June 30, 2025 Ottawa

I’m writing this on July 2, but I wasn’t able to write very much about the trip while I was in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. I arrived in Montreal on a rainy Saturday, and found my hotel through a series of missteps. The hardest part with using Google Maps when I arrive in a city is figuring out which direction I’m facing based on which way I’m facing. If I can’t tell which way I’m facing, I don’t know which way to go. SInce my train arrived in the morning, just past 10 am, I wasn’t able to access the room, but I was able to drop my bags off and explore the city. Montreal is a mixture of old style European architecture, which big cathedrals, and large avenue. It’s a city that has large underground shopping centers, which is nice in the winter, but underground buildings are difficult to navigate when you don’t know where you are. My first priority was to find lunch, and I wanted to try Montreal style bagels. I found a bagel shop tucked away in the corner, which I walked by twice before I found it. I had a bagel sandwich with cream cheese, salmon, and sundried tomatoes. It was fancy, but quite tasty, and the coffee was good. After getting some food, I decided to explore, but with no real plan. I don’t like to shop, and it was still raining a little. I had a weekend pass on the Metro, so I decided to take the Metro as far as it would take me. Part of the adventure was finding the Metro station, which was harder than it looked. The sign to Metro was confusing, and when you got there it wasn’t where I thought it would be. I did get to see an ice rink, so that was a plus.

The Metro in Montreal is all underground. I would have been better served jumping on a local bus and following that to its end. I ended up on the train for a few spots, and then did the math about taking it to the end. I was just passing time until my room would be ready, so I cut the trip short, heading outside the station to see what Montreal looked like outside of the city center, and headed back to my hotel. Suburban cities are all pretty similar, but I didn’t make it out there. It was successful because my room was ready when I got to the hotel, and had time to recharge both my phone and my body.

After the recharge, I made my way back out to town. My goal was to get dinner before my soccer game, and to try a smoked meat sandwich. I found it a Rueben’s Delicatesen, which had good reviews. I was there before much of a rush, so it was a nice leisurely meal with staff who were friendly and attentive because I was the only one in the section. I would say that a smoked meat sandwich is comparable to a corned beef sandwich in New York, but not quite as flavorful. It came with a poutine, which was another bucket list item to choose. After lunch, I still had about two hours to get to my soccer game. It was too short to go back to the room, but too early to head to stadium. I went to the underground mall and checked that out. It was a nice mall, but I don’t like malls. Saputo Stadium is a soccer specific stadium in the same complex as Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The cool part of these soccer specific stadiums is that the seats are all close to the action, and it is a nice place to watch a game. I sat right next to the supporters section, so I could listen to the chants, while not having to join in. Interestingly, there seem to be a lot of kids at the stadium, and it’s a family atmosphere. The game finished about 9:30, so it was already near 10:30 when I got back to my hotel room. The biggest takeaway from Montreal is how French the city is. I know there is a Anglophone part of town, but it is hard to find signs in English. The Metro only has station announcement in French, and the prounounciation is hard to follow. It sounds like the announcer has marbles in her mouth when she pronounces the station names. The beginning consonant was enunciated, but after that the remainder were blended, and they didn’t finish the final consonants. Even the McGill station was pronounced (MA-gil), the -l part just faded away. My train to Ottawa left at 9 am. I got a business class ticket, which gave me access to the lounge, so I got to the station just past 8 o’clock. It gave me enough time to get breakfast at the hotel, and then walk to the station for a stress free wait for my train in a comfortable lounge. BTW, Gare Central in Montreal is hectic, and without the lounge, it can be stressful to stand in the long lines that Via Rail does when boarding trains. VIA rail has a reputation for making the boarding process of the train as close to airline travel as possible.

The route to Ottawa is mostly Eastern Canadian farmland. It was a lot like Iowa, which is often overlooked, but I like it. It isn’t as nice as the mountains and shore, but it’s still pretty. The ride was just over two hours, and the business car was in a 2-1 configuration. I sat on the side with the one seat, so I had my own little space with nobody beside me. The train station is just outside of town, but there is a light rail station at the train station, so it’s an easy transfer. I originally had a hotel closer to the train station, thinking it would be easier to get to the train station in the morning, but I’m glad I changed my mind.

I got to the hotel a little past noon, and this time they had a room ready for me. It wasn’t the king I booked, but it was ready and that wasn’t. I dropped the bags, settled and organized myself, and then headed to explore the town. I was right by parliament hill, so it was an easy walk to see the parliament buildings. The grounds of parliament in Canada are spectacular. They are so pretty, and they look like European castles. I was very impressed by the grounds. I walked out to overlook the river. I then walked toward Byward Market, which is an impressive outdoor market. It was mostly trivial goods, and mainly a tourist market, but still pretty cool to watch. I did get to try my next bucket list item, which was a beavertail. A beavertail is flat thin pastry that you can put toppings on top. I choose chocolate and peanut butter, which is a can’t miss combo. I liked it because it was thick enough to have a little flakiness, but the surface was crispy.

I had a day pass, and wanted to take the lite rail out to the airport, just to see what Ottawa looked like from beyond the city center. However, I realized it would take too long, so I only took it about halfway and then caught a bus back to the city center. Public busses are great ways to see what a city really is like. It also was a dress rehearsal for getting myself to the football stadium, since I went right by it on the way home. Once again, I decided to eat before the game, at around 5 o’clock. There is a pub that is right by the stadium, and I planned to eat there. So did everyone else in Ottawa; the line was out the door. No problem, there was a pizza place nearby that sold by the slice. I still had time after my slice, and found a quieter pub not too far from the stadium to enjoy a pint. While sitting at the bar I end up talking with two men who were also going to the game, which was a highlight of my trip so far. (BTW- that would be exceeded once I found my seat at the football game).

Being an American who is familiar with Canadian Football was a badge of honor for me among the crowd. I wanted to sit mid-level up and away from the sun, and I was 1 for 2. I was at the perfect level to watch a football game, first rows in the second deck, but I was in the sun the entire first half.

I literally couldn’t have chosen worse for the sun, however I was adopted by the people who sat next to me and brought me into their group as we enjoyed the game. It was so awesome! We talked, watched football, enjoyed the game, even though the Redblacks couldn’t was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen. On the plus side, I did get to see a rouge. I almost saw another one, but the returner found a lane and took it all the way back for a TD.

When I planned this trip, I knew I had to take extra time in at least one city in Eastern Canada. It was either going to be 2 or 4 nights, and I could spend those nights in any city between Quebec and Toronto. Seven years ago I spent one night in Montreal, and another night in Quebec City, both were really nice, but Quebec City was my favorite (still is). I wanted to see Ottawa, but I also wanted to see a CFL game in one of the towns. It just happened to work out perfectly the way it did. The CFL week started the day I was in Halifax, so that wouldn’t have worked out, and Montreal was the only city I could have made it to for a game on Saturday. Any other city would’ve been too tight. Thankfully, the CFL had a game on Sunday, and it was in Ottawa.

June 28, 2025 The Ocean- Halifax to Montreal

Last night was the first of six nights on the train. For some, sleeping on trains is not easy. The bed is narrow, and it was very firm on this train. The curtains didn’t block out a lot of light, and there was enough background light coming in that the ambient light in the room was enough for me to see. In this room, I’m perpendicular to the track, so being right next to side is a bit scary. The Ocean left Halifax at 11:30, and since my hotel was right by the train station, it made for an relaxing morning in Halifax. I woke up before 6 o’clock on Friday. I made the awful room coffee and spent the first part of the morning writing the blog about my day in Halifax, and then went to a small cafe for breakfast. This was a cafe that I had heard about from the guys I talked to at the bar in Dartmouth, and I was the only one there at 8am. That kind of surprised me. I expected to see a crowd, or at least an active. The guy running the cafe couldn’t have been nicer, and once again the standard egg, bacon, and toast breakfast was quite a bargain. This was $1 more, but came with sausage and 4 slices of toast, instead of just bacon and 2 slices of toast. For the record, i didn’t need the two extra slices of toast, nor the sausage. My next quest was the get some lens cleaner for my glasses. I left it at home, and I saw there was a optometry shop a few blocks from the cafe. I walked to optometry shop, and they gave me the lens cleaner and cloth to clean my glasses. That was nice, but even better is that I walked closer to the older part of town where the old churches are. Halifax is an old enough town that each group tried to top each other by building larger and more magnificient cathedrals. While larger have the same thing, they tend to be spread out, where they are right next to each other in Halifax. I’m a big fan of that old style architechture, so it was great to see each church. The government house was also close by, and ofcourse the govenor couldn’t be outshined by the church, so that was also a very spectacular building. I made my way back to the hotel by 9:30, packed back up for the train, and decided to head to the train station after I realized I was watching golf just to pass the time. I checked my bag, and then went to a small lounge for sleeper passengers in the Halifax train station. For a station that gets three trains a week, the Halifax train station is quite nice. Train stations tend to be built in the grand style that was popular, and the smaller cities still had their version of the grand lobby. That’s Halifax, which is sized perfectly for the one train that comes through, especially because that train gets a lot of people. Check-in and boarding started an hour before the train left, so I was able to get settled into my room before the train started moving. There are two styles of rooms on The Ocean. One is on the newer cars, which they call the Renansance train, and the other is HEB cars, which are the cars from the 1950’s. I made my way to the whole train, so I got to see them, but those are the cars that I’ll get on the Canadian.

The car that I was in was the newer one. It is called a sleeper plus, which is like a mini-room. It is similar in size the a roomette on Amtrak, but has a ensuite bathroom and shower. During the day there is a couch that only faces one way, and the room is just wide enough to spread my legs out and touch the other side. At night, the lower bunk fold down on to the couch, and then you can pull down the upper bunk from above. The biggest drawback is the couch doesn’t recline, and only faces one way. I’m going backward, which is never preferred. I definitely prefer the Amtrak roomette, even without ensuite bathroom. Actually, I prefer not to have the toilet so close to where I sleep. However, I liked being able to lock my door from the outside. The Ocean has more lounge space than Amtrak trains, with 2 lounges on either side of the diner car, and two empty cars that were built for the Chunnel and then sold to Via Rail. Those are wider and comfier seats than the sleepers, so I think some passengers preferred it to their sleeper. I can definitely see that if you’re not by yourself. Coach looked very nice, and not at all hectic. I still wouldn’t want to sleep in coach, but it is a lot nicer than an airplane.

The Ocean also had activities throughout the day, which spaced the day out pretty well. I went the first activity, which they told me about the train, and then it was soon time for lunch. After a fresh air stop in Moncton, it was the second activity, and then a few hours later there was wine tasting with two Nova Scotia’s wines. After another hour, it was time for dinner, and then my bed was set up. I showered, watched some videos, and tried to sleep. With each meal you get three choices, including one vegetarian. i had beef stir-fry and a baked cod with lobster sauce. Both were fine, but I’d prefer something more sandwich like for lunch. You get a starter and desert, plus free beverages. As a solo traveler, you will likely get seated with a stranger, which is not a bad thing. The interesting thing is that you often see the same passengers on Amtrak, so there is a sense of community that develops, while there are a lot more sleeper cabins on the Ocean. I ended up being sat with two diametrical opposites. At lunch, I was seated with an older woman from BC. She was pleasant, but not the most talkative person. I have no idea how old she was, but I would assume over 80. At dinner, it was an 18 year old on his way to move in with his dad after living with his mom in Nova Scotia. He was on the train because he is afraid of heights and didn’t want to take a plane. He was a very young adult on one of his first solo adult trips, and I immediately noticed simiar traits to what I see in my students. I talked to him about his future, which I hope was in a non-confortational way. Maybe I helped him find a path, or at least narrow it down, and maybe his parents will find tthat putting him on a train and dealing with strangers was good for him The terrain in that part of Canada was amazing. Now that I have data on my phone, I can tell when I get outside of the civilization when my phone doesn’t recieve a signal. Most of the way from Turro to Moncton was in an isolated forrest area that I didn’t recieve a signal. The was some farmland, but it felt like we were in wilderness with a mixture of bogs, creeks, and woods. After we left Moncton, it became more farmland, but still there a lot of rivers and lakes that you would see along the way

Day 1: June 26, 2025 Halifax, NS

June 26, 2025 Halifax, NS 27,141 Steps!

First of all, Halifax is one of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen. The pictures aren’t doing it justice. It is a port town, land on both sides, kind of like San Francisco, but much narrower. There are aren’t mountains, but there is enough terrain to give it character, and the Halifax waterfront has a boardwalk that extends pretty much the length of downtown. I walked from the train station to the ferry terminal, and it was a nice boardwalk area the whole way. It has a ton of restaurants and shops, mostly geared towards tourists, but still wonderful. It doesn’t matter, because the scenery is looking at over the water. My trip started at home with a inauspicious start. I was eager to go, and completed packed up by 1pm. One of my goals on trips like this is to limit public transportation, so I wanted to take the bus to the BART station. My flight left at six, but I hate rushing to get to the airport, so I decided to catch the 1:50 bus to Castro Valley Bart. A minute before the bus comes, I realize I’m wearing my older tennis shoes, that have worn down soles. Right now, they are like old slippers, that are super comfortable, but can’t stand up to lots of walking. Fortunately, I was close to home, and could quickly change the shoes. However, that meant that I would miss the bus I planned to take. The next bus was the opposite way, to Hayward Bart, in 15 minutes. It should have been much of a debate, because I would be stuck with shoes that couldn’t stand up to test, and it would cost me less than 30 minutes time getting to the airport. In the end, connections hit, and I think it was one train. My first time flying West Jet, and it is acceptable. Maybe it was a bad day, or just a cranky attendant, but my flight attendant from San Francisco to Calgary had the pleasant demeanor of veteran teacher after the substitute left an unpleasant note about their classes behavior. In here defense, I watched passengers in her section, and it was probably deserved. No IFE, so the only option was downloaded, and noise cancelling headphones are a godsend for solo travellers. I was concerned about the connection in Calgary. AI had warned thatat going from international to domestic in CGY meant clearing customs, including checked bags, leave the airport, and then rescreen at the domestic terminal. Clearing Canadian immigration was a level-7 on hassle, but it was quick. The automated passport control was easy, but then I was interviewed by a screener, who then sent me to be interviewed by a second, and finally there was third who took my declaration and scanned my boarding pass. Three people, but there were all Canadians, and exhibited typical Canadian politeness. The flight from Calgary to Halifax was shorter than I would expect. It was only four hours, and we arrived at 6:30 (30 minutes early). The biggest issue was that my phone couldn’t access wifi, so all I had was the airport wifi. I had a day pass on HFX transit, so I took the bus from the airport into Halifax. The problem came when the bus didn’t have public wifi, and I couldn’t remember which bus that I needed to connect to. Fortunately, the connection was about a mile from my hotel. I ended up getting help to find the correct bus, found the right bus port, and it ended up taking me more time than it would take to walk. I got to my hotel far too early to check-in, and spent about 25 minutes on the phone trying to get the wifi situation sorted out. I found a nice place for breakfast, which was light (two eggs, bacon, and toast), which along with coffee came to $7! The best value tour package in any city is a day pass on the public transportation system. It’s always good, and in Halifax that includes the ferry. From downtown there are two ferries, Woodside and Alderny, and there is a 3K hike along the shore that connects the two.

The walk was perfect for what I wanted, and looked back on Halifax from the east side. I originally was going to take the ferry back to Halifax, get lunch and then check back at my hotel, but a lovely tourist information lady in Alderny told me where I could get a donair in Dartmouth. It was early, I wasn’t that hungry, but it felt rude to ignore her, so I went to the pizza that she recommended, with the caveat that she had no favorite for donair because she couldn’t eat them. Let’s just say, I tried a donair. It you don’t know, it’s a version of doner kebab, which is a popular German street food. In this case, the beef was over cooked, and it had a super sweet sauce that made my hands sticky. Nonetheless, it was next to a bar with a lovely outside terrace and I had a wonderful conversation with two locals while drinking a beer overlooking the waterfront. After getting to my hotel and recharging (phone and body), I went for my next outing, which was a park south of the train station. It was a long walk, or a bus ride, but waiting took as much time as it took to walk there.

It was a nice urban park with trails, and the old fort that protected the Halifax harbor in the 1700’s. The trail is a nice walk. The fort is a berm built into a hill, and from inside it looks like a berm on top of a hill. If you climb it, you look out over the entrance to the harbor. The highlight was look at the shipping port, and realizing that Halifax has an active shipping port. It was time for dinner after I got home and showered, and that was at a lovely pub restuarant, which had my next food bucket list. That was much nicer than the Donair!. I finished my night with a walk along the boardwalk in early twilight.

PS- if I ever comeback as a dog, I want it to be in Halifax!