Epic Train Journey Across 1/4 of Canada...

In an effort to save the environment and up the romantic ante (as in the romance of travel...not as in a hope-to-find romance on the train) of travel, I decided that instead of flying, I would make my way from the East Coast to Montreal (and then on to Sherbrooke) by train and bus. My overnight train experiences have only consisted of once when I was a wee thing and we moved from NB to Ontario, and a couple of years when Ashley and I took the overnight from Glasgow to London (total travel time: 7 hours). As one of my dreams has always been to travel across Canada by train, I was delighted to get a taste of how that will be someday. I loved every second of it! I had heard horror stories of poopy bathrooms and not being able to sleep in uncomfortable seats, but the bathrooms were poopless and being short means that I got a pretty good sleep with only a slight krick in my knee and neck. As part of my onboard entertainment, I decided to document the journey a little bit...

This is how I passed the time on my Epic PEI - Sherbrooke voyage...

14:00: Just before my final PEI nap, I discovered that the shuttle bus I was to take from Summerside to Moncton would not actually guarentee to get me there on time for the train. After a frantic scramble, it is determined that Matt and Karl will drive me to Moncton. I offer to pay $40 for the bridge which is accepted, but my offer to pay for petrol is not.

15:00 I say my final goodbyes to Niamh and Jen and feel sad to be leaving PEI but excited to see my family and for the 15 hour epic train journey)

16:25 - 40ish: After a car journey complete with sharing harrowing stories of encounters with animals in nature, talk of D&D (Matt and Karl) and some happy day-dreaming whilst staring out the window (me) I am deposited by Matt and Karl. They kindly wait and take turns going pee (in the bathrooms, naturally) while I make sure I get my tickets without any problems.

16:28 I collect my tickets without any difficulties and Karl comments on how easy it was. I agree. Together we realise that due to the time change, my journey will actually only be 14 hours, and not 15.

16:45 Buy Globe and Mail and go pee. I hope not to pee again until I reach Montreal, but know that that probably is not realistic.

17:20 The train is late! While waiting for said train some kind elderly ladies (I will call them Doris and Lilly) kindly answered all of my overnight train questions. I am astounded to learn that there is only one train per day that goes from Halifax to Montreal. There used to be two (the Scotian train and the Ocean train) but that they stopped the last one a few years ago. One of the ladies' father used to work at the station back in the days of yore (well, maybe not quite that long ago) and apparently in its day, Moncton was quite a hub and the station had 6 busy tracks

17:38 I am on the train and it is leaving. This is the view from my window as we leave Moncton. Not pretty - but I suppose train tracks are not really meant to be so...



17:40 My ticket is taken. It is nice to know I am on the correct train.

17:50 I am reminded of just how many trees Canada has...and this was just the beginning of hours upon hours upon hours of trees:





18:02 Am hungry. Eat sub I brought with me. Decline food from passing trolley. Am worried that I have not brought enough food with me, but decide I won't starve if I don't eat until Montreal. Crave chocolate though, and wonder if I may have to break into stash saved for presents. Decide that's quite desperate and I won't die if I don't have chocolate until Montreal either. Will eat fruit (much more sensible option) instead.

18:11 Look around and decide I am not likely to befriend anybody sitting around me - mostly because they are all speaking French and seem to be getting off quite soon. Instead, I take a photo of my most likely travelling companions:



18:12 Am given a blanket and a pillow. What a pleasant surprise! Try pillow out to discover that it doesn't quite seem big enough. May have to locate a second...

18:22 There is a dinner announcement informing people that the dining car is open for its second sitting for dinner, and that people with reservations should be sure to proceed immediately. Dinner car? Reservations? Clearly other people have done this before.

18:27 I am given a million page survey to complete by the kind people at Via who want to improve people's rail experience. I agree to do one, as I will be sitting on the train for the next 13 hours with not much else to do...

18:38 I do not complete the survey as many questions need to wait until my journey is almost over...

19:21 Have been reading/dozing/looking out the window. We stop at Mirimishi and I have a moment of realisation of how big this country is, and how few people live in it...and how many people out East speak French! I for a moment think "If this was England, there would be many more trains than this" but then realise that I am in a much less densely population place than the UK and once again find it amazing that a train that offers one East-West service per day and its not even full!

19:27 The snack trolley comes around again and I abandon my noble ambition of a chocolate-free journey and buy a kit kat and eat half. It was $2.00! A bit steep for a kit kat, I think. Maybe I should write that in my train survey. I discover that the snack take-out car is open until 11:00 p.m. and decide that I am entitled to a night-cap. Do Canadian trains serve alcohol? I still have a gift bottle of Blomidon wine from Nova Scotia if things get desperate. I just need to locate a person who looks like they might be the cork-screw carrying type to befriend...



19:28 Wish I had knicked Karl's Crib board as a way of befriending the above mentioned cork-screw carrying individual. Decide I don't need to resort to opening own bottle if one can't be bought anyways. That's not a party - that's a problem!

19:38 Since I am missing three french classes for this trip, I have done a bit of French homework on my own and have written a little journal of my trip thus far en Francais!

20:04 Whilst staring out the window passing many, many beaatiful forests, swamps, rivers and meadows with the brilliant evening sunshine flickering through my window I think "This is a big, honking beautiful country and resolve to cross it by train with car day-trips on the side someday.




We then cross a big wide, rushing river and as admiring the view I realise that we seem to be suspended in mid-air! I peer out the window to discover that we are being held up by a seemingly little track and is presumably being held up by something larger, that I could not see). God Bless the CN Engineers!





20:17 Just minutes before pulling into Bathurst station the "third and final" call is made for the dining car. I decide to investigate said car (shown below). On the way I discovered newspapers (I took a French Acadian one) the pillow/blanket stash and I helped myself to another pillow as there seemed to be plenty (also shown below). The take-out snack car was playing some film starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore with no sound. I decide I am having more fun at my seat. I again marvel at how many people are speaking French and I wonder if we are in Quebec now.






20:18 Decide I need to learn more French and more Canadian Geography

21:12 The scenery on the right side of the train coming into Charlo (where?) is just stunning and there are hills (small mountains?) sweeping into a long narrow lake (or inlet) and they remind me of the hills sweeping into Loch Lomund. It is getting dark. Time for a pee break and a glass of wine! I hope we don't miss Gaspe due to darkness. I hear it's beautiful.

21:47. Oh! This lovely area is Gaspe! I tried to get wine from the take-out car, but apparently I needed to get it before 21:00 from the snack trolley. Oh - these funny non-European trains! I suppose I will survive!



I realise I forgot my toothpaste for me teeth. Oh, and I suppose my PJs are out of the question too - ha ha ha! I'd love to try a sleeper car someday - with a significant other and a bottle of wine, perhaps? But this time I felt that sitting upright for 14 hours would be much more adventurous! Well, time to don my eyemask and "turn in" for the night I guess!

Anyways, here is the bit of Gaspe I could see in the dark... followed by my make-shift bed!





Time Change! I forgot. Time change. Now I am "in bed" an hour early. Oh well, I'm going on 4 hous sleep from last night's Crib lesson and am pretty tired so I suppose it's just as well...

04:25 Woke up. I slept pretty well, all things considered. I think there were stops through the night as I recall people coming and going a bit. I think I woke up about once an hour to move around a bit. It is now just dawning and I have no idea where we are, other than somewhere in Quebec! I really wish I had brought my toothpaste. I am travelling backwards now instead of forwards. Will I soon be back in Moncton? I might go back to sleep now.

04:37 A-ha! We are in Charny!

04:56 I am going forward again. I guess Charny's just a bit off the beaten track...

06:53 I am having a coffee to try to hide my horrible breath, but I think it's just making it worse. I fear I will flatten Montreal with my first exhale when I arrive. I wish I could at least find my chewing gum!

07:17 I found my chewing gum in my jungle of a bag! Praise the Lord! Now I won't be responsible for the demise of an entire city! I am overall a bit smelly I think though...



07:30 Last call for breakfast in the dining car. I hadn't even considered that as an option, but I don't think I will now either.

07:34 We will be arriving in Montreal in 45 minutes. The announcements are in French now and I can basically understand them!

8:22 - 9:05 - **warning...my notes are now in my best attempt at French...some sort of mixture of past and present tense...I make no claims that it is accurate but no apologies either - that is why I'm taking lessons, you see! Oh, and I haven't quite got the accents on this keyboard figured out, so they are missing too!**

J'arrive a Montreal! Les batteries pour ma camera sont mort, alors je prends juste un petit vue de Montreal. C'est domage parce que c'etait un beau vue de la train! Quand j'arrive j'achete un bagel-Montreal avec creme du fromage et je suis alle au metro a Berri UQAM et le terminus centrale d'autobus. J'achete ma billet (la conversation est demie en Francais et demi en Anglais parce que je ne sais pas la mot pour "one way"). Apres j'achete duex journeaux: The Globe and Mail pour lirer les nouvelles Canadienne et leurs compris et j'achete aussi Le Devoir pour practicer lire en Francais. Je ne vue pas beaucoup de Montreal, mais je pense que cette une ville tres comfortable pour moi habiter. Il y a beaucoup des personnes qui parlons Anglais, alors I would survive, mais aussi je practicais because de Francais aussi!




J'ai predais l'autobus de Montreal a Sherbrooke et dans les deux chaises a cote de moi, il etait un garcons qui dirai beaucoup de l'histoire de Montreal a son ami. C'est tres interessant!





Dans cette journey je lire ma livre et tout a coup nous somme arrive a Sherbrooke! Je suis plus excite pour vue mes parents et j'oublie prends un photo de lui a la station!

En suite, nous sommes retournez chez mon frere et nous mange notre diner et je dormir pour deux heurs!

C'etait un voyage fantastic!