After the drive back and forth a few years ago, I thought this time it would be fun to take the Via Rail from Vancouver to Toronto: four days and four nights. It was a good experience of "slow travel". The route goes via Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and various stops at smaller towns.
Our train before departing from Vancouver station. The seat was with a berth. During the day it was a regular seat and in the evening the steward made up lower and upper beds. I had an upper bed which was comfortable despite the getting down and up during the night for bathroom breaks....
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were included in the price, and the meals were excellent quality. Each meal a steward seated me with different fellow travelers which was a nice way to meet a variety of fellow passengers. One of the train cars was for activities (card and board games available) with a hostess who also offered a beer tasting one evening and a wine tasting another evening.
The two dome cars offered 360 around view which was especially nice during the Rocky Mountains. One of the dome cars also had a bar and a relaxed seating area where I spend many hours reading.
This photo is from the brochure but it gives a good impression from the route through the Rocky Mountains. Below a number of the views along the route...
A frozen waterfall near the town of Jasper which is located in Jasper National Park. The train made a stop in Jasper during which we were able to stretch our legs with a walk in town.
The views from the train afterwards of Jasper Park were beautiful but I can never capture them well with my simple phone. Just a few pics....
And from Edmonton on it was a day and half of views over the endless Prairies followed by a day and half of views of northwest Ontario (still with quite a bit of snow on the ground). A very nice trip....
No comments:
Post a Comment