When you take subway, do not be
surprised that trains have no drivers. It is fully automatic, but except the
IT, surveillance, and other required services. All subway trains in Canada have
no drivers in them. However, I heard a rumor of considering a possibility to
get back to people again rather than relying solely on machines. Well, let us
see how far it might develop.
And before we move on, I would like to
share something special and valuable to me. A friend and colleague of mine from
Renshaw Travel
has told me about that very memorable moment in Vancouver, i.e. the final day
of the Olympics 2010, when there was a final goal scored by Sidney Crosby and
the whole city screamed at once YEAH! It was the moment which changed a lot;
Canada has become the champion not only in hockey but in the Olympics taking
most of golden medals. I remember this because it had and has a great
importance for Canada.
 |
| Downtown Victoria |
Another chapter of the journey was in
the city of Victoria, the
most English city of Canada, so charming and glorious, gorgeous and intriguing.
The city has so many different looks, it makes you think of truly important
things, especially standing by the ocean and looking at the horizon. Yes, it is
worth going there and better if you have a couple more days to be able to
explore more places on Vancouver Island.
It is very beautiful and breath-taking. There is something special about the
city of Victoria; it is really hard to explain that. You just need to feel it
yourself. Victoria is a very different city, very distant from most of the
business centers, but, maybe, it is why the city is so special. Believe me you
will fall in love with the city. Try to get to all places of your own interest,
enjoy it.
 |
| Downtown Victoria, view to The Fairmont Empress Hotel |
Canada is a very interesting, beautiful,
large and gorgeous country. It has a perfect mix of old classics and modern
looks, crazy extremes and calm, quiet life. The country is spectacular in all
its variety. Canadians love to have fun making life easier and simpler. I think
it is truly great. You can see it on the way people express themselves by
decorating their homes before Christmas, by creating a small paradise on the
front and backyards. They also paint their cars in different colors, creating
pictures on them, or simply getting funny names on their license plates. They
cost a little more but definitely worth it. Besides, on each license plate in
Canada you can see the slogan of the province, for instance, Quebec has “Je Me
Souviens”, Ontario has “Yours To Discover”, Manitoba has “Friendly Manitoba”, British
Columbia has “Beautiful British Columbia”, and so on.
 |
| Funny license plate |
Another chapter of the journey brought
us to Winnipeg, so different
and so interesting. The city of Winnipeg has its own unique “face”, keeping it
history and secrets, showing the rest of Canada new stuff and being one of the oldest
(among large) cities of Canada. In some part of downtown area you might feel
“deja-vu” as if you are in Chicago with all mafia actions going on. Some
building do remind of it. I think it is very unique because of many reason, but
this is definitely one of them. Winnipeg has a lot to offer even not being very
popular among tourists yet. But the city is developing rapidly and someday
there might be plenty of new things appearing. Being in the middle of the
country, it has a lot of ways both through and around the city. Winnipeg is
really different from many other Canadian cities. You just need to explore it
and be pleasantly surprised of how wide in its diversity the city is.
 |
| Downtown Winnipeg |
Earlier I
mentioned my trip from Winnipeg to Toronto.
I traveled by train and it was a long journey with lots of emotions. It was my
second trip to Toronto. The first one was back in 2007. This one took place in
2012. Well, the company called Via Rail
is operating all across Canada and trains come all the way from Vancouver to
Toronto through Winnipeg. So, I took my train in Winnipeg in the evening (it
was a little delay) but the train seemed pretty comfortable. Since trains are
not popular any longer, they have more than half of sits vacant. So, a passenger
is able to use two sits to sleep (if it is an economy class). The trip has its
way to the north covering some important villages and towns and going through
the wild forest. You can see many beautiful lakes, different landscapes, wild
animals, dawns and sunsets, changing weather and many more. Such kind of a trip
gives you a lot of thinking, a lot of new perception of the world.
 |
| Via Rail train |
After Winnipeg
we had a great trip to the resort called Clear Lake and a town of Boissevain. There we could see small towns in the middle
of Canada with their own look and history. Clear Lake is popular among students
and families. People like the place for its location, nature and convenience.
There are plenty of resorts all across Canada and Clear Lake is one of them. I
guess it is mainly popular among Winnipeggers.
 |
| Clear Lake |
In contrast to
Clear Lake, Boissevain is different. It has more of historic meaning and
traditional look. It is a nice place for families, very safe and clean. I would
recommend it as one of your stops on your way. My favorite place in Boissevain
is that old railroad station. It is
not in use anymore, just a painting on the wall as a reminder of its initial
purpose. There is a warehouse or a shop inside of that building now, but the
station itself does not exist. When I was there I wondered if trains were still
going on the rail, and I was told that they were going there but not passenger
trains, just with the harvest and other stuff inside. There is also a good bar
in front of the church; there you can find a picture on the wall of old Boissevain.
It is very amazing. As for the church, it has unusual colors and style, thus
making it more attractive. I think Boissevain has a lot to offer if you are
open to new things.
 |
| Boissevain |
Being in
Boissevain I had a chance to visit a small town nearby, it is called Killarney. It is a small town, also
beautiful and unusual. I was there when it was a Christmas season coming, so
there was a Santa Claus Parade even there. Killarney is closer to the U.S.
border than Boissevain. If you are in Boissevain, take your time to visit
Killarney as well.
 |
| Hornepayne |
Describing
Canada is not always an easy thing to do. Canada is very different and
sometimes you just have to see it to feel it. It is like a sense of a place,
i.e. when it is impossible to describe or to take a picture of the place and
keep the same feeling. And when it comes
to some small issues typical for Canada, sometimes it is a matter of
perception. I liked what I saw in Canada. All the roads are good; everything is
equipped in a proper way, for instance, all buses have special platform for the
wheelchairs and baby carriages. Also, all buses in North America have special
holders for bicycles in front of the wheel shield. All school buses have
special signs STOP on the left side, so that drivers could see that the bus has
stopped to let kids in. Moreover, there is a special light on the roof, like a
lighthouse in case of emergency (so that it could be seen from a helicopter).
 |
| School bus |
Another chapter
of the journey was in a world famous place, Niagara Falls. We discovered it as a town with lots of
casinos, hotels, restaurants, shops, and many more. It is also a great family
place for people of all ages, so that kids are never bored and adults are never
tired of constant fun. Niagara Falls is a magic place, being near one of the
world`s wonders is really special. Being in such place is really making people
appreciate what we all have in this world. It is the beauty of the falls in its
natural purity and splendor.
 |
| Niagara Falls |
This is truly
unbelievable how different and beautiful Canada is with all of its wonders of
the world, with its unique society, lifestyle and spirit. Canadians are proud
to be Canadians with no exceptions. They make better service for themselves,
trying to simplify everything that is possible. For instance, self-checkout
system is widely implemented in Canada nowadays,
especially in large supermarkets. Not many people still know how to use it
properly, but it does save time for those who do know how to do that. Self-checkouts
are meant to reduce the waiting time in a line. There is a constant
surveillance and all customers are monitored. There are many pros and cons
concerning this service; however, it is used in most of large supermarkets even
not only in Canada.
 |
Electronic schedule screen
|
Before moving on to the final for now
chapter of the journey, I would like to say a few words about my first trip to
Canada, i.e. to Toronto in 2007. My flight was through Frankfurt, Germany, and
(logically) it was Lufthansa operating in Europe and AirCanada flying to
Toronto. I liked the trip and everything was very comfortable. Unlike Pulkovo
II airport in St. Petersburg, Russia where my flight was from,
the airport in Frankfurt was huge and very comfortable. Pulkovo II is very
small and old airport. You have to wait in the line for long (sometimes not
knowing where this line goes to). Also, when you finally get to the required
Gate, passengers go through the check and once you get through, you cannot go
out even to the toilet; otherwise, you will have to go through the security
check once again. Besides, the place where you wait for your flight is very
small and there is too little air in it. That is what travelers might want to
know when considering their trips to St. Petersburg. The opening of a new
terminal is expected (late 2013) and the situation might change due to such development.
 |
| Montreal
airport |
The airport in Frankfurt is very big and
comfortable; you can wait and relax while reading, drinking something or simply
checking you e-mail. I can definitely say that all Lufthansa planes as well as
AirCanada planes are very comfortable and safe. I had most enjoyable trip due
to a perfect operation of both companies.
 |
| Air Canada |
So, now it is time to take a look at our
final (for now) chapter of the great and long journey in Canada, i.e. the city
of Toronto. As shown in the
chapter, Toronto is the largest city of Canada and the most important one
(beside its capital, Ottawa). My first impression of Toronto was back in 2007
at the airport, it was very huge and unexplored to me. But my first real
impression of the city, to be more precise, downtown, was very amazing. I got
off the subway train on Union Station and got out on the street, Front St. W.,
and saw those skyscrapers. I could never forget that feeling. It is
unbelievable.
 |
| Downtown Toronto (first impression) |
I suppose that many people would feel
the same seeing it for the first time, even seeing it many times still makes
you marvel and admire it. Toronto is one of my favorite places in the world,
very unique with its own culture, history and spirit. Near Toronto City Hall and Old City Hall, which are both very beautiful, you can see the ice skating place for people
in winter and lovely fountain in summer.
There you can probably think of the U.S.
Rockefeller Center, where people skate every winter and gather to see many
celebrations. I would say this is one of such place in Toronto (near the Old
City Hall), where you can link it with the “southern neighbor”.
 |
| Downtown Toronto |
There are plenty of places in Toronto
for citizens, tourists and visitors. Any season is good for this city, either
you are in summer or in winter. In summer you have all attractions you like,
starting from water attractions and simple walk, finishing with helicopter
flights. In winter you can find yourself skating in the city center and
enjoying all Christmas preparation. During late October – November you can see
most of the shop windows are like screens showing Christmas stories. There are
toys and toy villages behind the windows. People do not just pass them by; they
stop to look at them. This is popular especially in downtown Toronto. You can
receive a little bit of Christmas spirit and great emotions. I believe that it
is very important for Canada and people living in this marvelous country.
 |
| Christmas preparations |
To conclude this chapter of the journey,
I would like to add one more thing, but, perhaps, you already know it. There is
a typical Canadian “EH” in everything and Can-EH-dians are proud of that. You
can often hear it from citizens and see it as part of signs on souvenirs and
T-shorts, and even famous maple syrup is pronounced as m-EH-ple. Usually, it is
used to ask “isn’t it?” or in some other cases as well. There are so many
interesting typically CanEHdian things yet to be discovered. Therefore, travel, dream, enjoy and explore,
and our journey is to be continued… EH?
 |
| Downtown Toronto, view to the CN Tower |
 |
| Pearson Airport in Toronto |
It is really a unforgettable travel Journey of yours. I would share my travel experience too here that once I have visited Niagara falls, it is really a good place that offers something for everyone. It was 3 days and 4 night stay in Niagara Falls Marriott Hotel that provided good services along with delicious foods. I explored almost every part of this beautiful destination. So, I can that it is really a unforgettable travel journey of mine. For more information about beautiful attractions visit at http://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com/attractions
ReplyDeletethank you, James! it is always nice to read comments from the readers! I'm happy you liked your stay there; i had just 1 day without accommodation and cannot yet tell you exactly my experience of those hotels i mentioned, but i certainly have to check Marriott Hotel out and have the most unforgettable stay in the future! =)
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