Three days and four nights on a train!

My last day in Toronto was a quiet day, getting sorted out for the train journey which would start at 10pm that night, but also becaue we had two meetings, the first with Grace's son Paul, the second with her Grandson Aaron and his partner Nicola.  It was lovely to meet them and I was glad to be able to do so while I was there.

But the day went quickly and it was soon time to say goodbye to Grace and get on the train.  I was a little apprehensive about the accommodation as I had an Upper Berth, basically a bed which folds down from the upper wall.  But by the time I got on the train, it all seemed very proper and my concerns disappeared!  I had booked the cheapest of sleeping options (the alternatives being a lower berth slightly more expensive or a cabin for one) but its safe to say that I actually had the best of the options, a very wide bed with a thick privacy curtain, and very very comfy.   The motion of the train was the only thing which was a little disturbing, a bit like sailing but less soothing!!

And what's more, I very quickly discovered that I was sharing the compartment with some pretty cool people two, two ladies from Australia, one from Quebec and one unfortunate young man from Ottawa who got lumbered with us.  It wasn't long before we were chatting and laughing and it was those people who helped to make it a superb trip.

Joining the train at 10pm as we did, our beds were set up for us when we embarked, but it wasn't straight to bed as we were invied for champagne in the Panorama car as the train departed Toronto, and looking out of the glass roof, the last view of the city was the CN Tower lit up in red green and blue.  I did't have my camera with me which is a shame, but the view was stunning.

One the champagne was over, we then headed to bed and woke the next morning several hundred miles away in the bush, miles and miles of scrub and lots and lots of water.  There were lakes everywhere and it made for some beautiful views.

There was plenty to do on the train but the company was so good that we didn't need to take advantage of all the activities, although we did participate in a spot of Bingo!  The food was excellent too, although I have to say that there was probably a little bit too much of it given that we didn't have to do much exercise, other than walking from our section to the dining car and back or to the Panorama car.

We arrived in Winnipeg on Saturday morning at 8.30am and had 4 hours to look around.  A bus trip was laid on for us so I took advantage of that and saw some of the sights the city had to offer, it was a bit of a whistle stop visit, but I saw more than I would have otherwise including the Legislature building, the remains of Fort Garry, the Park and the Cathedral in the french quarter.  I didn't spend much time by the river, but in that short time I managed to acquire 10 missie bites as I discovered the following morning when I woke up with lovely big red bite marks up my legs and arms!  Lovely!!

Sunday, our last day on the train, the scenerary changed from praries to hills then mountains and by lunchtime we had arrived in Jasper, a pretty little town in the mountains and we had an hour and a half to look around.  There were plenty of souvenir shops and I did have a good forage but managed to avoid temptation.

Once we were on our way again, we were on the final leg of the journey with the train arriving in Vancouver on Monday morning.   As we sat having breakfast, it was clear we were almost there as we passed the many farms of the Okanauga Valley, and then into the subburbds of the city.

It was sad to leave the train and the friends we had made along the way, but there waiting for me when I came out of the station was Jack, my cousin who was to be my host and guide for my visit to Vancouver!