Wednesday 7 January 2009
Across Canada as a Tour Manager by William Christmas
William (left) introduced himself with forty years railways experience, the first 25 years with British Rail as a surveyor and after the demise of British Rail as a tour manager for 15 years with smaller but International travel companies, he outlined the many countries he had toured with extensive experience, but today he focussed on Canada, basing his talk on a specific tour of about two years ago. So his presentation supported by pictures circulated by hand encompassed the centres visited and the elegance and comfort of train travel, naturally he is justifiably biased towards that mode of rail transport as we would expect!
So he said as follows in broad concepts with some limitations due to the authors limitations !
When you take a Canadian Rockies vacation, do so in luxury - Travel first class on board from Toronto to Vancouver this offers you high-class accommodation, superb meals and impeccable service.
From your armchair, you can admire immense forests studded with sparkling lakes, William also mentioned that lumbar (trees) are the principle wealth of Canada followed by tourists.
He continued at dinner, your table is surrounded by prairies stretching to the horizon, the wheat swaying in the wind. Take afternoon tea in the middle of Jasper National Park amid the spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies. Tour Canada's most breathtaking expanses in a voyage spanning five provinces, from Ontario to the sparkling Pacific Coast of British Columbia.
With the other passengers you have exclusive use of the sleeping car, a haven of peace and comfort. You can choose between a berth or a single, double (with upper and lower berths), or triple bedroom.
From the moment you enter your quarters, a warm and comfortable atmosphere envelops you, the soft sheen of stainless steel reflecting the pinks, greens and blues of the decor and the landscapes rolling by the huge picture windows.
At the end of the evening your room will be transformed into a cosy bedroom by our attentive on-board crew. Lights are dimmed, reading lamps readied, pillows fluffed, soft blankets carefully turned down. Perhaps a relaxing shower before bed? It's only a few steps away.
At the rear of the train, is a whole new world, a peaceful environment combining elegance and comfort. Its three separate salons,, each have their particular charm. You'll want to sit back and relax, curl up with a good book, or perhaps chat with other travellers who have come from all over the world to enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience and in the dome, the upper observation deck, you'll understand the magic that only train travel can offer, with 360-degree views of impressive landscapes,
in the Bullet Lounge (below), with its huge wrap-around windows, you can settle back in stylish armchairs with a cup of afternoon tea and a good book. A variety of newspapers and magazines are available. The dining car is elegant - whether at breakfast, lunch or any of the three evening sittings (sunset, twilight or 9:00 p.m. moonlight service). On-board dining is an experience not to be missed, with delightful, freshly prepared meals in the best railway tradition.
William continue that often the tours start in Victoria the charming capital of British Columbia, this has the mildest climate in Canada and is one of the top year-round tourist attractions in the world, Victoria has an activity to suit all tastes. Some of the top attractions and activities in the “Garden City” include Buchart Garden is one of the world's premier floral show gardens. Jennie Buchart began to shape this magnificent landscape in 1904. She established, in the style of the grand estates of the period, several distinct gardens to evoke a range of aesthetic experiences. An abandoned limestone quarry was transformed into the dramatic Sunken Garden, a reflection of the early 20th-century beautification movement and an exceptional achievement in Canadian gardening history. The Gardens shown below has retained much of its original design, and continues the Victorian tradition of seasonally changing the outstanding floral displays.
Vancouver with its stunning natural beauty and sophisticated neighbourhoods, travel to Vancouver, British Columbia and experience a cosmopolitan city that is considered to be one of the most desirable places to live in the world. As the “Gateway to the Pacific,” Vancouver (below) is a vibrant, modern city that reflects the rich cultural diversity of its people.
The Coast Mountains and Pacific Ocean surrounding Vancouver offer an outdoor playground waiting to be discovered. Tours and trips aboard a train offers a unique opportunity to do just that. Blessed with glorious summers and reasonably mild winters, millions of tourists travel to Vancouver year-round.
William continued with more information covering the journey into or at least near the borders of the USA with the Niagara Falls (shown at bottom of this page), with the trivial fact that the Falls discharge a million bath tubs per second of water, unfortunately we were not informed if this bath tub was of Imperial or Metric units!!
Montreal
Old Montreal, is what many visitors come for, old cobblestoned streets lined with buildings dating from the 17th through 19th centuries, grand old French restaurants, history museums, and the riverfront Old Port. That's not to say that Old Montreal is completely removed from the rest of Montreal, back a few blocks you will find warehouses converted to boutique shops and loft apartments. During the summer, Place Jacques-Cartier is packed with street performers and restaurant terraces overflowing with tourists. Winter presents a much more subdued scene, with bundled figures hurrying from gallery to restaurant to hotel in the cold and snow.
This was a presentation filled with facts that are in part not recorded above, but the membership enjoyed the talked and Robert Sullivan in his vote of thanks explained how relevant the afternoon had been as he and his wife Molly had travelled almost the same route, indeed at least a goodly proportion of the membership had covered similar trips. So the membership responded with our thanks and indeed William I am sure many more if we get past the credit crunch will be heading westwards, so thank you.
Across Canada as a Tour Manager
by William Christmas
