VIA, Canada’s passenger railway system, links TORONTO, Montreal and Ottawa with frequent departures seven days a week. Usually it arrives on time, the staff is friendly, the food is OK and the price is right – with weekly reduced fares to almost every province.

<Passing through MONTREAL’s containerland>

<The backyards of St-Henri>

<Century-old warehouses>  My comparison to the Trans-Siberian Railway is more about the countryside one passes through than about the train itself. The first major snowstorm of the season hit MONTREAL on the weekend – coating the land with a generous helping of blowing snow and freezing rain.

Getting a window seat and focusing on the scenery the five hours went by in no time. It makes you realize how vast and unpopulated this country is – and how wonderful it is to be able to see it this way. Vive VIA!