UMTravels

Breakfast at a reasonable hour at the hotel:

And then we were off to the train station!

This is our route for the next couple of days…

And after a couple of hour delay….the train:

And a thank you our train car attendant Tyler, who happily snapped my picture.

Actually, we have two attendants. Tyler is in training under Josh.

We are staying in the Monck Manor car…

And here is our initial room (Cabin For Two in VIArail speak) setup:

After we got rolling, I ask if they had any tables available – something I learned from a previous trip – and they did!

MUCH BETTER.

And they even made us lunch and dinner reservations – what a great crew:

Turkey wrap for Dan, an interesting version of Ginger Beef for me.

Starting off in the prairies, it looked like this…

And we have access to one Dome/Activities and a bar car dome at the end of the train known as Park Car which is bullet shaped at one end that is open to the public after 4pm. Earlier it is just for the Prestige Class customers who have paid a little over $11,000 CDN for rooms with double beds, unlimited liquor, card key access rooms.

If you are curious what Prestige Class bedroom look like if you are willing to pay through the nose…

Soon it was time for dinner:

Dan went for the chicken, I went for the prime rib – which was the most amazing prime rib I’ve had in a good long while.

More pictures from after dinner with the bed pulled down for the night:

Yes, I took my cheesecake to go.

And some CN Company Cars (for railroad executives to travel between their cities) that I spotted as we were pulling into Edmonton.

It was an early night for both of us, and against all odds we ended up in Jasper on time…at 6:30am!

And the inside of the station…

Before I got off the train, I’d had a little granola and yoghurt with a little old French lady from Bordeaux who spoke little English but I gleaned that her daughter was an au Pierre in Seattle, had another daughter in Vancouver as well as Toronto, and that she was her for a week. She managed to learn that I was a Merchant de Vin.

Because of the 3-hour stop in Jasper, it was a Continental Breakfast early, and then at reboarding at 9:30, it was a Brunch menu until 1pm.

I had the boys deliver me the Transcontinental Breakfast:

I think I like having room service on the train!

Especially with the view!

And this video of these cool falls that you can see from the train. Pyramid Creek Falls Provincial Park:

And I saw a mountain goat (missed the bear sighting)!

When it comes time for dinner, I get the lamb. Dan has graciously given me some alone time today.

Salad starter:

Lamb Chops for dinner:

And the boys (Tyler and Josh) brought me a split of the Lemon/Raspberry Cake, and the Strawberry Cheesecake.

Last stop of the night was Kamloops, which, as a train station, doesn’t have much to recommend it, but it is the City of Tournaments (hockey, judo, curling, etc. – knowledge courtesy of Tyler)

And damned if the train wasn’t EARLY into Vancouver – supposed to arrive at 8am, and it was in the bloody station by 6:30 – but unlike Amtrak, the staff stayed on and served breakfast at the standard time of 6:30 to 8:00. And in the room, no less!

And our morning view…

Breakfast in a non-moving car, a nice change.

Not sure why my Caesar isn’t in that shot, but it was good!

And the final shot from the train journey, Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, BC.

Bye, bye, train, may we meet again soon.

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