Rocky Mountaineer

Wednesday 27^th December

The limo driver picked us up from the hotel early in the morning to take us to the Rocky Mountaineer station. ($50)  After booking our bags in – everything operates extremely efficiently, especially in Gold Class – and after some very bad coffee, we answer to the call of “All Aboard” and alight our train!

We are served the traditional champagne and orange to toast our departure and wave farewell to the ground staff who dutifully, if perhaps a little reluctantly (it’s freezing out there!) stand outside and return our salutations.  It actually takes about and hour to finally pull out of Vancouver as the train has to shunt forward and backward several times before connecting to the correct line.  On our first day we are told we are to be in the ‘second’ seating for meals.  This is the beginning of the end!!!!  While waiting for breakfast they serve us fresh muffins, then breakfast, then cheese mid-morning, then lunch, then butter tarts and more wine …………..we do nothing but eat and drink all day!

Leaving the Hotel

Waiting to board

And we're off.......