El viaje en tren // Why the train?
El viaje en tren (English version below)
Seguramente en avión o en carro hubiese sido más barato. Viajar en tren
hasta Nueva Escocia no es precisamente económico, ni siquiera con el cupón del
50% de descuento que teníamos. En carro, como la mayoría de nuestros amigos a
primeras intuían que haríamos el viaje, sería definitivamente más barato, y en
avión, aunque no he revisado, presumo que también y, además, hubiera sido más
rápido. Entonces ¿por qué pegarse un viaje en tren hasta Nueva Escocia en estos
días?
La única razón que tengo es por vivir la experiencia. Viajar en tren por
tantas horas, a travesar un buen trecho de Canadá sin tener que estar pendiente
de la carretera lucía atractivo, y en efecto, terminó resultando un viaje
diferente. Estuvimos por cuatro días, dos de ida y dos de vuelta,
confinados en un espacio pequeño, con mucho tiempo para hacer nada y
definitivamente en familia. Lo bueno de no tener que hacer nada es que tienes
tiempo para leer y ver por la ventana, para escribir, aburrirte, dormir,
conversar, contar los postes de luz, los carros color rojo y además tienes
tiempo para conectarte al internet y revisar los correos o el whatsapp, por que
el tren tiene un vagón con wifi. En el tren el tiempo vuelve a tomar la
dimensión de antaño.
¿Valió la pena? Si. En el tramo de 22 horas entre Montreal y Halifax
optamos por viajar en cabina doble con comida incluida y sentimos que
viajábamos en un hotel de lujo. Claro que nuestro concepto de lujo puede
resultar bajo para el estándar de otros, pero sin duda recibimos un buen
servicio y disfrutamos de buena comida. Desayuno almuerzo y cena tanto a
la ida como a la vuelta. Las camas no son las más confortables del mundo, ni
los estrechos baños, sin ducha, una maravilla, pero resultan más cómodos que
dormir en carpa y definitivamente más limpios que las letrinas o los baños portátiles
de los parques nacionales canadienses. La pasamos bien, tuvimos tiempo
para vernos las caras largamente, escribir unas cuantas anécdotas y terminar el
libro interesante y aburrido a la vez que había empezado hace tres meses y no
encontraba tiempo para terminar.
Why the train?
Almost sure, by plane or by car it would have been cheaper than by train. Traveling to Nova Scotia in the VIA is not exactly economical, not even with the 50% discount coupon we had. By car, as most of our friends thought at the beginning that we would make the trip, would be cheaper. Although I have not reviewed the aircraft tickets, I presume they were less expensive than the train, and by sure we would be reaching our destination faster. So, why do we stick to a train trip to Nova Scotia these days?
The only reason I had was to live the experience. The 50% coupon we received from Institute for Canadian Citizenship to use the VIA train, was a kind of “now or never” opportunity to try something different. Traveling by train for so many hours, traversing a good stretch of Canada without the stress of driving crazy number of hours, seemed too attractive to me, and indeed, ended up turning out to be very good choice.
Almost sure, by plane or by car it would have been cheaper than by train. Traveling to Nova Scotia in the VIA is not exactly economical, not even with the 50% discount coupon we had. By car, as most of our friends thought at the beginning that we would make the trip, would be cheaper. Although I have not reviewed the aircraft tickets, I presume they were less expensive than the train, and by sure we would be reaching our destination faster. So, why do we stick to a train trip to Nova Scotia these days?
The only reason I had was to live the experience. The 50% coupon we received from Institute for Canadian Citizenship to use the VIA train, was a kind of “now or never” opportunity to try something different. Traveling by train for so many hours, traversing a good stretch of Canada without the stress of driving crazy number of hours, seemed too attractive to me, and indeed, ended up turning out to be very good choice.
We stayed for four days, two going there
and other two coming back, confined in a small space, with plenty of time to do
nothing but share with the family. The
good thing about having nothing to do is that you have time to read and watch
the landscape through the window, to write, to get bored, to sleep, to talk, to
count light poles or red cars. But you also have time to connect to the internet
and review emails or WhatsApp messages, since the train has a wagon with Wi-Fi.
When
you are on the train, the time goes back to the old days pacing and meaning.
Was it worth it? Yes, it certainly was. In the 22 hour stretch between Montreal and Halifax we opted to travel in double cabin accommodation, with food included and we felt that we were traveling in a luxury hotel. Of course, our concept of luxury may prove low for others standard, but we certainly received good service and enjoyed good food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in both ways. The beds are not the most comfortable in the world, and the small-narrow bathrooms with no shower, and very confined space are close to wonderful, but they are -at least- more comfortable than sleeping in a tent and cleaner than the latrines or portable bathrooms we have found in so many parks. We had a good time together, we had time to see each other's faces for a long time without interruptions, time to write a few anecdotes and to finish a book I had started three months earlier and could not find the time to finish.
Another interesting part of the train is that you meet people. On the way back we met a couple of retired Venezuelans, the owners of a pillow factory and discovered that the bartender, Zachariah Wells, was also an author of poetry and fiction books, married to a woman whose father is a Marxist and was adviser to Hugo Chávez. We avoid talking about politics ... it's not a good idea to argue with whoever serves you drinks...
Was it worth it? Yes, it certainly was. In the 22 hour stretch between Montreal and Halifax we opted to travel in double cabin accommodation, with food included and we felt that we were traveling in a luxury hotel. Of course, our concept of luxury may prove low for others standard, but we certainly received good service and enjoyed good food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in both ways. The beds are not the most comfortable in the world, and the small-narrow bathrooms with no shower, and very confined space are close to wonderful, but they are -at least- more comfortable than sleeping in a tent and cleaner than the latrines or portable bathrooms we have found in so many parks. We had a good time together, we had time to see each other's faces for a long time without interruptions, time to write a few anecdotes and to finish a book I had started three months earlier and could not find the time to finish.
Another interesting part of the train is that you meet people. On the way back we met a couple of retired Venezuelans, the owners of a pillow factory and discovered that the bartender, Zachariah Wells, was also an author of poetry and fiction books, married to a woman whose father is a Marxist and was adviser to Hugo Chávez. We avoid talking about politics ... it's not a good idea to argue with whoever serves you drinks...
Comments
Thanks for your post!
We also have a great experience traveling in train through Europe.