Good morning, Ontario

In Toronto I changed my train for the Canadian, the longest Canadian train, joining Vancouver, Jasper, Edmonton and Toronto, going through 5 provinces through almost two thirds of Canada. The journey takes up to 3 days. Finally having enough time, I started with putting together my memories and writing this blog.

******

My first night on Canadian was very pleasant. I did not know how and when I fell asleep, but finally after almost two weeks I woke up fresh and relaxed. I camped on two chairs which I accustomed to an improvised bed. What a luxury to sleep in horizotal position. :)
I woke up to a neverending forrest land stretching through hundreds miles in Ontario. Trees, lakes and trees again. Without the sunlit, it might look rather bleak during the autumn, but still it is really beauiful. I checked my cellphone for new messages - no signal, I am passing a truly wilderrness area.
Travelling on train is much more comfortable then on bus. Although Greyhound is fairly better than any Slovakian lines, there is not enough space to stretch your thumbs. Designated stops are fine, but if you do not smoke, you are usually too lazy to go out to beast cold.
On VIA train it is different. You have much more space for your staff, you can use electricity plugs, have a walk through the aisle, visit the dinning room or a snack bar, watch a movie or have a spectacular sightseeing in the panorama car. Just the second class is above and beyound any comparison to our cute Slovakian trains, I cannot imagine the first and diamond class, which must be full of lavish equippment and service. Anyway, even if this second class is more expensive than travelling by bus, believe me, it is worth of it. It is an unique experience, which you can hardely have anywhere else. Just imagine drinking your coffee while peeering out at the majestic beauty of Canadian nature.

There is only one thing I dislike on this train. The court are built in a modern style in which two seats are on the left and the right, separated by an aisle. No coupes as I originally expected. In a coupe, there is a chance to create a small community and it is easier to start talking with other travellers because of a more familiar atmosphere. On the contrary, seating in VIA trains does not enforce interaction between people at all, I find it very inpersonal. This coupes are something I really like on our Slovakian trains, although trains themself are in a pitiable condition, on the brink of falling apart. I expected that most of the time on train I would spend talking with other people, but in fact, there is not so much opportunity for that. Everyone wears earplugs or reads a book, sleeps, plays games or watches movies or whatever. Maybe this is just the first impression, at least I hope so.....