A 2,775 mile (about 4,466 kilometer) train journey across Canada provided a great opportunity to experience a wide variety of scenery, from forests laced with lakes and rivers, to wide open prairies to the majesty of the Canadian Rockies. The three day, four night journey across a portion of the second largest country in the world gave one time to see it at a leisurely pace while enjoying the view from the 360 degree observation deck or eating a meal in the dining car.

Reading my Canadian guidebook, I learned more about the creation of their railway. When Canada became a dominion in 1867, it was a group of eastern provinces with nothing between them and British Columbia except a small settlement where Winnipeg is today. Concerned that the Americans might try to take British Columbia since they had just bought Alaska, the Canadian government pushed for a railway to the Pacific. What followed was a tale, not unlike America’s railway construction, of politics, financial scandals, hardships and the deaths of many workers. However in November 1885 the railway was complete.

Although this was a short trip, we were able to spend time in Toronto before boarding the train and in Vancouver after we arrived. We also had a four hour break in Winnipeg, which gave us the chance to visit that city for a brief time. Overall the train journey provided us with a better understanding of Canada’s people, cities and scenery.

25 - 27 June 2010

Trip to Toronto and First Day on the Train

We left very early on Friday morning on the first of two flights from LAX and arrived in Chicago in the early afternoon. After just enough time to have a quick lunch at the airport, we boarded our plane for a one hour flight to Toronto. We had the rest of the night and all day Saturday to see the city before our train trip began. With the G-20 summit taking place at the same time we were there, we had some challenges with sightseeing, but made the best of the situation.

The train left Toronto at 10:00pm on Saturday night. When we woke up on Sunday morning we had already covered over 500 km and were near Gogama, Ontario. The scenery was a series of seemingly endless forests, streams, meadows and lakes. It was just beautiful. All meals are included on the train and breakfast was served each morning from 6:30am to 9:30am. Choices included omelets, pancakes and eggs / bacon. Since there were two of us we were paired at the four person table with different twosomes. During our meals we met Brits, Germans, a Norwegian, an ex-pat Brit couple living in Spain, a few Americans and several Canadians.

After breakfast, there was plenty of time to sit in one of the two observation cars, complete with half car 360 degree dome sections, to look outside, take pictures or read. We almost immediately saw a moose out the window and later in the day we both saw a bald eagle.

Lunch and dinner on the train are served by reservation in three different sittings. One waited for a dining car employee to walk up and down the eight cars that comprised the sleeper class to announce that commencement of that sitting. Lunch was a choice of salad, hamburger, sandwich or wrap. The food was very good and it is always fun to sit in a dining car and watch the scenery go by as you eat.

The afternoon was more relaxation, reading, listening to music and napping as the train continued to make its way through the forests of Ontario. This area is known as the Canadian Shield, which is characterized by bare rock and coniferous boreal forest of spruce, larch, pine, poplar and aspen trees. A stop in Hornepayne, Ontario, in the middle of the afternoon allowed us to get some fresh air and take a short walk, even though it was raining.

For dinner there was there was a choice of prime rib, chicken, fish or a veggie option, complete with Canadian wine. As the sun set at about 10:15pm in Western Ontario, we were treated to some great picture taking opportunities with a beautiful orange glow in the sky over a series of lakes. After that bit was time to get some sleep as we needed to be up early in the morning for our arrival into Winnipeg.

Crossing into Manitoba and Arrival in Winnipeg

We were sure to be up early on Monday morning and at the dining car a little before opening at 6:30am as we wanted to eat before the train arrived in Winnipeg for a four hour stop at 8am. We both enjoyed pancakes and then were ready to leave the train when we arrived about 20 minutes late, at 8:20am. Winnipeg, located just a few kilometers from the longitudinal center of Canada. We were 33 hours into our journey from Toronto, with about 46 hours to go to Vancouver. Founded as a fur trade center at the intersection of two rivers, it now has a population of about 650,000 and is one of the ten biggest cities in Canada.

The train station is located right in the center of the city, making it convenient to explore the river and downtown areas. We arrived back about a half hour before departure at lobby of Union Station, which was designed by the same architects who were responsible for Grand Central Station. It felt good to stretch our legs and we were ready to get on the train for the journey westward.

Current Time in Toronto:

28 - 30 June 2010

Westward Across the Prairie to Edmonton

After leaving Winnipeg at mid-day on Monday, we passed blazing yellow fields of canola plants, with bright purple flax plants mixed in. We were now in the prairie and the remainder of the afternoon was spent moving through a series of towns dotted with grain elevators and onion-shaped churches, signifying the Eastern European immigration in this area.

Soon after the train crossed into Saskatchewan, an extended stop in Melville, gave us an opportunity to take a quick walk along the train. After dinner, some final prairie views in the extended daylight provided some further picture taking possibilities. As we were going to sleep, the city lights of Saskatoon were seen in the distance, as the train stopped at a station several miles from the city.

Canadian Rockies and Arrival in Vancouver

A beautiful sunrise greeted us on Tuesday morning, just east of Edmonton, Alberta. Similar to Saskatoon, the Edmonton train station is located several miles outside of the city, so we were able to just walk around the train during the hour we were there. Soon after we left Edmonton, the prairie faded away and we began to see more lakes and rivers as we anticipated the first views of the Rocky Mountains.

Finally we were able to see the first signs of the mountains in the distance, which caused great excitement throughout the train. More mountains came into view as the train moved along the foothills, along with beautiful lakes and streams. At about 1pm we arrived in Jasper, Alberta, which is located in the national park of the same name. Many people on the train break their journey here and stay in this area for a few days. The 90 minute stop gave us time to walk along the town streets and do some shopping.

Back on the train, we passed the continental divide, marking the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Soon after we saw a bear outside the train window! As we continued to move west during the afternoon, we passed the “Monarch of the Canadian Rockies”, Mount Robson, which at 12,972 feet (3,954 meters) is the highest peak in the Rockies. We continued to see beautiful mountain vistas and breathtaking lakes and rivers, including the 300 foot (91 meter) high Pyramid Falls, complete with a rainbow. A final extended early evening stop in Blue River, BC gave us a few minutes to stretch our legs before going to the dining car for our last dinner as the sky moved towards dusk.

On Wednesday morning we woke up a couple of hours outside of Vancouver which gave us enough time for breakfast in the dining car and final packing before arriving at the train station a little before 9am, which was about one hour ahead of schedule. After leaving our bags at the station, we spent the day seeing downtown Vancouver. After visiting Stanley Park, the Vancouver aquarium and the downtown waterfront, we went back to pick up our bags at the train station and then took the light rail to the airport and our evening flight home.

Current Time in Vancouver:

A 12 day journey in June 2009 around Scotland by train made a special mother / 18 year-old daughter trip. Going by train allowed us to experience of the beauty and history of Scotland at a slower and relaxed pace. The time in Scotland was a combination of cities and countryside, staying in four places; two cities full of history and beautiful castles (Stirling and Edinburgh) and two places in the highlands with stunning scenery (Fort William and Aviemore, near Inverness and within Cairngorms National Park).

Even at our destinations we used the train passes to see more. We took a 90 minute train ride and then a ferry journey as a day trip from Fort William to the Isle of Skye, and another day hopped on a 40 minute rail trip from Aviemore to Inverness for a stroll along the River Ness and a dinner in town before returning in the evening. So we were able to see a wide variety of Scotland during the time we were there.

11 - 12 June 2009

Plane and Train Journey to Aviemore

On Wednesday (10 June) we left Orange County for a 3 hour, 15 minute flight to Chicago, where we changed planes to flight to Manchester, England. We arrived there on time, at 7:20am the next morning, after a 7 hour 11 minute flight. After clearing customs we walked a short distance from the airport terminal to the train station located within the airport. The train we planned to take did not leave until 9:29am but we found another one that left at 9:00am, so after having our train passes validated, we were off on the first leg of our journey north to Scotland.

After about a hour we reached Preston and had about 30 minutes until the next train, so we ate a snack at the station while we waited. The next train left at 10:41am with a destination of Glasgow. We passed adjacent to the Lake District and then through some beautiful countryside before crossing into Scotland a little after noon. About one hour later we arrived in Glasgow, where we had to walk about 10 minutes between two train stations in order to catch the next train to Perth.

The third train trip took a little less than an hour, and we arrived in Perth at 2:36pm. Our fourth and last train to Aviemore left at 2:54pm and we reached our destination at 4:26pm. The town was quite small, with one major street, which included a few stores, hotels, cafes and the train station. The hotel was a couple of miles out of town so we hailed a taxi to take us there. Our first night’s dinner was included at the hotel so we enjoyed that before going to sleep.

Hiking in Cairngorms National Park and River Strolling in Inverness

Cairngorms National Park is located within classic Scottish highland scenery. Established in 2003, it is the largest national park in Britain. On Friday (12 June) we ate breakfast and then proceeded to walk about a 1/2 mile from the hotel to the visitors center in the Rothiemurchus section of the park. After buying a map we began our hike to several lochs (lakes). We passed through some nice forest and highlands with great mountain views. After about two miles we reached Loch an Eilein. Here, in the middle of the lake, is a small 13th century castle.

From there we turned along a trail that took us back into the highlands. After passing several small lakes we then turned again toward Coylumbridge and our hotel, returning there in the early afternoon. The hike was about five miles in all.

We decided to visit Inverness in the late afternoon so we took a taxi to the train station and boarded one of the frequent trains to the city. It took about 40 minutes to get there and we spent some time walking around the city center and visiting a craft market taking place on the pedestrian streets.

Next, we walked to the top of the castle, which is currently a Sheriff’s Court. After a pub stop we then walked along the River Ness for about a mile to a series of islands, known as the Ness Islands, located in the middle of the stream and connected by a series of Victorian bridges. It was very pretty and peaceful. We had an early dinner at a pub back in town before taking the train back to Aviemore and returning to our hotel.

View the Aviemore Cairngorms National Park Hike video.

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13 - 14 June 2009

Journey to Stirling along the East Coast of Scotland

On Saturday (13 June) we woke to rain. To reach Stirling, our next destination, we decided to take a longer route east and then south to see more of Scotland’s countryside as experience the east coast along the Atlantic Ocean. We took a taxi from the hotel to the train station in Aviemore and boarded the 09:44 service to Inverness. The weather improved significantly during the 30 minutes we had in Inverness and we were treated to nice views from the train window as we left at 10:58 and rode a little over two hours to Aberdeen.

We picked up some sandwiches and drinks during our 30 minute layover in the Aberdeen train station and then continued our train journey toward Stirling, moving along the coast and then inland. Arriving in Stirling at 15:43, almost exactly two hours after leaving Aberdeen, we walked about 15 minutes up hill from the train station to our hotel and checked in. It was located in a former stone school building dating from the 1800s. The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around town, visiting a shopping mall and eating dinner at a pub.

Historic Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument

Sunday was devoted to learning about Stirling’s rich historic past. After ordering coffee and pastries at a breakfast cafe, we continued to the top of the hill where the Stirling Castle is located. We bought audio guides and enjoyed the commentary as we moved throughout the castle. Much of the structures date from the 14th to 16th centuries and the Great Hall is the largest such medieval building in Scotland. It rained part of the time but we were able to visit several of the buildings while dodging the rain drops, learning about Scottish monarchs, including James V, Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI. The views from the walls were great and reinforced the strategic location of this city adjacent to both the Scottish lowlands and highlands.

During the afternoon we made our way to the William Wallace Monument, about three miles away. We initially thought we could take a short train trip to get us within close walking distance, but when this did not work out, we took a taxi to the monument instead. After a break for soup and drinks in the cafeteria, we made our way up some switchbacks to the monument building. It was then about 250 steps to the top, broken up by viewing exhibits on the life of William Wallace and an seeing an overview of famous Scots.

From the top there were views of Stirling and the castle as well as seven historic battlefields in which the Scottish battled the English. After enjoying the views, we made our way back down and then decided to walk back to Stirling via the famous Stirling Bridge, near the battle where William Wallace defeated the English in 1297. We reached Stirling in less than an hour and then had dinner in the evening at an Italian restaurant in the Old Town.

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West Highland train line sounds:

15 - 17 June 2009

Train trip to Fort William

The train from Stirling to Glasgow left at 11:21am on Monday (15 June) morning so we had breakfast at a coffee shop before making our way to the train station. After the 40 minute trip to Glasgow, we changed to the 12:21pm train to Fort William. The first hour of this 3 hour 40 minute journey was spent going along the Clyde River and ocean inlets, past ports and old shipyards.

The train then turned inland and along the upper part of Loch Lomand before reaching the desolate West Highlands. The ride continued past many lochs (lakes) and it began to rain as we passed through the Moor of Rannoch. We reached Fort William at 4:06pm and were able to walk the 20 minutes from the train station to our bed and breakfast without getting too wet. The weather cleared up as we settled in and then walked back into town to look around. We had an early dinner at a seafood restaurant on the banks of Lake Linnhe.

Day Hike in Glen Nevis

The weather on Tuesday was more promising than the forecast for Wednesday, so we decided to take a day hike in the Glen Nevis area, about a three mile walk from the center of town. We were interested in going to Steall Meadows and a 100 meter high bride veil waterfall. It looked to be three miles round trip from the visitor center parking lot. However, we discovered that it was the wrong parking lot and the hike began from another one five miles down the road. Fortunately a public bus was able to take us most of the way to the trail head and we were able to enjoy a nice hike along a beautiful river and then a somewhat challenging rocky path through a small gorge. Once we reached the meadow and waterfall we relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness of the area as there were only a handful of people there.

We thought we would be able to walk back to the trail head and pick up the public bus all the way back to Fort William. Because it was a school day the buses were not running as often as we thought so we ended up having to walk an extra 2 1/2 miles to the youth hostel to call a taxi. We figure we ended up walking about 11 miles in all but enjoyed the hike and scenery.

Once back in Fort William we opted for a 90 minute boat cruise around Loch Linnhe where we were treated to views of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK at 4,409 feet (1,344m). We also passed several salmon farms in the lake. After the boat cruise was over we went to a pub for dinner.

Train Trip to Mallaig and Ferry Ride to Isle of Skye

On Wednesday (17 June) the weather was cold and rainy but nevertheless we decided to make our way on the 8:30am train to Mallaig. This train trip is considered to be one of the most scenic in Europe and has the added bonus of passing along the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is a famous bridge featured in the Harry Potter films. As the train moved closer to Mallaig during the 80 minute journey, highland views gave away to ocean inlets and coastline. We reached Mallaig a little before 10am and went to get a cup of hot tea to warm us up as it was cold, rainy and windy.

We decided to go to the Isle of Skye for a few hours as there were castle ruins and a museum to visit. The 25 minute ferry crossing was great, even though it was still rainy and cold. This ferry held numerous cars on its lower deck and had a nice indoor area to sit in when we weren’t out taking pictures. Once in Armadale, on the Isle of Skye, it was a half mile walk to the Armadale Castle ruins and the Museum of the Isles. The weather was better here and we enjoyed the gardens adjacent to the castle as well as learning about Clan Donald and Scottish history at the museum.

After some lunch next to the pier we boarded the 2:25pm ferry back to Mallaig. We had about an hour to walk around the city and hike up a hill for some nice ocean views. The train back to Fort William left at 4:05pm and the weather was much better than the trip in the morning, which allowed us to take some pictures from the train window. Once we were back in Fort William, we celebrated our last night there with dinner at an Indian restaurant.

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Bagpipe players on the Royal Mile:

Typical train announcement as we waited in Manchester on our last night:

18 - 19 June 2009

Final Train Journey to Edinburgh

We woke up Thursday morning in Fort William to more rain. Since we were a 20 minute walk from the station, we decided to call a taxi so we wouldn’t get totally soaked going to the train station. Our train left at 07:42 and we were treated once more to the beautiful highland scenery along the West Highland Way. After almost four hours we arrived at the Glasgow Queen Street Station. We quickly checked the departure boards for the next train to Edinburgh and found that one was scheduled to leave at 11:45. So we arrived in Edinburgh at 12:40.

It was slow going to the hotel from the train station because there was new tram construction underway along Princes Street, one of the major streets in the city. We checked into the hotel and then went out for a walk in the park. It started to rain so we went to the National Gallery of Scotland for a couple of hours. It was a small but representative collection of art from pre Renaissance to Impressionist. After leaving there we walked around the old town and along part of the Royal Mile. We had dinner at a pub midway on the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Sightseeing

On Friday we first visited the Edinburgh Castle. It was already crowded when we arrived within an hour of it opening for the day. We spent several hours with audio guides exploring the many places to visit within the castle grounds, including chapels, military museums, prison life exhibits and the room that holds Scotland’s crown jewels. The views of the city and Firth of Forth were great.

After lunch at the Elephant Cafe (of J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter fame) we visited Greyfriars Kirk (Church) and walked the entire Royal Mile with a stops in the Museum of Edinburgh and outside the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. We finished the day with some shopping and dinner at a Bistro just steps from the castle.

Trip back to Manchester and then Home

Saturday we made our way to the airport via a bus service that makes frequent trips from the train stations. Our 45 minute flight to Manchester was delayed by 2 1/2 hours, due to an equipment problem, but we eventually made it there in the late afternoon. After checking into a hotel near the airport we took one last short train trip into Manchester to walk around the city and do some last minute shopping. Dinner was back at the hotel.

Our flight Sunday morning left on time at 10:30am and after 7 hours and 55 minutes we landed in Chicago. During the flight we had incredible views over Greenland and Eastern Canada. We changed planes in Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles in the early evening.

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For three weeks in June and July of 2000 we explored Europe with our kids, who were nine and six at the time. The majority of our trip was spent in Switzerland, but we also visited Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and France. Our transportation was primarily by train, with a few buses, gondolas, chair lifts and boats thrown in for good measure. We relied on a Swiss Pass Family Card, which provided unlimited train, bus and boat travel throughout the country. We also used a pass for Luxembourg trains and buses and bought Metro passes during our time in Milan and Paris.

Seeing things by foot by spending many of the days hiking in the Alps and even trekking to two different huts for overnight stays were major highlights of the trip. Our other accommodations were almost all hostels, which gave us the opportunity to picnic and cook to save the costs of going to restaurants every night. It was the first multi-cultural international trip for the girls and they greatly enjoyed the experience.

We explored Alaska by train and cruise ship over 13 days in June 2007. Traveling by both land and sea was a great way to see this amazing place. Two very different national parks, Denali and Glacier Bay, were definitely highlights of the trip.