Review: BNE-YVR in Air Canada Business Class

On this trip I travelled courtesy of Destination Canada, and was upgraded by Air Canada.

Last year I took the 13-hour flight from Brisbane to Vancouver aboard one of Air Canada's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes, right up the front in seat 1D. This is what it was like.

The seat

As expected, there was plenty of space to move in Business Class. My seat was a pod in a central set of two, with the seat angled toward the centre of the plane.

The seat was heavily cushioned though still fairly firm, and could be reconfigured to personal taste by touchscreen controls - all the way down to a lie-flat bed.

Storage space was not as generous as some versions of Business I'd experienced on other airlines, and there were no bins directly above the central seats. However, there were sufficient slots and shelves into which to load my personal belongings.

A personal comfort pack contained toiletries, an eye mask and socks, with a choice of earbuds or quality headphones within a concealed compartment.

The screen

In front of me was a large entertainment screen. Its menus were highly responsive to touch, and contained details of food and drink, as well as shopping options.

Neither the movie nor TV show selections seemed very impressive, and it was difficult to find recent cinema releases. However there were some decent viewing choices among each: cutting edge television comedy such as Atlanta for example, and popular Hollywood movies such as Logan.

Something I hadn't seen before was a Pride category under movies, with critically-acclaimed films with gay themes including Milk and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A clever innovation was a Personal Favourites menus you could build, then click on to watch.

The eats

Lunch was the first meal of the flight, for which I chose barramundi fillet with ginger-soy glaze and bok choy, which was attractively presented and tasty. It was preceded by an excellent smoked salmon appetiser and a green salad.

Other main courses on the menu were lamb cutlets, braised chicken breast, and a vegetarian pasta. Afterward there was cheese, fruit, blueberry cheesecake, or ice cream.

Snacks were available on request during our journey, including a chicken leek pie, smoked salmon, a tuna sandwich, and hummus. No mere packet of pretzels in Business Class!

Before we landed in the Vancouver morning, we were served brunch with the choice of an omelette, Belgian waffles, or a chicken pasta.

The judgement

Air Canada's Business Class service on the Dreamliner was a comfortable, relaxing experience, providing a good way to arrive in shape on the long trans-Pacific haul. A good choice... if you can afford it.

Vancouver Eating

On this trip I was hosted by Destination Canada (destinationcanada.com), Destination British Columbia (HelloBC.com) and Tourism Vancouver (tourismvancouver.com).

On my recent visit to Vancouver, Canada, I had the opportunity to eat at some great restaurants. Here are three I liked - add them to the list for your next Van visit:

1. The Acorn. On my first day in Vancouver, I joined a mural tour in the Mount Pleasant district, then walked along Main Street to this excellent vegetarian restaurant (recommended by Vancouverite colleague Nikki Bayley).

It's a great place, with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and an informal decor - on the hot sunny evening I visited, the windows were open to catch the breeze, so there was a sense of being connected with the street life outside.

Of the dishes, I particularly enjoyed the beer battered halloumi with zucchini and potato pancake, smashed peas, mint yogurt, and lemon balm. It looked - as intended - like a clever vego tribute to fish and chips:

Find it at: 3995 Main St, Vancouver. theacornrestaurant.ca

2. Harvest Community Foods. Two nights later I was ready to leave on The Canadian sleeper train to Jasper, part of a long rail and ferry journey up to Alaska and Yukon. It made sense to eat near Pacific Union Station, so this simple eatery on the edge of Chinatown was ideal.

Harvest focuses on healthy, sustainable produce, just what I needed. When travelling, it's easy to make poor food choices, but everything here looked great...

... so I went for a tofu dish, with a nut-based side salad, and a glass of home-made grape and green tea kombucha:

Find it at: 243 Union St, Vancouver. harvestunion.ca

3. Maenam. When I returned from Yukon to Vancouver a few weeks later, I had dinner at this impressive Thai restaurant in Kitsilano. Dish after dish came out, as I shared a vegetarian version of the "chef's menu" selection.

Sadly I was too overwhelmed by the excellent food to make detailed notes, so I'm merely going to share some photos with you. Trust me - it was all delicious.

Find it at: 1938 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. maenam.ca

Have fun eating your own path through Vancouver's great dining scene. Bon appetit!

Train Stations of Canada's Jasper-Prince Rupert Line

On this trip I was hosted by the Canadian Tourism Commission, Destination British Columbia (HelloBC.com) and VIA Rail.

On my recent trip to Canada, I rode the railway from Jasper to Prince Rupert for the first time.

Though the route is lesser-known than that of The Canadian train which links Vancouver and Toronto, it's impressively scenic as it runs between several mountain ranges on its way to British Columbia's northern port.

I'll be writing about the journey in more depth for one of my outlets, so here I'm just going to focus on one element: the stations along the way.

We started at Jasper station around lunchtime on the first day. Being at the junction of two passenger routes, it's an impressive structure. It opened in 1926, replacing its predecessor which was lost in a fire the previous year.

Further along we paused at Dunster station, which opened in 1913. This is a "flag stop", which means trains don't stop here unless hailed by passengers.

It's a fine example of the standard station type which once existed along this line. Most have been demolished, but luckily locals bought this from the railway company and have restored it from a dilapidated state. So it stands as a great example of railway architecture from a century ago, and also fulfils a useful role as a general store.

Farther on, we stopped at McBride. This is another classic station, dating from 1919. As with Dunster station, it was adopted by locals and is now the home of the town's visitor information centre. I was able to hop out briefly to take a photo of this old CNR carriage standing nearby.

 

The major station on this line is at Prince George, the largest city in northern BC, where passengers spend a night before resuming the journey to Prince Rupert. No heritage building here - its relative significance means that it merits a modern concrete box:

The next day we were back on the rails, pausing briefly at the delightfully named Vanderhoof station, named after an early railway worker...

... before reaching Smithers station, opened 1918 and situated at the start of one of the most scenic stretches of the line. Babine Mountains Provincial Park is accessed from here, and the town is surrounded by four mountain ranges.

Running very late because of delays due to passing freight trains, we were able to alight for 15 minutes or so at Terrace station (while we waited for yet another freight train to go past).

An attractive timber building containing a visitor centre, this was once the family home of Terrace's founder, George Little. In 2003 it was relocated to this location and refurbished, to act as an anchor for the town's downtown heart. It was certainly the nicest station we encountered that day, especially as we had time to enter it and explore.

I'd show you the station we arrived at in Prince Rupert, which we reached over three hours late at 11.45pm, but there isn't one - instead the train drops passengers off at the BC Ferries terminal.

Near the site of the city's original station, nostalgics can visit the Kwinitsa Railway Museum. Originally a working station, it was floated down the Skeena River in 1985 to be installed here as a museum dedicated to the story of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Which seems fitting, as it was that railway which gave birth to the city of Prince Rupert.

As for the original Prince Rupert station which stands nearby, it's sadly now closed and boarded up. I like to feel it'll be used again one day by passengers; if only for the reason that it's in a much more convenient central location. Here's hoping!

Masterworks at Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology

On this trip I was hosted by the Canadian Tourism Commission, Destination British Columbia (HelloBC.com) and Tourism Vancouver.

I've been to Vancouver three times, but never before made the minor trek out to the University of BC campus for the Museum of Anthropology. The recent opening of its Gallery of Northwest Coast Masterworks prompted me to finally get there, and I'm very glad I did.

The museum itself is excellent. Its focus is on works created by the First Nations peoples of Canada, particularly those of British Columbia. Thus the entrance leads down a ramp to a big airy space containing totem poles and other large carved pieces.

On a sunny Sunday, with natural light illuminating the room, it was an impressive place to be; far removed from the stereotypical austere museum space.

This central hall leads to several smaller rooms with various exhibitions. One of the most interesting to me contained a single work by the late Bill Reid. This big timber sculpture depicts a creation myth of the region, in which the raven discovers mankind within a clamshell and lets them out (reminding me of the legend of Pandora's Box!).

My favourite room was the new gallery, which has a very clever and specific idea behind its set-up.

During the colonial years of the 19th century, as traditional cultural practices were disrupted, many First Nations artworks were acquired by private collectors and public institutions such as museums.

Over a century later, the provenance and precise significance of such objects has often been lost. So in this gallery, First Nations artists of today comment on these objects from the past, using their knowledge of both craft and culture to shine a light on each item's construction and meaning.

It's a brilliant concept, which breathes life into what could otherwise seem dusty museum pieces. The artists' commentary, both in written form and audio, is warm and inclusive, often illustrated with personal stories which add context. You can literally feel the emotion these pieces spark within their creative desendants, and that's a marvellous thing to be able to share in.

It's also respectful to the current-day First Nations people of BC, a reminder that they are survivors and their culture has endured. I'd love to see this approach used in every museum where indigenous cultures are featured.

I know in my own city, Museums Victoria worked with the people of the Kulin Nation in the set-up of the Bunjilaka section of Melbourne Museum, which is devoted to Indigenous culture. Perhaps even more can be done to bring forth the voices of creation from past and present.

The Museum of Anthropology is located at 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver. Check out its website for admission fees and opening hours.

In the Wilds of British Columbia at the Great Bear Lodge (Part 2)

Last week I detailed my first nature-spotting excursion at the Great Bear Lodge in northern British Columbia, Canada in August 2013. Lots of wildlife, but no bears. Could I do better? Read on...

By the evening of day three we've had a fairly low bear count - we've seen perhaps three, assuming some of them weren't duplicates.

The best encounter was when a young male bear wandered quite close to the hide we were sitting in (pictured above) - then suddenly realised we were there and dashed off.

The estuary seems a dud at this point. It's likely the bears have moved upstream to fish; so we're driven this time to a newly constructed open platform.

This is a much more impressive vantage point than the hut-like hides - we're out in the open, river right below us and trees all around us, making us very aware of the wild nature we're immersed in. And of potential bears.

The Lodge's co-owner Tom tells us that bears have been here earlier in the day. We can see the proof just to the right of the platform, in the form of a large bear dropping.

So we wait, dressed in waterproof gear in case of rain, falling into a reverie as the water flows past the rocky bar opposite, in the river beyond the trees.

Strangely, this waiting is in no way boring - the rhythmic sound of the water lulls the mind into a pleasant dreamy trance.

It's amazing how quickly we adjust to having our Internet access and work routines taken away, as if our minds are longing for some rest from the incessant chatter.

Suddenly, halfway through the session, there's a murmur of excitement as we see a bear approach and cross the river. Then it disappears and we relax once more.

Not long after this, members of our group on the left detect some movement behind the bushes in the centre of the river, and there's a surprising burst of growling.

I wonder if there might be an aggressive encounter taking place on the other side of the bushes, but in due course a bear emerges - tailed by two cubs.

We're absolutely delighted to see the trio walk left to right across the rocky shore right in our field of view, the cubs trailing the mother as they poke their heads into nooks and crannies along the way. We're breathless, trying to keep our noise to a minimum while taking as many shots as we can.

Though after I've taken some photos, I remind myself to put the camera down and just take the scene in with my eyes.

It's great. The stillness of nature all around, the water, the greenery, and three bears making their way across the twilight theatre.

Disclosure: On this trip I was hosted by the Great Bear Lodge and the Canadian Tourism Commission.

In the Wilds of British Columbia at the Great Bear Lodge (Part 1)

In August 2013, Narrelle Harris and I stayed for three nights at the Great Bear Lodge in the northern wilderness of British Columbia, Canada, hosted by the lodge and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Here's what we saw...

The twice daily Wildlife Safari at the Great Bear Lodge involves either a viewing session within hides, or a boat trip out into the estuary.

The boat trip is the more impressive of the two, though it takes longer to prepare for.

On the outside deck we're fully kitted out with wet weather gear - overalls, a heavy rain jacket, a waterproof hat and gumboots.

It's not that easy to move under all this gear, I find, but once I'm in the boat there's no way I'm going to get wet from the sporadic rain.

It's also surprisingly comfortable, given I'm seated in a small rowboat and will be there for three hours.

The water is smooth as glass, the outboard motor is set to slow, and we're each sitting on a small folding camp seat which gives some back support.

Any lingering discomfort (perhaps enhanced from overdoing the excellent breakfast) is overridden by the beautiful scenery.

Once out of sight of the lodge around an island, there are no humans in sight and no evidence of human activity.

What we do have is nature at its most pristine and spectacular - towering tree-covered mountains running down to perfectly still water which throws up perfect reflections of everyting above.

Here and there, stands of sedge run down to the water on low exposed promontories, the sort of places we might spot bear.

In the end, we don't see a bear this morning. But we do see plenty of other interesting wildlife: a troop of otters swimming past to climb the opposite bank and disappear among the trees.

Not far away are a gang of seals lounging around on a centrally located log. They're wary of grizzlies, says our guide and pilot Emma, as the bears will eat seals if they can catch them.

As far as birds go, we see our old friend the bald eagle, and several gulls - which Emma reminds us should not be called seagulls in the Australian style. There's also a kingfisher.

The star of the show, really, is the landscape. I've never seen anything so utterly beautifully arranged - but with no human hand involved. It's astonishing to see how well nature manages for itself when left alone...

Next post: Bears!

The Great Coffee Hunt

I read a comment recently that the first thing Australians look for overseas is - and I quote - "a decent coffee".

There's some truth to this. Decades after its emergence from the Italian migrant community into the wider population, Australia's espresso-based coffee culture has achieved a high degree of quality and consistency.

You can even get a good coffee in Australian country towns nowadays, which were long looked upon as a kind of caffeine terra incognita.

Partly because our coffee culture is so heavily based on the espresso machine, we tend to look askance at filtered coffee in any form when overseas, and positively recoil from instant coffee.

So there is a tendency, I have noticed, for a cafe search to be one of the first tasks I undertake when arriving in a new country or city.

And what that search highlights is the great range of technological tools we have at our disposal now.

Take Canada, for example. When travelling across that vast country last September with Narrelle, I used a variety of IT-related means to locate good cafes.

Having arrived early in the day in Vancouver, and being desperate for a coffee, I DMed via Twitter my travel writer colleague Nikki Bayley, who's a Vancouver resident.

As it turned out, she was in Seattle - but that didn't stop her guiding us to a great cafe and chocolate-maker, East Van Roasters, in Gastown.

In Victoria, on Vancouver Island, I started our first day by Googling "hipster cafe Victoria Canada" on my iPhone.

I often find this type of search useful - it usually turns up quite a few people who've typed "bloody hipster cafe" or worse, but leads me closer to the target.

Between that and a look through the Urbanspoon app, we found a great local place, Tre Fantastico, in a street away from the tourist hub.

Later that day, some more Google searches and a glance at the Yelp app found us a handy laundromat in the James Bay Area - and by chance, the excellent Discovery Coffee next door (see photo above).

On our first full day in Montreal, we were led to a lively modern breakfast place, Olive + Gourmando, not far from our hotel in the Old Town - this time by consulting the Lonely Planet Montreal app.

Later, we were walking through the downtown when I decided to have a look at the Beanhunter app. Though it tends to be a bit light-on when it comes to Canadian listings, it successfully led us to the excellent Pikolo.

Twitter, apps, Google searches - it's amazing the power we now have to undertake such specific research while on the move.

Mind you, nothing beats a personal recommendation. On my previous visit to Montreal, I'd been standing in the queue to order at Olimpico, a popular hipster hangout in Mile End.

I got talking with the woman in front of me about the difference between a Caffe Americano and a Café Allongé, the latter which I'd only noticed on offer in Quebec (and was the closest thing I'd found to an Australian long black).

When she heard of my interest in researching cafes, she pointed me to a new nearby cafe which she said was good, and served spectacular doughnuts alongside the coffee.

It was Cafe Sardine, and she was right. A great find, and discovered without the aid of technology at all.

Contemplating the Spin Cycle

This week's guest post is by fantasy author Narrelle M Harris...

One of the pleasures about packing light is that the traveller must make time once a week to wash.

Yes, I said ‘pleasures’ rather than ‘problems’. I don’t refer simply to how nice it is to have a bag replete once more with clean socks ‘n’ jocks.  I mean that this simple little chore has attractions all of its own.

When I’m travelling, I like grand panoramas. I love seeing the great landscapes, the beautiful buildings, and the highlights featured in the guidebooks.

But I also love seeing the small details of life for locals.

I enjoy wandering through regular neighbourhoods, observing how suburban architecture and front yards reflect a different way of life, or puzzling the impact of light industry bumping up against ordinary shopping strips and residential streets.

Laundromats, bless their soap-scented air, are primarily located in the suburbs. A walk to a laundromat in a foreign city is also a stroll through the social life of a place.

It’s a glimpse into everyday lives and details that are odd to an outsider. As a writer, that kind of detail is invaluable; as a person curious about other people, it poses questions of how others experience the world. 

The way residential architecture can be so different from city to city; the types of plants in gardens; the toys and tools by doors; the stickers on letterboxes; the graffiti on walls; whether people in their yards smile hello – all these elements of a town add texture and depth to your understanding of it.

One of the other simple pleasures of wash day is the little bubble of quiet the chore creates. This can be especially valuable if two or more of you are travelling together.

You spend each day sharing your experiences, which is brilliant, but it’s also nice to split up for a bit and reunite with unshared observations. And no matter how well you get on, or how much you love each other, you occasionally need a little ‘me’ time.

Being on the road is tremendously stimulating and exciting, but it’s also exhausting.

It can be good to take a break from it, to let the dust settle. Perhaps to consolidate some of that experience by writing about it: in a journal or a blog, or in postcards to distant friends.

A week into our trip to Canada, some days of which were spent in the north-western wilderness looking for bears, it was time to freshen up. Time for time out from the rush of travel with its tiny/terrifying plane rides and bone-rattling buses, and this urban girl’s startling proximity to capital-N Nature.

As much as I loved the Great Bear Lodge, it was extraordinarily pleasant to find a laundromat in a pretty back street of Victoria, British Columbia beyond the populous tourist harbour; to be surrounded by houses and shops, to talk to a kindly local to work out how to use the coin machines, to chat about the weather and seek a recommendation for coffee.

The laundromat I visited in Edmonton offered similar simple pleasures, as I conversed with the owners about our trip, and used the washing time to write about it too.

Laundromats are, I find, little oases on journeys.

Surrounded by the hum and rattle of washing machines, kept warm by the heat generated by the mesmerising turn of a dryer, I write postcards and blog about my adventures, all the better to consolidate my observations and emotions.

I read a little, I contemplate the world, and at the end of my two hours of retreat – I have clean underwear.

That, people, is a little bit magical.

When not hanging around foreign laundromats, Narrelle M Harris writes awesome fiction such as her latest cross-media project, the rock and roll fantasy Kitty and Cadaver. Check out the Kitty and Cadaver website to read the first six chapters for free, or to download them for your mobile devices.

Victoriously Among Those Present (Eventually) in Victoria, Canada

We're now in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia.

It was well worth making the journey to the city at the bottom of Vancouver Island, as it's a picturesque place with good food and a nice balance between small town friendliness and big city attractions.

However, getting here wasn't without its challenges. On Thursday we left the Great Bear Lodge in BC's northern wilderness, travelling by seaplane low over mountains, trees and waterways to the town of Port Hardy.

There we were to board a small plane to Vancouver's South Terminal, with a quick change to an even smaller plane to Victoria.

Flight manoeuvres

When organising this trip I suspected the seaplane might be a spanner in the works, but in fact the flight from Port Hardy was the one with issues. Running some 45 minutes late and having to deal with turbulence, it seemed it would be delayed just enough for us to miss the final flight of the day to Victoria.

Luckily Pacific Coastal delayed the Victoria flight, and when we touched down at Vancouver the airline's staff were ready to whisk us onto the waiting plane.

However, we hadn't yet been through security (not a requirement at Port Hardy) so there was a certain sense of chaos added to the urgency.

Stepping off the first plane, we had to wait a minute for the crew to retrieve our backpacks from the 'valet' hold, where they'd been placed just before boarding due to the lack of cabin luggage space.

Security and insecurity

Then we scooted into the terminal, and zipped down to the gate at the other end to go through security.

This was tricky. Not only did the usual array of metal items need to be divested at speed, but my lace-up boots had to come off as well as they contain enough metal to bother the detector.

Also, as I lifted my arms up at one point the security guy noticed my belt, and asked for that to come off too (I never usually remove it, and it never usually sets the detector off). So off it came too, all while the Victoria plane was waiting outside.

Once all the gear was scanned, I hastily and poorly tied my bootlaces, and shoved the belt inside my backpack rather than take the time to put it on. Then we dashed through the door, headed out to the plane and dropped our packs again on this new craft's valet cart.

To infinity and beyond

We clambered aboard, into what appeared to be more a model airplane with an engine than a real live plane. It was tiny - just 21 seats, one to each side of the minuscule aisle beneath the very low curved roof (I had to scurry bent over to board). What with the shiny white cylindrical interior, I felt as if I was in the first manned rocket to Mars.

Then, 25 minutes later, we landed at Victoria Airport. Upon which we grabbed our bags from the valet cart, found the airport bus and hopped aboard. Shortly, seated within its pitch-dark interior, Vancouver Island nightlife flashing past the windows, we were barrelling toward the city. And laughing, as you might imagine, slightly hysterically.

When we stepped out of the bus in front of the majestic 1908 Fairmont Empress Hotel in the historic heart of Victoria, laces askew and beltless, I recognised at once that were unwittingly part of a PG Wodehouse scene. I imagine the master humorist would've written it like this:

Backpacks in the Offing
(with apologies to PG Wodehouse)

The doorman at the Fairmont Empress Hotel was feeling pleased with himself this evening. Not only had he won a little wager over the visiting Governor General's preference in tie colour with the boy who cleaned the boots, an upstart lad who needed to be taught to respect his elders and betters, but the weather was distinctly like that which mother makes.

Pink sunset, one, balmy breeze, one, and cloudless starry sky, one, he thought, having found it hard to shake the ordered thinking habits of his stint in the army. On top of which, he'd had a delightful chat with the Crown Prince of Japan about which racehorses to back.

The doorman, though of humble origin, found no difficulty in conversing with those he regarded as "The Quality". Having been a doorman for decades at the Empress, he had developed an easy manner with which he could charm the richest and most famous.

Also, his uniform contained enough in the way of coloured braid, extravagant epaulettes and cap peaks to make even a sultan or maharajah feel underdressed and not a little sheepish in his presence.

As the airport bus pulled to the kerb, the doorman drew himself up to his full height and prepared to welcome new guests. More members of the aristocracy, he conjectured, or perhaps a president or high-born native chief. No matter, he was prepared for all comers.

Then a man and a woman stepped out, and the doorman froze. There was something not quite right about this couple.

His keen eye for correct dress perceived that both of them had bootlaces badly tied, and the male half of the sketch was holding the top of his jeans as if they needed support. Moreover, their luggage consisted merely of two backpacks. It was hard to suppress a shudder at the sight of them.

He was about to direct them to a suitable boarding house in a less particular part of town, when the man spoke. "Is this the Empress?" he asked. "We have a reservation."

The doorman was struck dumb. The newcomers seemed to shake like aspens as he reeled back, dazed.

Then, reason returning to its throne, he suddenly perceived the truth. This duo must be an example of the eccentric celebrities he'd read so much about in the hoard of colourful popular magazines he kept secreted in his little booth within the hotel. Appearing "of the people", but tycoons in secret, seeking whom they might reward with riches.

He could play along with this game, and with any luck secure a sizeable tip for his carefully indicated discretion. "Welcome to the Empress," he said, bowing low.

This doorman, stout fellow though he was, would soon have his illusions soundly shattered. But not yet. He flung wide the hotel doors, and the bedraggled couple entered.

Or at least, that's how it felt at the time.*

*[Doorman added for dramatic effect]

Disclosure time... On this trip I travelled courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism Victoria.

Built in Vancouver

I'm in Vancouver, Canada, in the first few days of an epic trek across the vast country.

Actually, it's more of a three-week working vacation in the company of my other half, fantasy author Narrelle M Harris, who's visiting Canada for the very first time (and you can read her first take on Vancouver here).

I've been to Vancouver before, and something that has struck me about the place is its dramatic short history and the wealth of interesting architecture dotted about the older parts of town.

The fledging city was almost entirely burned down in 1886, so little here is older than a century; but there's an interesting variety remaining, for all that. Here are some intriguing structures which have caught my eye this time round:

1. This excellent and harmonious landmark is the Dominion Building. Completed in 1910, it was apparently the tallest commercial building in the British Empire at the time. More interesting is its screen history - it and the adjacent Victory Square have appeared in productions as diverse as The Neverending Story and Battlestar Galactica.

2. This student housing on Dunsmuir Street is near our hotel, the St Regis. Built in 1908, it was once the Dunsmuir Hotel but is now located at the other end of the spectrum from the St Regis in terms of poshness.

The three blocks were connected together at street level but separated above, presumably to provide light wells for inward-facing rooms.

Sensing the spirit of gentrification at work all around this part of Vancouver, I can't help envisaging this place as a set of luxury apartments in, say, a decade from now:

3. Here's the grand 1939 Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, one of many such edifices built by the company early last century to serve well-heeled railway passengers. It was the third building to bear the Hotel Vancouver title.

According to Will Woods of Forbidden Vancouver tours, the company's chief condition for completing its construction during the Depression was that the legendarily palatial second Hotel Vancouver across the road be demolished, thus removing competition.

4. This is the Marine Building from a somewhat steep angle. Opened in 1930, this office tower, another "tallest in the British Empire" title holder, is famous for its Art Deco detail inside and out. Constructed for 2.3 million dollars, it was knocked down for $900,000 to the Guinness family of Ireland during the Great Depression:

5. In the dodgy Downtown Eastside district, once the centre of Vancouver but since fallen on hard times, is the Vancouver Police Museum. Housed in the 1932 Coroner's Court, its most fascinating element is the former morgue and autopsy room at the rear, which has been retained with some of its macabre fixtures.

On one wall is a portrait of Hollywood movie legend and Australian emigre Errol Flynn, who passed away after a lively Vancouver party in 1959 and then passed through this facility for a post mortem:

6. And speaking of Hollywood, on the day we passed Vancouver's HR MacMillan Space Centre, they were shooting a George Clooney movie onsite and had moved this giant statue of a Dungeness Crab away from its entrance to a temporary position on the edge of the street.

So we can safely assume George wasn't starring in a sequel to Roger Corman's 1957 masterpiece, Attack of the Crab Monsters. More's the pity.

Disclosure time... On this trip I travelled courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism Vancouver.

The Canadian 1: Vancouver to Jasper

To paraphrase the late Douglas Adams, Canada is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.

At least, you won't if you cross it by plane. Taking the train from Vancouver to Toronto, however, is another matter. I've just completed a rail journey between those two cities. On the way east was 4,466 km of Rocky Mountains, plains and lake country, and it took over three days for VIA Rail's flagship service The Canadian to make the journey.

In a cabin in Sleeper Class, with all meals included and access to raised viewing areas, it was a comfortable journey, and the simpler berths (like couchettes) looked reasonably comfortable too. Even the sit-up Economy Class seemed to have decent width to the seats and lots of legroom.

However, I must admit that after three days of travel I was looking forward to journey's end. 

Don't get me wrong - it was an enjoyable period of life in a long narrow steel-encased town that was in constant forward motion, as we passengers ate and socialised and made the odd stop in towns and cities along the way. 

But all good things must come to an end, and by day three I had seen my fill of the Canadian countryside and was looking forward to Toronto's urban action.

Here are some pictorial highlights of the journey...

1. Vancouver's Pacific Central Station, a grand place at which to begin this epic journey on a Tuesday evening. Curiously, the statue in the foreground is a copy of one I'd seen in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2008. 

2. The interior of my cabin. There was a stainless steel sink and a mirror inset in the wall on the left, and at night the car attendant made the armchairs magically disappear (I still have no idea how) and lowered the bunk beds which were otherwise locked away into the nearest wall and the ceiling.

3. This was our first stop on day two, Wednesday morning. The town is Blue River, and the building is British Columbia's oldest general store.

4. As we approached the province of Alberta, we were starting to get glimpses of the Rocky Mountains.

5. We passed this beautiful lake en route to Jasper.

6. With the train at rest at Jasper Railway Station, we had a spectacular view of the Rockies as a backdrop.

7. Jasper was definitely the most picturesque of the small towns we stopped at along the way, with a harmonious architecture that suited its mountainous location. Here's the local firehall.

8. And here's a new friend I made, outside a gift shop opposite the train station. I think we make a beautiful couple, n'est-ce pas?

Next week: My marathon rail journey continues, with fine dining, a rust bucket graveyard, a bourbon 'n' blues bar, lots of lakes, and a fire-fighting dog...

[read the second instalment (Melville to Toronto) here]

Disclosure time... on this trip I travelled courtesy of VIA Rail.