OK guys, after a few days without internet, here's a few updates !
Our last day in Vancouver started at the girls’ request with us hitting the shops. One of the delights of foreign travel to me are the simple but strangely different things of everyday life: street signs, food shopping, public transport, but I can’t quite fathom the attraction of visiting the same globalised chains you can go to in London, Madrid or even Poole. But hey, I’m not 12 or 14 with money to burn and an image to think of. I managed to get through the experience fortified by maple syrup fudge (I’ve already pre-booked a seat for each of my buttocks for our return flight) and then the girls were forced to trail round the splendid Mountain Equipment Co-op after us. 16 years ago, this shop had us in ecstasies: the Brits among you can think genetically modified Millets; I recall the pre-Beckham shock of all the male shop assistants wandering round in sarongs and them urging us to “try a little fleece” which in those long ago days sent me in search of some sheep-shearings. Now, with 4 branches of Decathlon surrounding Madrid, we were a bit more blasé but it’s still a great place to visit.
After lunch we headed up to the Queen Elizabeth park for a nap and then a quick 9 holes on the pitch and putt. Back to the hotel to pick up our cases and then on to the VIA Rail station. Here they informed us that while our outward journey to the Rockies was leaving as scheduled, our return trip was likely to be cancelled as a result of a threatened railworkers strike. Joy! So if we don’t turn up on the date you expect to see us next we may still be in Jasper.
The Canadian is a splendid train service: four days a week (when not on strike) it crosses the country from coast to coast. And remember this is a big country: the full trip takes around 4 days and crosses 4 time zones. Our small stretch took a mere 19 hours. It took most of these to walk along the platform from the station to Comfort Class where we were seated. The train is incredibly long and – presumably in fear of derailment at every bend – never seems to travel much over 40mph. Makes the AVE look like science fiction. However, it was pretty comfortable, if a little over air-conditioned and the views are incredible. Provided with pillows and blankets, we reclined and slept –ish.
