THE CANADIAN - TORONTO TO JASPER 06,07,08/09/2017

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Our first night on the train was interesting to say the least! The jet lag was still playing havoc with  our body clocks and the rocking of the train was not conducive to a good nights sleep. we had been warned that the train would have to stop occasionally to allow the huge freight trains priority on the single track line, this again proved to be quite disturbing.

We were very grateful when the time came to get up and get ready for breakfast. The shower cubicle in our "on suite bathroom" was small to say the least and showering had to be a very organised event, the water flow as controlled by a push button that only gave a few minutes of water at a time. It was very much the case of wet, wash, and rinse!

Our first experience of the dining car was very good, the menu was comprehensive the food well cooked and service excellent. After breakfast we made our way to the exclusive lounge and dome car. Our fellow passengers were a good mix of people apart from one couple of obnoxious Americans who unfortunately behaved as if they owned the train.

The scenery we passed through reminded us greatly of Finland with trees, trees, trees, water and more trees. We soon got into a routine which consisted of eating, drinking, chatting and trying to sleep as we headed westward.  The crew assigned to look after us were really good and after a long stop in Winnipeg where the crew changed we had the pleasure of meeting Kevin the first and Kevin the second. The first one was the first black Canadian we had met and he was a real character. He was a very knowledgeable guy and when we asked him about how big a certain lake was he replied "It's big, big really really big!!" This summed up how he would answer passengers questions if he really didn't know the answer. However when it came to keeping us supplied with food and drink he was second to none and now our waist lines know about it!!

Day 5 saw us arriving in Jasper, only 2 hours late which considering the distance we had traveled and the time spent not moving was quite an achievement. We said our farewells to the crew and fellow passengers and were pleased when we were reunited with our luggage and were met by our driver who took us to the hotel.

The train journey was a wonderful experience, however we were both rather pleased that this part of our adventure was over and we had arrived in the Rocky Mountains.

(You can read more about this amazing train and it's history here! - Ed)










(You can read more about this amazing train and it's history here! - Ed)
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada

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