Traveling on Canada’s Via Rail

                                            

    When planning a tour of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick last month, we also arranged to ride the Via Rail from Halifax to Toronto before flying back to Los Angeles.

Al, a train enthusiast since his childhood, had always wanted to take the train across Canada, even if it meant taking one section at a time.

    After spending a week at the Tidal Watch Inn along the Bay of Fundy, we took a round-about route to Halifax, driving in a rental car north to Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. It was a beautiful, scenic drive, with a side trip into the Fundy National Park to see the famous “Flower Pot Rocks” along the coast.

    The next morning, we boarded the ferry to Nova Scotia, sitting inside the lounge area where it was warmer than the chilly marine air out on the deck. The ferry boat ride was fast, getting us to Nova Scotia and back on the road again toward Halifax in a couple of hours. It was drizzling when we reached the city, feeling very cold for a day in early October, partly due to our being acclimated to warmer California weather.

      The weather was still cold and gloomy when we turned in the rental car at the train station the next morning and stepped on board the Via Rail. It was nice have a room in the “Anne of Green Gables” car, named after one of my favorite children’s stories whose author lived on Prince Edward Island.  Al and I soon found out that there were nine sleeper cars between ours and the dining car. It was a long, unsteady walk, but good exercise!

     By keeping my eyes focused on a sign or picture posted at the opposite end of each car, I could maneuver the narrow hallways and walk in a fairly straight line without banging my elbows on the walls. Al figured out his own “duck walk,” to meet the challenge of walking along the speeding train. Thankfully we managed to stay vertical!

     The sleeper car was divided into several smaller rooms, each containing a comfortable seat which converted into a single bed, a tiny bathroom, and space to store a few personal items. When it was time to go to bed, the steward lowered another bed with an attached ladder from the wall. During the night, I had a hard time trying to get out of the bed without hitting my head on the ceiling and only managed to get one foot on the ladder. The other foot slid all the way down to the floor, leaving me doing a senior version of the splits. Al, who was sleeping in the lower berth, didn’t even wake up!

     Arriving at Montreal the next morning, we switched trains for Toronto. The weather was still misty and cold, causing a slight delay due to wet leaves on the tracks.  The train had to be backed up to get a running start, which then gave its engines enough power to pull the long line of passenger cars up the hill! One of the highlights of the trip was viewing the Canadian countryside decorated in bright reds, yellows and oranges of fall.   

    Adjusting to the challenges of traveling wasn’t always easy. I confess that there were times when I was exhausted, grumpy and unappreciative. I’m so thankful for my husband who is not only a wonderful traveling companion and partner, but who also loves me unconditionally, even when I am not very lovable. God’s unconditional love is reflected through him, for which I am undeserving, but grateful.

     This then is the good news, dear friends… “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 NIV)

(Scroll down to read two preceding posts about the trip to the Bay of Fundy)

Fall colors in all of their glory. Photo taken from train.