Vancouver to Toronto on board The Canadian. The four-night journey is billed as one of the world’s greatest rail adventures. It travels through five Canadian provinces, four time zones, Alberta’s snow-capped mountains and the flat plains of Saskatchewan. Yes, I could fly across this rather enormous country and later tell tales of the quality of the airport lounges and the efficiency of the security check. Or I could actually see this country I’ve called home for the last nine months.
Day 1: Vancouver to Jasper
The Canadian leaves Vancouver at 8.30pm and the light barely holds until we’re out of the city. The schedule is timed to travel through the most scenic parts during daylight, hence the late departure. The seats are spacious and recline considerably, without imposing on the passenger behind. Extended footrests rise to the seat’s level giving me space to curl my feet up onto. When night falls I change into my pjs, (a lot of passengers do, not just the kids), grab my sleeping sack and make a pillow out of my jackets and backpack. It’s rare that anyone has to share a two-seater, other than couples who chose too. The carriage is mostly empty so everyone can stretch out.
I wake up in the mountains. Every now and then there is a clearing with a horse or a shed. Deep blue lakes also break up the trees. There are announcements when we approach something interesting: waterfalls, a view of Mount Robson, or a bear. Sometimes the trees and cliff edges are so close that it's impossible to see anything beyond them. Even when squishing my face against the window and straining my eyes up. The dome car offers a better view, but the light reflections make it difficult to photograph from.
We reach Alberta some time after 1.30pm. We pull into Jasper about 4pm. The train stops here for 90-minutes to allow for any lost time. For me, this is my destination at this stage.
Day two: Jasper to Saskatoon
Four days later I’m back at the Via Rail station and returning to cattle class on The Canadian. The train departs at 5pm, weaving back into the mountains. By sunset the landscape has levelled out as we head towards Saskatchewan. At this end of the country it’s not dark until 10pm. I get ready for bed, but am woken through the night as new passengers, including a family with a temperamental child, board about 3am.
My phone alerts to me a time zone change, putting us forward an hour for central time. However when 8am comes and goes with no mention of our arrival into Saskatoon I double check my clock settings to find Saskatchewan has its own time setting and it’s still only 7.25am. Dammit.
The Saskatoon station is about 8km from the city and there is no shuttle. A taxi costs about $20, although there are none waiting when we arrived. The desks inside the station were also unmanned. Luckily I’d done some research and walked about 10 minutes to a local bus stop and caught that into town. Thanks Google Transit.
Day three: Saskatoon to Winnipeg
The local buses don’t run early enough so the only option for getting to the station is taxi. My driver gets lost, but I still make it in plenty of time.
The flat prairie landscape continues for hours. The colours at this time of year are so rich. The paddocks are either a bright green or deep brown if they are being ploughed. The contrast is lovely. The ponds and lakes are a bright blue. Some paddocks nearly seem white with the wheat grass, others all yellow from dandelions. Sometimes the only sign of life is the dust rising up as a car speeds down a gravel road. We go through several railway crossings, but there is never anybody waiting.
An announcement tells us to keep watch for bison and we eventually see some, but they are in the distance. At 1pm we head into central time and lose an hour. At Melville, a "city" of 5000, we disembark for 30 minutes. The station is surrounded by derelict buildings, which probably says it all.
For dinner I head to the dining car for the first time. It’s a bit of a trek to get there – through about five carriages including some of the sleeping cars. Part of me is envious they have a bed, then I see that their toilet is less than a metre from where the passengers sit during the day. Two of my dining companions are headed to Winnipeg. The husband used to work for the railway so now has a pass to travel when and where he likes. The third is a truck driver so uses any excuse not to drive.
After dinner (salmon with a fruit salsa and vegetables) we pull into Winnipeg about 8.30pm. We can’t reboard until 10pm and the train won’t leave until 10.30pm. The station is next to The Forks, an indoor market on the riverbank. I did think about not having dinner on the train and getting something here, but I didn’t want to risk us being late and not having enough time. I spent the stopover walking along the river, through the market and a quick loop through downtown before we reboarded. I got ready for bed and watched some TV on my computer before going to sleep.
Day four and five: Winnipeg to Toronto
Today I face my first full day on the train. Stopping at Jasper and Saskatoon meant I had yet to wake up and go to bed on the train in the one day. I start the day with breakfast in the dining car, having had enough of sandwiches, instant oatmeal and museli bars. We cross into Eastern Time so I arrive in the dining car just after 8am and leave close to 10am. I spend the morning taking pictures. The Manitoba landscape has lots and lots of trees. It's still pretty flat, but now we have lakes and a bit of bush.
When the hostess comes to take lunch and dinner reservations, the only seating left for both meals are the last ones. I don't fancy anything on the dinner menu, or eating at 9pm, so I opt for a late lunch. Torn between two options, I split two of the dishes with one of the other passengers. Her suggestion, which worked out well for both of us. A multi-seat conversation starts and we don't leave until the crew kicks us out to set for dinner.
We follow the excitement of Melville with a stop in Hornepayne. It's Victoria Day so most of the shops we see - a hardware store, bank and library - are shut. It's nice to get off the train.
I spend the afternoon reading and having a nap. When it gets dark I watch some TV and get ready for bed about 11pm. We've been out of cell reception for most of the day. That doesn't change until about 1am. I know this because that's when all the phones started beeping with new messages.
I toss and turn a lot during the night, changing positions, curling up then stretching out, kicking my sleeping bag off and then pulling it back on.
In the morning I get my things together - everyone is pretty trusting. Bags, cameras and laptops are left at empty seats. I have breakfast in the dining car and get back to my seat not long before we arrive in Toronto. At one point we were running half an hour behind, but we arrive five minutes early at 9.20am.
I have one hour before I board my next train. This time it's just a five-hour trip to Montreal.
View a gallery of pictures from The Canadian
here.
Of all the things that come to mind when I think of Switzerland (watches, knives and banks), there was one I never expected to see anytime soon: the Swiss Alps. I have a thing for mountains. I also have a thing for trains. So travelling through the Alps by train seemed the perfect trip.
There are few travel adventures that give me butterflies more than the thought of a train trip. I love the romance. The journey. Weaving across country that roads wouldn't bother tackling.
