Home for
Christmas
NO WORRIES -
VIA’S OCEAN TRAIN GREAT GIFT TO SELVES
This night, just
a few calendar checks before Christmas we have one of the prettiest
views from our window that a person could ask for.
The spouse and I
boarded VIA Rails “Ocean” train in Moncton, New Brunswick bound for
Niagara Falls in Ontario.
We’re doing lo-budget travel so had sandwiches in our room
watching the world go by as we munched down Jack’s version of ‘bully
beef’ - corned beef from the can.
We rearranged the furniture in our cubicle on wheels, trying
to get a good view even though the short days of December made for
blackness beyond our window.
Took about half
an hour for us to admit where we wanted to be, put our boots back on
and head for the observation car.
After negotiating our way five cars back, laughing like a
pair of kids at the rock and roll stagger down narrow corridors I
likened to a rabbit warren, we filled out coffee cups and lucked
into front row seats in the observation car.
What a treat the
next few hours were as we sat in total comfort and enjoyed the snow
covered forest by moonlight.
Being at the back of the train gave us a magical birds eye
view of the train ahead.
On curves light spilled from the windows creating an ever
changing mosaic on the snow, especially when the train slowed.
Snow blowing up
from the speeding train sparkles as it falls onto trees, creating a
true winter wonderland.
Seldom have we
appreciated Christmas lights as much as when passing through the
rural landscape of northern New Brunswick and Quebec.
Perhaps it is their sudden appearance in this pristine snow-scape
that makes them so special.
The wail of the
trains whistle adds to the experience.
Eventually a physical body demands that we retire. Once snug in our surprisingly comfortable beds with lights out I simply had to raise my window blind to catch glimpses of sleeping towns as we passed through.
Although the
citizens are sleeping there is still a sense of the community to savour.
Historic buildings - town halls and such - were often raised near
the railway station in days gone by.
Invariably the tracks take you from wilderness, through farm
land, changing to modern industrialization and subdivisions into the
older sections of villages and cities both.
The next morning,
early risers, we head back to the dome care to watch the sun rise over
the flat plains of Quebec.
Farms show the first signs of activity as lights come on in the barns.
Town traffic indicates the work day to come.
I gleefully point out the gloved hands scrapping ice from cars
and the clouds of breath indicating a cold, cold morning.
All too soon we pull
into the station in Montreal.
Then a short wait and some neat people-watching later we board
VIA for Toronto. A second
train change will take us on to waiting family in Niagara Falls.
I’m totally enamoured of this way of travel, especially in the winter. We get to enjoy the scenery, the social joy of chatting with other travellers; the travel experience without the stress of two days driving winter roads through northern New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Didn’t miss the horrendous traffic either! This trip was a great gift to ourselves.