What has my hatred of flying brought me to. For for our trip to the centre of Canada we decided to replace those beloved security pat downs, long security waits, cattle lines divided by wealth, children and privilege, turf wars over storage bin space, and limited available bathrooms with 4 nights and 5 days of gourmet meals and an up close view of most of Canada. Was it a good decision? I guess we will see as we will have 4 nights and five days to figure it out.
Cross Canada train travel in Canada can be best described as non-existent. The first passenger train to travel across Canada left Montreal on June 28, 1886 and arrived into Port Moody (Vancouver) on July 4th. One hundred and thirty-seven years later little has changed except the costs and perhaps the gourmet meals.
Photo- Canada-rail.com
Day 1
The exterior of the train is visibly old with lots of tired stainless steel but at 70 years I can understand. The cars were built in the 50’s. with the latest renovations completed in 2010.
Even the luggage carts have been around the block a few times with steel wheels that made a terrible racket as they moved our luggage to the baggage car.
Our berth is affectionately known as a roomette. Its layout has changed little since I first rode the train in December of 1966. That is except for the price and it is now known as the Sleeper. The finishes have received some updating and modernization.
Photo- canadarail.com
Photo- canadarail.com
There is a reason our berth was called a roomette. When ever you add ette to a noun it means it is smaller than the noun itself. Our roomette lived up to its ette. It is about 5’wide by 8’deep with high ceilings, two comfy looking chairs, along with a sink and toilet giving it a roomy feeling. That is till they fold down the chairs, drop down the bunk-beds and expose the rooms true ettness and the reason for its new name, Sleeper Class. Once the beds come down, there is little room for anything else but sleeping and napping. For the rest of the trip, we chose to leave the bottom bunk down.
Prestige Class. Here the cars have converted two roomettes into a single room with seating for two as well as double bed at floor level, no bunk beds here. A full bathroom with shower and a huge widow fills the outside wall bringing in lots of natural light. But it also comes with a hefty price tag, 5 times what our roomette cost.
Photo- canadarail.com
As we made our way through the check-in line at the station, we were met by some of the dining car staff who helped us make reservations for that evenings dinner. We had the choice of 5:00, 6:45 and 8:00 pm and were able to get the last two spaces for 5:00pm. Of course Prestige passengers needed no reservations. Economy passengers could fight over any remaining tables. We share the same 4 dinner options. Day 1 was a winner with a beautifully prepared rack of lamb and a decadent three chocolate cake.
We left Vancouver, right on time. This would be the last time we would arrive or leave any where on time. No surprises as VIA is famous for it lack of timeliness. The main problem is they do not own the tracks and must give way to freight traffic so a lot of time is spent on sidings. Leaving at 3:00 pm and with a few stops , meant we started into the Fraser Canyon at dusk. Some of the best views are found through the Canyon.
Photo- cs.trains.com (Cisco Bridges)
The train traverses some very narrow spots with scary views from the windows looking straight down and seemingly over the mighty Fraser River. We managed to see a few gloomy but spectacular views before it got too dark but sadly it was to dark to see the famous Hell’s Canyon or Cisco Bridges. It is something VIA needs to rectify to make this trip "over the top".
Photo- planetware.com (Hells Gate)
Day 2
Woke at 6 am with a terrible kink in my neck but felt better after a very decent cup of coffee in the Dome/activity car. There were three dome cars located on our train with two of them nicely placed near our roomette. Bar service began at 11:00 am with canapés at 5:30. As we soon discovered, finding seats in the dome car can be difficult especially through the really scenic areas. Obtaining a seat through the Prairies was never a problem.
Seats in the dome car are treated much like the beach chairs found at resorts. Despite being told not to save chairs, hotel guests will get up early and place personal items on chairs to hold them for a later arrival. Not allowed on VIA but people still managed to come up with innovative ways to circumvent the rules. Thanks to a fabulous breakfast and chatty table mates, we got to the dome car late but did score two adjacent seats at a table but not facing the front of the train.
My neck kink flared up again trying to enjoy the impressive views as we rode into Jasper. We had only an hour to enjoy Jasper. Jasper has been one of our go to places that we have returned to many times and have not seen or done it all. We walked the town feeling profound sadness as we witnessed the destruction that the forest fire reaped last summer. Did not feel the need to take any pictures. We will be back as it still has plenty to offer.
No breakfast today, it was an open seating brunch. For early risers, a Continental breakfast was laid out to tide us over till the brunch seating. Brunch was your typical brunch menu. Dinner was once again delicious. The meat option was a beef tenderloin, a cut that can be difficult to cook but was wonderfully prepared by the chefs. I was told that there might be a red meat option for all dinners. I am definitely in my happy place.
We expanded our living space in the afternoon and wandered to the back end of the train. To get there you had to pass through the Prestige car. Here walls were clad in a luxurious leather like material that was soft and cushy to the touch. I can only guess what the walls were like in the cabins. The last car on the train is the Park Car and contains a comfortable bar on the first floor with lots of glass making it very inviting.
Upstairs is a viewing dome with the front three rows reserved for Prestige passengers and the remaining available to the Sleeper folk. The bar is complimentary for Prestige so the concierge was kept busy.
Felt very decadent waiting for our dinner call sipping a glass of $12 Okanagan red watching the Prairies go by at 60 kilometres an hour.
Day 3
Woke up at 6:00 am to a kinky neck. Witnessed the start of sunrise which took my breath away. A brilliant orange line cut across the entire horizon. Could not capture the colours on my camera that I saw with the naked eye. You will always have four options for breakfast with one being vegan. I ordered soft poached eggs this morning as this can really show the skills that you want in the kitchen. My eggs were perfectly cooked, not to hard, not to runny with a slab not a slice of ham. Someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing. Dinner was a medium rare slab, not slice of prime rib which I inhaled along with Nonie’s left overs. I am pretty sure I have died and gone to heaven.
We were seated with new people at every meal so we quickly found that train people are very friendly. We liken this experience to speed dating. Instead of 5 minutes you have 70 minutes to get to know them and they to get to know you and decide if you want to see each other later. It is a very small world on the train and you will see everyone again, and again and again so ghosting is not an option. We have not yet had any follow up dates but met a couple this morning at breakfast that had possibilities.
Train people come in all ages. My expectations were for a train full of seniors but pleasantly surprised at the number of young people and families on board. But we easily outnumbered them and should we be stranded in the middle of no where, we could easily take over the train and eat them.
Day 4
The day started a little like the movie Ground Hog Day, a movie where the character keeps waking up to the same day. I woke up at 6:00 am with kink in my neck. The coffee was delicious. The four options for breakfast seemed familiar and I swear that we had shared a meal with our dining partners on Day One. Thank heavens one of our dining partners at lunch was a global warming and vaccine denier which led to a lively discussion and spiced up the day. However a follow up date was highly unlikely.
The afternoon was a repeat of Days 1-3 but the dinner menu let me down when the meat option was a cooked to perfection, two inch thick rib-in pork loin. Paired with a delightful red blend from Ontario, it was a surprisingly nice change from the red meat. I regret that I am not one of those that take and posts pictures of their food so I hope my writing has done them justice
Day 5
Woke up this morning at the crack of 6:00 am. We have been parked on a siding in the middle of no where for more than an hour. It is still dark but I can see that overnight we received a huge dump of snow. In my mind I have started planning the take over of the train. Probably start with the bar in the Park Car.
Just found out that our 2 hour delay was caused by a broken down freight train ahead of us. Heading to the bar to start the take over.
All along the trip we have kept a tally of the number hours we had fallen behind schedule and it became a standing joke for the first few days but on Day 5 it has become decidedly less humorous as the tally climbs closer to double digits.
Ed. Note- Train was 7 hours late.
Final Thoughts
Did I make a mistake by substituting our usual 5 hour flight with a 5 day trip across Canada? The jury is still out as our 2:00 pm arrival in Union Station has come and gone and we are still a long ways away. My fear is that our 5 days may become 6 days. Say, isn't that how long it too the first train to cross the country in 1886.
Photo- pinterest.ca
Travel by trains and cruise ships have similarities with food being uppermost in mind. I have been amazed by the level of gastronomy that came out a that tiny kitchen. Four choices for every meal made things so easy.
Photo- trainweb.org
Train people are a lot like cruise people. Train people have a very keen knowledge of engines, train cars and how the lights work on the tracks. Some have worked on trains while others played with trains. Cruise people are wise in the way of buffet, excursions and ship board perks. Both are similar in their passion for their different modes of traffic.
At the end of all of our adventures we always ask ourselves “Would we do this again”. This was the second trip for Nonie and my third trip. Unless they invent a high speed rail service between Vancouver and Toronto and lose the bunk beds, it is highly unlikely "we would do this again". But it is an experience we will remember.
