Rocky Mountaineer day two

Another early start today - on the bus at 6:30 to be back at the station and underway by 7. But as we don't even have to take our bags down to the lobby, and we know we will be served a delicious breakfast on the train - it is not as much of a hardship as you might think.

Again - immaculate organisation, beautiful food and perfect service.

The morning started with our friendly bus driver taking us to the station. Then onto the train - with assistance being arranged so Kathy didn't have to climb the steps. Souvenirs we had ordered from the catalogue yesterday were sitting ready for us to find on our seats this morning - like a little present.

We were first sitting for breakfast today (meaning we missed out on the consolation coffee and pastry) - so it was virtually straight down to the dining room. This morning I had the Poached eggs served over Montreal smoked meat (kind of like pastrami) an a fluffy pastry (I would have called it a crumpet) accented with chipotle hollandaise. The egg was perfectly poached and it was all delicious.

The countryside beside the train obligingly provided some variety - going from the arid, 10" (25cm) rain per annum country around Kamloops to lush, tree covered mountains, brilliant blue rivers and enough litte cascades and rocky mountain streams to please even a stream nut like me.

I stupidly let the battery run out on my camera - so i have to wait for Kathy's photos.
The pitiful photos I took really don't do it justice - there are beautiful blue mountains off into the distance that don't appear in my photos. The train and photo buffs spend the day downstairs in the open air area to get the best snaps.

We saw eagles fishing for their breakfast (I was too slow to get a photograph) and osprey.

We went past lakes where you can rent a 4 storey houseboat that sleeps 24 - and has a waterslide from the top down into the water.

After a mid morning drink (just in case we were fading away) lunch. Entree (appetiser in Canadian) was a Spinach salad with candied pecans and pears. For main, I had the Pacific wild coho salmon marinated in honey, soy and ginger with nugget potatoes scented with a wild berry tarragon vinaigrette and Kathy had Alberta beef shortribs slow cooked with red wine and spices with horseradish whipped potatoes. All served with Canadian wine. Dessert was a little brownie and a charlotte with apricot coulis and chopped strawberries. Delicious.

The food on this train is better than anything i have eaten on anything that moved - including revolving restaurants. In fact - better than the food in a LOT of stationary restaurants.

Kathy spotted a bear heading down towards the river.

The train was gradually climbing and the mountains becoming taller and closer. I don't know how we can call those big hills in Australia mountains. These are seriously tall - majestic is the word that comes to mind.

Most of the way is either beside the huge lakes or beautiful glacial streams - which are a spectacular greeny-blue colour due to the "rock flour" or ground up rock that is carried from the glacier. Lots of rapids where people can do white water rafting.

Another thing about travelling on the train - people love to wave at you. We would go through little villages of holiday cottages where the whole family would be standing on the deck waving as we went past - almost like being royalty.

In the afternoon, one of our fellow travellers, an Italian Australian, treated us to some opera - Nessum Dorma (I have probably got that wrong). It was amazing - he just stood up and sang into the microphone with no accompaniement. And it sounded pretty good to me at least - none of that straining for the high notes that you sometimes hear from an amateur singer.

Another thing I forgot to mention about our fellow guests - yesterday we were sitting across from a couple at our lunch table. We asked the standard questions about where they were from - and where were they from? Duffy. I tell you - Canberra - there is just no escaping it!

The last wildlife sighting of the day was some mountain goats sitting under a road bridge to keep cool - did I mention that it was 32 degrees Celsius in Banff today? Not what i was expecting from a cool alpine holiday.

Other highlights were stony creek bridge - over a huge drop on one side and past a waterfall on the other side (how on earth did they build it?) and the spiral tunnels. these were built in the early 20th century. The grad was too steep - so they built loop shaped tunnels into two adjacet mountains - with the exit of each 52 ft above the entrance to make it a smaller slope for the engines. Pretty amazing!

Finally our train journey had to come to an end. It is going to be pretty tough having to drive ourselves places. And I guess there will be no more 3 course meal with wine at lunch...

Tonight we are staying at the Fox hotel in Banff. I was worried, because it wasn't one that the Rocky Mountaineer people seemed to approve of - they don't send your bags there (you have to transport them yourself from the station) or provide a bus service to it. But it turns out to be a lovely new hotel with a pretty decor. The only disadvantage? Being a winter resort, it has no cooling. we are having to make do with a fan and an open window tonight - and it is pretty warm in here!