The dome cars are an excellent opportunity to view the majesty of the Canadian landscape. Te first morning of this four-day trip reveals mountains
and forests slipping by the window as you travel toward the Jasper Railway Station in Alberta for a 90-minute stop and an opportunity to stretch your legs alongside the Athabasca River. Meals in the vintage dining car are an elegant affair, prepared by a team of VIA Rail chefs offering traditional Canadian fare, with multiple selections for all meals. White table linen service and food served on fine china create an ambiance from a bygone era. VIA Rail’s iconic Canadian, with its sleek silver cladding is a standout in any setting, and its upper-level dome cars offer an unparalleled view as the countryside rolls on by. With 360 degree visibility, this is the best place to take the pictures that capture the grandeur and memories you will talk about long into the future. Te first night and day are spent amid the majesty of
the mountains winding alongside rushing rivers, travelling through tunnels and emerald-green forests, gradually giving way to the upper plains of the western prairie. Te first ma- jor city stop is Edmonton, arriving at 11 p.m. and departing at midnight. Troughout the rest of the night, the distant lights of farms and small rural towns flicker across the win- dow. Saskatoon is the next stop at 8 a.m. Your second morning finds you crossing the endless
patchwork quilt of the prairies, a silver streak moving across the vast agricultural lands from which Canada exports its bounty around the world. On and on into the day, the prai- rie slips by through lunch and dinner, until the outskirts of Winnipeg appear just before 8 p.m. with another stop of just under two hours.
thehubwinnipeg.com Shortly after departing Winnipeg, the eastern prairie gives
way to boreal forests and the great Canadian Shield, and by sun-up the next morning you awaken to the sparkling blue lakes and mottled green forests of northern Ontario. For many Canadians and visiting tourists alike, this is cottage country, providing some of the most pristine landscapes in which to enjoy a multitude of recreational activities. As the journey winds on beside the waterways, the north
woods, the towns and the forests, one reflects on the grand scale of this country and the history of each community that whisks by the window. Not lost in this thought is the vast- ness of this land, its beauty and the resource for now and in the future. It is not until you travel by rail in this way that you have the time and the opportunity to take in what you see. It is for those who are Canadian to appreciate much that they weren’t aware of and, for those who are visiting, to share in a journey that transcends a few generations but stretches across an entire continent. Te trip from Vancouver to Toronto covers 4,446 kilo-
metres with four nights aboard, arriving in Toronto at 9:30 a.m., leaving plenty of daylight hours for exploring Canada’s largest city. Te accommodations and service have been ex- ceptional. Te VIA Rail staff go out of their way to ensure your trip exceeds your expectations. Te memories of travelling on the Canadian will last a
lifetime; there will be no forgetting the sights, the sounds and the very feel of this journey by rail. Whether you are single, a couple, friends or a family, this adventure is one that must be experienced. Make your date for a romance with the rails.
Summer 2015 • 57
Photos courtesy of VIA Rail.
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