Arrival in Vancouver

We arrived about 10:30am, 45 minutes later than the published arrival time.  This photo was taken from the train window.  Tracks, train, and city.  

As we traveled across Canada, there were innumerable slow downs and stops to allow the freight trains to go by.  Most of the line is single track meaning that one train has to go on a siding to allow the other train to pass.  The passenger train usually was the one that was delayed.  I think we were behind schedule about 4 hours at one point.  We made up time on long straight aways on the plains.  At some points the train was rocking so that you ricocheted down the passageways as you made your way from car to car.  Our berth was right next to the dining car, but we had to go through several cars to get to the dome cars and activity cars.  There were 24 cars plus three engines, 240 passengers, 26 staff including porters and dining/kitchen staff.

Once we found our hotel, we went to the Anthropology Museum at the University of British Columbia which has an extensive collection of First Nations Artifacts.  It is located on the waterfront with views of the Pacific.  Below is a detail of an historic totem pole.

In order to get there, we took public transportation and mastered at least one bus route.

Jasper

Arrived in Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. Only a few minutes to stroll around. More about our train adventure later

Train camping

Inside my berth

Outside at night

Day time. Seats convert to upper and lower berths for sleeping. Very compact. 

Saturday

Checked out of the hotel and brought our bags to the train station. We don't board until after 8 pm and leave at 10. Then wandered the waterfront, finally. Here we were on Lake Ontario and for all the exploring we were doing, the only time we actually saw the lake was when we landed.

We then did the tourist thing and we up in CN Tower, 2nd highest free standing tower and one of the 7 wonders of the modern world according to the America Society of Civil Engineering. It is fun to get above it all. We opted NOT to do the walk around outside the observation deck, attached with harnesses.

I don't know what the Internet connection will be on the train. I suspect I will be off line until arriving in Vancouver on Wednesday. If I can snap a photo of the sleeping accommodations and get it off before we depart, I will. Other wise it will be in a few days.

Friday in Toronto

A tour of the Distillery district with art galleries! It is an historic area that was once a distillery. Now it's trendy with shops and galleries. More interesting than the upscale shopping area. We wondered around the St. Lawrence Market and found an exhibit of Toronto history. The person staffing the desk was very knowledgeable and gave us a comprehensive view of the rebellion of 1837. It seems reformers were ready to kidnap the royal governor and seize arms in order to take over the government. Sound familiar? This plan met with abject failure, but the reforms were put in place with 10 years. Remember taxation without representation? That was one of the complaints. The British got the message, though.

More walking wore us out but not before we happened upon a Chartres-style labyrinth hidden next to the Eaton Center ( a major downtown shopping center) and a church. We walked it and every time Doug and I passed each other we touched hands. Nice.

Found respite in another garden filled with tulips.

At AGO

Enjoying a break at the espresso bar at the museum on Wednesday

Just Around the Corner

Today we walked and walked and walked. Just around the corner (he said), miles and miles (she said). As always it was some where in between. Toronto Public Library for an exhibit about the War of 1812; Chinatown and the Kensington market area, Queen Street past the Osgoode Hall and Old City Hall; on to Eaton Place. Aside from sore feet, no worries. It was a beautiful day to be out walking.

Kensington market has lots of fruit and vegetable vendors and all sorts of small ethnic shops. Fun to wander and poke in and out of shops.

Osgoode Hall built in 1832 and added to over the years houses the Upper Law Courts of Upper Canada. Impressive from both inside and out. Old City Hall is a Richardsonian Romanesque building built in 1899 and is now a courthouse. The new city hall was built in the '60's. It was controversial at the time as so many modern public buildings of the era were. There is a Henry Moore sculpture out in front, and that, too, was controversial.

When we were at the Art Gallery of Ontario yesterday, I noted that I hadn't seen so many Henry Moore sculptures in one place. It turns out he gave the museum over 300 objects from drawings to maquettes to full size sculptures.