Toronto Union Station

11:00
My train is due to leave at 11:32. I set off for the station at 10:30. It’s brisk again this morning. Perhaps not quite so frosty as Saturday and Sunday. There’s a clear sky overhead.

Arriving to Union Station, I can see my train is delayed. It looks to be around 50 minutes. I ask at the ticket desk, and am told it’ll be 1h30m. Eavesdropping on another passenger in the lounge area, she says if they’re admitting 1h30m, then it’ll be more like 3 hours. This is sounding very similar to my experience on The Canadian last week. All v confusing. As long as I don’t miss the boarding announcement, and am safely ensconced in my comfy seat on the train, it’s no great shakes to me. I’ve no plans today, other than travel 400 miles to the North East. If I arrive at 17:00 or 21:00, I’ll still be rested ahead of a full couple of days before heading home on Thursday. The train journey is scheduled to take a shade over 5 1/2 hours. We’ll see…

Sad to say goodbye to Teronno. It’s a great city, with tons to recommend it. I’d like to come back and spend a little longer here, and perhaps in slightly warmer weather. Very excited to be going to Montreal though. I saw an episode of one of Tony Bourdain’s TV shows that starred the city, ooh - about 15 years ago, and have wanted to visit ever since. I’ve been told to expect a very different kind of Canada and Canadian in Quebec, but I’m looking forward to finding out exactly what that means…

16:30
The train’s an hour late leaving in the end, but seems then to stick to the timetable. That hopefully means we’ll arrive into Montreal a little after 18:00, which is a decent result. The train’s comfy, and barely half full. It’s a touch on the slightly warmer than ideal side, but the vestibule between the carriages is properly frosty, so I can always moderate my body temp if I need to…

An hour after departure, a drinks trolley emerges, with a more than passable Chardonnay. Transpires to be the same one that was on my 2 day train ride from Winnipeg. Shouldn’t be surprised, as it’s the same train company. Around half an hour later, lunch is served. The service on the train is kinda similar to a decent airline economy product. The food is uninspiring, but equally not unpleasant. The train attendant brings me another glass of wine, unbidden. That’s awfully nice of them.

Post lunch haze ensues, and I rest my head to have a little doze. I have a terrible track record of upright train snoozing, but amazingly, drift off for a good 40 minutes.

Ooh, hang on. We’re just arriving into Cornwall.

16:40
I’ve enjoyed the place names on this journey. Stations have included Guilwood, Oshawa, Cornwall and Dorval. The passing scenery has been getting snowier as we’ve travelled North. The weather in Montreal is due to be colder than Teronno, but not quite as frosty as Winnipeg. There will allegedly be snow Wednesday and Thursday.

Montreal’s a big city. The city population is 1.8m, and the broader metropolitan area around 4.2m. I booked my hotel in part because it looked near to the city’s Central Station. It transpires it’s a close to 30 minute trot. I may treat myself to a cab…

22:30
The train pulls into Montreal Central Station at 18:15. The station is a bit of a maze, but I eventually emerge onto the street. I decide to walk, to start familiarising myself with the downtown area of the city. There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE. I’d read that there were a lot of big light displays around Montreal, and had already planned to see some of the more sizeable displays. I’m bowled over by the sheer number though. Every small park or open space is bedecked with light installations. Random little side streets have archways of lights. It’s very pretty.

I’m in another serviced apartment, and it’s a great little space. I’m in the heart of Montreal Old Town, surrounded by cobbled streets, and independent bars and restaurants. Settled, I head out for a wander, and to find some food. I stumble across a cool little pub called the John Michaels, and slide onto a bar stool. It’s been a fairly long, if not necessarily arduous day of travelling, and my beer/burger combo hits the spot. I contentedly read my book for an hour. The bar’s music policy seems rooted in rock music of the 1990s, and that’s a good thing.

After a less than spectacular night’s sleep last night, I’m jaded. Back at my apartment, I catch up on some correspondence, and head to bed in good time.Read more