This past Monday, Nigel, Ian and I took a short road trip to visit the Grotto at St. Malo. I say it was a short road trip, but it would have been shorter if I'd navigated us down the right highway (that would be 52 rather than 59). We ended up taking a scenic tour through Steinbach first. We'd read about the Grotto in a Manitoba guidebook, and thought it sounded quaint and charming, almost Gothic.
The site wasn't quite what I'd expected.
I've lived in Manitoba most of my life, and I should know by now that Manitoba doesn't do Gothic very well. Quaint? Yes. Rustic? Absolutely. Charming? Well, sure, in a quirky sort of way.
The Grotto is a little ways from the town of St. Malo, in a wooded area near St. Malo Provincial Park, next to the Rat River and near a series of small rapids. The sound of swiftly flowing water echoes off the stone walls.
And in front of the grotto are rows and rows of wooden pews.
It was very rustic. The trees were growing right up between the pews, blocking some parishioners views.
Can you guess what these are?
That's right, they're outhouses.
Did I mention that Manitoba was a little quirky?
3 comments:
Oh Manitoba...You've done it again!
Now I'm going to have to go check it out some time...those outhouses are too funny!
I'm not exactly sure what quirky means but I think nI've got a bit of an idea!
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