June
29, 2006
Hello from Montreal - A Comfortable Ride
in the Train and First Impressions
It was an early day today, I got up at 4:30 am, and my husband
dropped me off at 5:45 am at Toronto’s historic Union Station.
Several buses of young students were already unloading their luggage
and ready to enter the train station. At about 6 am the Via
Rail counters were opening up and since I had a first class
ticket (called Via 1), I was directed to Via’s Panorama Lounge,
a special section with comfortable armchairs, free newspapers and
soft drinks. This was my first time on a Canadian train and I was
very excited about experiencing train travel and not having to fight
my way through traffic driving to Montreal.
Via 1 passengers received their own special priority boarding announcements
and off we went to the first coach behind the locomotive. I made
myself comfortable in the seats and stretched my legs. The seats
recline very far back so a tired traveler will have a chance to
get a good rest. Shortly after I was joined by a gentleman, a businessman
from Edmonton who had some appointments in Toronto and was now heading
to Montreal for other business duties. Ray kept me entertained with
his family stories and humorous tales of growing up in Montreal
and time passed quickly as we started rolling through the suburbs
of Toronto.
Early morning departure from Toronto's Union Station
We stopped at the Guildwood Station and then headed off into the
green farmlands of Ontario farm. My ticket also included meal service
and in a short while we received breakfast, starting with a fruit
plate. For our main breakfast dish we had a choice between a Ranchman's
Breakfast (a Cheddar cheese omelette and grilled beef steak served
with mini rösti potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and cherry
tomato), the second choice were buttermilk pancakes filled with
apple cinnamon and cranberry compote served with Canadian back bacon
and Quebec maple syrup. Giving in to my sweet tooth I opted for
the pancakes.
Mid-morning I got a bit tired and apologized to Ray and said I
had to sit back, relax and close my eyes a little since I had had
such an early morning. We both fell asleep for a while and Ray was
soon entertaining us the whole compartment with a very talented
lumberjack impression. I think he cut down an entire old growth
forest in the hour and a half during our last stretch to Montreal.
When he woke up just outside of Dorion, he told me he never has
a problem falling asleep in a train or a plane, and believeme, I
could certainly attest to that.
Breakfast on the train
But all in all, I really enjoyed the ride, especially once we started
rolling into the suburbs of Montreal. We passed through some of
the old industrial areas, some still in their original state, and
some beautifully renovated and refunctioned as condos. Montreal,
a historic shipping and railroad centre, is one of the cradles of
the industrial revolution in Canada and its industrial history includes
tanneries, wordworking factories, breweries, shoemaking, textile
milles, tobacco and rubber factories, all on display during our
train ride through the southern outskirts of downtown Montreal.
Downtown Montreal and its skyscrapers came into view and I was
excited to embark on my explorations of this exciting city. Just
about 5 hours after we had left Toronto our
Via Rail train rolled into the subterranean Gare Central (Central
Railway Station), dating back to 1938, at 12 noon. I caught a taxi
and was astounded at the congestion in the street in mid-day. The
taxi driver himself commented on how busy the city was today. It
seemed everyone was getting ready to do their last errands before
the long weekend.
Via 1 railway car
I arrived at the Holiday
Inn Downtown, located at 90 Viger Street and realized that I
was in a perfect location, right in the heart of Montreal’s
Chinatown. I was literally only 5 minutes away from Montreal’s
biggest and most impressive church: the Basilica of Notre Dame,
Montreal’s City Hall was about 7 minutes away and right across
the street is the Place d’Armes subway station. I could not
have had a more convenient location. Finding a hotel room on this
Canada Day long weekend, which incidentially coincides with the
July 4 long weekend in the United States is certainly a precarious
proposition, and I was very fortunate that the Holiday Inn Downtown
had a room available for me. I dropped my luggage with the concierge
since the room was not ready yet and I was ready for my first real
adventure in Montreal: a personally guided
driving tour through the centre of the city which would give
me a great lay of the land.
View of downtown Montreal, just before we are entering Gare Central
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
|