JOURNEY


My Canadian


that took in a tour of the state legislative building, city parks and St Boniface, the city's French-speaking district – Edmonton, Saskatoon and the Rocky Mountains’ town of Jasper. If you leave the train in Edmonton, as I did, it’s a three-night trip from Toronto. However, it’s the glimpses of a remote


and less-travelled Canada that fascinates just as much as the big cities. In northern Ontario we go through places with names that include Washago – a native Objiway word for 'clear and sparkling water' – Felix, Elsas, Mud River, Flint Landing and Sioux Look. We stop in the backwoods hamlet of Foliyet, a community of wooden houses, campervans and abandoned rusting cars, and stretch our legs for an hour or so in Hornepayne, a dusty lumber 'town' with a hardware store, a supermarket and several shops selling bait for trout and pike anglers. Occasionally, when on a single stretch


of track, we tremor to a halt to allow a Canadian National (CN) train carrying wheat from Saskatchewan or timber from British Columbia to trundle past: Canada’s freight companies own the transcontinental tracks and always get


‘right of way’ priority. In Manitoba’s flatlands giant grain elevators, industrial barns, water towers and tractors are scattered among the neatly-furrowed fields that stretch to the horizon. We stop at the tiny community of Portage La Prairie, once a rest stop for fur traders, to let a single passenger on. Grassy marshlands, dairy farms and a


sprawling potash mine greet our arrival into Saskatchewan, before we stop to stretch our legs in Melville, the province’s smallest town.


SLEEPING TIGHT On-board The Canadian there’s a choice of accommodation – and price points. Most international travellers will choose a sleeper car – and agents should know the differences between the overnight options. ‘Berths’ have a lower and upper bed


(the top bunk does not have a window), which by day transforms into two double adjacent seats. However, space is somewhat limited and the heavy drape that divides sleeping passengers from those walking the train’s narrow corridors is a set-up that seems to surprise a few passengers.


Guests wanting to retire behind a


closed door at night can choose from single or double rooms. Singles consist largely of a single bed, which by day is packed away to reveal a small ‘love seat’. My double featured an upper and lower bunk, two comfy oversized armchairs (by day), a large window, a small washbasin (complimentary towels, soaps, earplugs are provided), a small wardrobe, mirror, fan and toilet. Each sleeping car has a communal


shower with a changing area; this sounds an awkward arrangement but it works perfectly well and I never noticed anyone waiting in line for this. Also on the train are four ‘dome’


cars, with big windows and a glass roof that offer 360-degree views of Canada slipping by, and two dining cars. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is made to


order and prepared onboard and the recently-introduced new menu, revamped to reflect more regional cuisine, is both plentiful and impressive. Over the course of two lunches I


enjoyed soups, prawn wraps and a salmon sandwich while dinner selections included grilled duck, Arctic char and pork tenderloin.


All my choices were excellent and


other passengers seemed impressed by the general attention to detail. For example one customer asked the chef for gluten-free meals and these were readily and cheerily provided. I left The Canadian in Edmonton at


06.45 on a bright sunny morning. Despite three nights and two days on the train without WiFi or cell reception (which disappear shortly after leaving Toronto), I was envious of those onboard headed for Jasper, views of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and, finally, Vancouver still another 24 hours distant.


SAMPLE PACKAGE


1st Class Holidays 0845 644 3939 www.1stclassholidays.com The four-night Toronto to Vancouver (or reverse) journey, including all meals, starts from £499, based on Sleeper class with accommodation and all food. International flights are not included.


Selling Canada • SUMMeR 2012 13


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