Welcome to Iqaluit

My arrival to Iqaluit yesterday was just around noon.  Amy was there to greet me in the city's tiny airport.  There were many people everywhere.  Amy said that was because most of the flights arrive and depart at about the same time.  

Snow was on the ground and the wind had a bite but the sun shone nicely.  After dropping off luggage and picking up Maeve we headed to the supermarket for groceries.  The supermarket, North Mart, Amy compares to a mini Meijer.  They sell a little bit of everything.  Our trip was quick but long enough to get a small glimpse of price comparisons for basic foods.  Things like fruit by weight were not as easy to assess due to the price being per kilogram.  I will have to make a good list, convert in weight and have mom do a price check at Martins.  That would be quite interesting.

We got to do a little drive around after that and stop down by the water's edge.

 The boat is on the beach and those formations in the distance are caused by the tide coming in and out.

 I just like this weathered gray building.

We picked up Lily from her French Day Care and stopped by the library.  The library is also the visitors center and their was a stuffed polar bear and walrus.  I'll share more on that later.

This morning we went to the playround around nine-thirty. 

 Amy wears Maeve on her back in an Amauti.  It is like a giant hood  in the back of her coat and actually has a hood that can pull over the both of them.  This garment is basically the only way to carry children when they are really little because they need the body heat to stay warm.  Maeve sometimes rides in her stroller, tucked under furs, but today she got a ride from Mom.

 Fur is super important to keep faces warm when it is windy out.  Though it is difficult to gauge with out trees to show the movement it was windy.

 Lily, Amy and Maeve.

 The playground is right on the edge of some open land and overlooks the downtown.  We went with Amy's friend Julie and her two sons.  The eldest is the same age as Lily and the two of them had fun sliding down the embankment just beyond the moms and Maeve standing there.

  Sea skin gloves and fur linings make a huge difference in the cold weather.  It was right around zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill put it around negative 18.  But the sun was shining and it was beautiful.