General Chat

Hi everyone

Jill ........ love your ram story! Pity it has caused the cancellation of your trip to Iceland though.


Heavy rain and high wind warnings for this afternoon, overnight and tomorrow morning. We are being assured that the temperatures will drop early next week, and then the snow making machines can start making snow again. The temperature has to be aorund 0C for them to work. At the moment, there is more grass than snow on the local mountains! Whistler, where most of the outdoor events will take place, is in much better shape.

Theresa ........... no, no steam trains, much to OH's disgust as he is also a steam train buff.

But the sleeper, dining and dome carriages on The Canadian, the train from Toronto to Vancouver (or vice versa), are the original 1950s aluminum and steel ones. I think the sit up cars are also original but I'm not sure of that. There have been a few updates, like a shower installed in each sleeper car, and new carpets etc, but basically they are the original classic cars.

We did have a laugh last year when we rode that train.

This veddy English couple got one, with their even more veddy English son, his wife and their 2 children about 2 and 4. Son and family were living in either Los Angeles or San Francisco, momma and poppa were visiting, and this was their trip on the train.

First was hearing this great commotion about "how could we possibly manage without all our luggage, and why are these compartments so small, we can't possibly get our luggage in here".

Yep ................. they had absolutely refused to check any of their luggage at all. Ended up, the parents crammed the 2 children in the same compartment with themselves, and stored their bags in what had been intended to be the children's sleeping place (actually that wouldn't have been such a good idea either with such young children!).

Then grandson was allowed to do whatever he wanted ............ which caused some problems up in the dome car ............... or at least he did until we had a change of crew in Winnipeg on the 3rd day, and the long time employee in charge of the lounge car (hence the dome) came and laid down the law to the parents. Peace and quiet.


But then the grandparents laid into OH and myself about how terrible the train was, how old the cars, how small the compartments, how they had been misled about the facilities, "there isn't even a hairdryer supplied!", etc etc.

OH thumped me in the side (literally!!) to stop me telling them how much smaller compartments were in newer cars, both in Canada, and in Australia, where we have also ridden on The Indian Pacific and The Ghan.

They didn't get it that the fact that the cars are original is a large part of the advertising campaign.


I hate to think of the stories they told on their return to England!

Be good

No wonder we get such a bad name abroad is it?

Hi all,

Jill nice to see you posting, I remember you from a while back with your sheep! What a picture you painted of Minty lol

Norma, I am glad you saw that J. Lumley programme, it was wonderful wasn't it?

Theresa, your name always makes me smile, I have a friend from Norfolk who now lives in Miami, when we first met working together she got the nickname Bridget the Midget from the record of the same name, cos she was so small lol and your name always reminds me of that time lol

Norwich has lost most of it's snow, well from our garden and cul de sac anyway which means most of the rest should have been washed away by the recent rain and milder weather, as we were hanging on to the icy stuff after other roads were clear. It means I can now safely walk to the shop and not be scared of falling, still don't feel 100% since my fall before Christmas on the black ice on the road further up from the culdesac which leads to the supermarket.

take care all,
Lizxx

Whenever one of my children were fidgeting around I used to say stop being Gidget the fidget. Probably my youth seeing those Gidget movies with Sandra Dee or Deborah Walley and then the TV show with Sally Field before she became the Flying Nun.

Sylvia - my in-laws traveled on the trains in Canada many years ago - and somewhere I remember them having slides and my father-in-law was warming his hands by a wood - burner on the train - would that be correct? My husband's aunt lives in Calgary.

I am a real Railway Kid - my dad worked for the railways here in NZ and we traveled all over the country by train (for free). I thought it was the norm (we did not own a car), One day I would like to do the Rocky Mountain train ride, and I have also got photos of a steam train going up through Alaska which also appeals to me.

The railways here also owned a steamboat which operated on our Wakatipu Lake (Queenstown) so we did all three arms of the lake and this was well before Queenstown became a tourist Mecca and did not have the hillsides covered in posh apartments and hotels. Progress has taken the simplicity out of it all - but the tourist industry makes big bucks for the country.

Glad you are out and about safely now Liz - just be careful - I can fall over things that aren't there.

Persey

Hi Persey


I don't know about the wood stove!

We first rode a train across Canada back in 1972, and there wasn't a wood stove then!

OH did a sabbatical year in Palmerston North back in 1992/93. Daughter had just graduated from high school, so she took a year out and went down with him. I stayed up here, and just went to NZ for December and January. We rented a car for about 3 weeks just after Christmas and drove down to and round South Island. I did find Queenstown a little touristified!

OH didn't buy or rent a car for most of the time they were in Palmerston .... they took their bicycles with them from here and rode them everywhere. Occasionally he rented a car so they could go further afield on weekends, to Napier for example. When it was time for me to leave ..... we took the train up to Auckland, and that is what they did in May when it was time for them to leave.

Daughter was allowed to register for a Maori weaving course at Whaka in Rotorua, and she rode the bus to there and back. It was the most wonderful 2 or 3 weeks that I think she had ever spent up to that point. She even visited with some of the women in their homes.



sylvia

They have done away with a lot of our trains now - it is called progress.

In the South Island - people walk and cycle the rail trails - they have left a lot of the old stations standing.
They stopped the rail travel between Auckland and Wellington but have brought that back and we now have the all day train that goes down. When I was young - the trains left in the evening and we travelled down over night. The refereshment station at Taumaranui used to be very busy in the middle of the night all vying for a cuppa and a ham sandwich. It was one of the few times I was allowed a bottle of lemonade - and it was lovely nothing like the fizzy lolly water they make now.

Palmerston North had the railway run right through the middle of the town but that has been shifted. It's quite a nice place but can get bitterly cold in the winter. My husband was born down that way in a place called Hunterville - not far from Marton.

Persey

Good morning from a very grey but dry Maine et Loire.
During our Winter trips to Banff we are always fascinated by the very long freight trains that travel across Canada, they never seem to end. We were always trying to beat the train if we saw or heard it lumbering along the tracks as once you get to the barricade that was it for what seemed like ages :))
We have always fancied the domed train and be able to see a lot more of the country but it would mean giving up the ski holiday. If OH had his way we would be living in Canada and not France:)

x Jill

They have those endless trains in Germany too Jill, remember seeing them when we stayed on the banks of the Rheine and the railway ran down the opposite side of the river, if it wasn't long trains it was lots of linked barges. we could learn a lot from them.

We have always fancied the train through the Rockies but it is very expensive. Loved the Rockies when we went some years back, drove up from Banff to the ice field, spectacular.

Been out today, withoutnthe Ring and Ride. Managed to get into town, go to the Library and a near by place for a savory pancake. (yum-yum)

Now very tired and need a rest/sleep.

Will be back fo0r a chat tomorrow. Love all te stories about trains.

I had forgoton about Bridget the Midget, Queen of the Blues. BUT beware if you Google to get the lyrics! All sorts of info on line, most of it wasn't what I wanted.

Tess

P.S. I can't sit still, hence the board name.

Oh yes

those long freight trains!


They have the right of way on the tracks ............ ahead of the passenger trains! If a passenger train gets delayed for some reason, it might end up having to sit in a siding for an hour or more as freight trains go ahead of it.


The freight trains used to average about 100 cars, then it went up to 130 ....... on our trip last year we counted one that passed us going in the opposite direction

I counted 173, another guy counted 174

Not counting the engines.


They usaully have 2 or 3 at the front, and may have one or more in the middle of the train to provide extra ooomph as they climb the Rockies ............. not necessary of course on the flat Prairies.

They've done away with the "caboose" at the back of the train, where the conductor used to be.


Ann .... if you mean the Rocky Mountaineer, then it is expensive, horribly so!

The advantage to it that you only travel during the day, get to sleep in a hotel for the one night, and get to go to a dinner show. Plus having delicious meals, and entertaining helpers.

We've ridden it once ................... between Christmas and New Year 2003, when it was about half price. It was quite magical with the snow all around, even though several hours were in the darkness! They had 2 runs, one before Christmas and one after ...... but I don't know whether they still do that. I thought that what we paid then was good value for what we got .................... but that spring and summer rates were far too high. That was husband's retirement trip .............. and Santa came to visit, and gave everyone on the train a gift, a lovely wool scarf in red and white.


The service Via Rail now starts at a time from either Vancouver or Toronto that allows it to go through most of the northern part of the Rockies (near Jasper) in the daylight ................. and costs about half the price. You get to sleep on the train, get delicious meals, and have attentive service!


The travel agent has booked the train trip, and is now trying to ensure that I do get my non-lactose meal on all legs of the trip! The one from Toronto to Vancouver has a chef onboard, and is no problem, they can cater for all kinds of allergies and intolerances, and lactose intolerance is really so easy compared to others.

But the other 2 legs have meals brought on board, then heated and served. Montreal to Toronto has been no problem. But we've had problems on the Halifax - Montreal leg the last two times .................. the onboard staff have been fantastic in trying to solve the problem of not having been told in advance by Head Office that I needed a special meal.


Persey

they've done away with a lot of the train lines that used to exist herre as well .... and we also have walking paths where the tracks used to be!

I seem to remember going through Hunterville on several occasions.



sylvia

Thanks for that info Sylvia.

Hi all,

Talking about train journeys, when we were younger we used to take the train and boat to Calais then board the Couchette train service to Nice for our annual holiday, long overnight journey but at least you got a good sleep lying down! There were eight of us and we all fitted into the six berths nicely.

On one return journey we found our reserved cabin occupied by a bunch of obnoxious Glaswegians who had got in and occupied our couchettes.
My French father remonstrated with them but they would not open the door claiming they could not understand French and that they had tickets.

When my mother, (a wee Glesga wumin herserlf) recognised their accents she gave them such a rollocking that no translation was required and a few minutes later they all trooped meekly out of the cabin!

Happy days..............

Your Mother was obviously a force to be reckoned with Frank Lol!!!!

Yes,my mother didn't suffer fools gladly.

It wasn't so much " See you Jimmy " more like " See your mummy "

That's the snow and ice all gone at last, whoo hoo!!

Good morning from a sunny but cold Maine et Loire. Days like this are good as the fields are dry which means no muddy paw prints in the house from our three dogs :)
Been a very quiet but relaxing weekend so far, OH watching sport and me shut up in the craft room with a DVD set to watch while I craft, plus the odd glass of wine or two :)
Tomorrow we are at a lunchtime champagne buffet to celebrate a birthday and end of chemo for one of our friends, a double celebration for him. OH not a lover of bubbly so he will do the driving for a few of us :)
Hope every one's enjoying the weekend

x Jill

Good morning again Jill, spoke to you on the birthday thread. A Champagne lunch sounds nice Mmmm!!!! Enjoy it.

Good morning
Our champagne lunch went very well, it was a friends 72nd birthday and think he enjoyed the get together :)
We also ended the week with another birthday celebration for another friend, this time, 15 of us had a meal out. First time we have tried the place and it will not be the last , will be recommending to this years guests in the gite.
Hope you are all having a good weekend

x Jill

Good morning Jill, glad you had two good lunches. Nice to find somewhere new to eat that is good isn't it?

Hi Jill,

That's what I love about eating out in France, they are so relaxed about it, especially when groups of people, usually large famillies are being catered for.
Memorable simple meal for me was lunch with sixteen family members in a small village restaurant where we had frog's legs, salad, ommlette, cheese, plenty of bread and wine and all so laid back..................lovely.
It's been about 25 years since I last visited relations in Roanne and my French is so rusty these days!
You can see by my boardname where I was born.

Hi Ann and everyone


Persey .................... strange to say, I read something this week about riding trains in Canada, and one comment was about standing around the iron stove in the Guard's cabooche (at the back of the train), and in the baggage car, to try and keep warm in the bitter cold. That was sometime in the 1950s


Oh those French meals, especially the cheese and baguettes! Problem is, I can't eat any dairy at all now :((((




sylvia