Carnaval d'hiver/ Winter Carnival

When winter takes up a good chunk of the year where you live, it's a must to have plenty of fun activities to get out and make the most of this time of year.  When you're guaranteed snow and ice for several months, it makes it easier to plan ahead and take in the best that the season has to offer.

The 10+ crowd wore snowmen for a park pass

Our city puts on a two week long carnival each winter that draws visitors from around the world.  There are more tour buses here than I've ever come across.  From canoe races on the icy seaway to daring ice slides that rival the luge, to nighttime parades, dog sledding, and international ice sculpting competitions, there is no shortage of things to see and do.

Gabrielle with an ice sculpture

Being our first winter here, our experience at carnival was more of a trial and error approach.  We had a great day weather-wise, clear and not unbearably cold, so we dressed warmly and headed out.  Pierre's work is centrally located in the city, so we parked there and made the trek up the hills to the park where much of the carnival takes place.

My family in front of an ice castle

When I say hills, I actually mean consecutive, steep inclines that get your heart thumping before you're even half-way up.  Our youngest two were in the jogger, making Griffen the smallest one on foot.  He did get a little frustrated at times with the climb, but we all made it in one piece.

The Girls

Once there, we realized that going on such a mild day meant that everyone else had chosen this time to hit the carnival as well.  The lines for rides and ice slides inside the park were every bit as long as Disneyland's and none of us were interested in waiting them out, so we basically walked around for a bit checking out the ice sculptures and then made our way back down to the car.  On the way to the park entrance, we had a claustrophobic moment when we became completely boxed inside a wall of people, many pushing to get in the park with just as many trying to get out and others who had stopped to watch a marching band!  It was not something I would like to repeat, so we will have to get a better plan for future carnivals.

It was a touch disappointing to not really take part in the festivities, but we were still happy that we made an effort to scope out what is out there and plan ahead for the things we hope to take part in next year.  It's just nice to get out in the fresh air and get exercise walking around, if nothing else.