautiful music continuously.
It could be heard all up and down the
crowded boardwalk.
What fun we had riding in the
old fashioned bumper cars and the
Rev. ste-fciiA/joiA/flssoiA/
GIMLI UNITARIAN CHURCH
9 Rowand Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 2N4
Telephone: (204) 889-2635
Email: smjonasson@shaw.ca