Around the World by Train

I have a not-so-secret secret! I love trains! Ever since I first rode the Trinity Loop and my mother told me tales of taking the train to St. John’s from Princeton, Bonavista Bay I’ve been intrigued. The train used to pass within earshot of our house in Chamberlains, Conception Bay South and I loved to hear the whistle at night.  When the government sold out the Confederation agreement for substandard highways in the 1980s, I wept a tear as I waved at the conductor on the last caboose across the island. The last of the “Newfie Bullet”. 

I rode my first “real” train from Ottawa to Montreal in my early 20s and it was exciting.  Trains are just the best way to travel as far as I’m concerned. Buses and cars are cramped and you can’t move around. When you’re driving your attention is held to the road and you can’t look around much, besides highways are boring.  Rail tracks go through the “interesting” parts of town and you can see the backs of buildings and the secret life of cities you’d never see otherwise.  Since my first train ride I’ve ridden trains all over Australia and across the Nullaboor (the nothing) to the west coast, all over Northern India, in Malaysia, Thailand, China, Mongolia, Russia, Peru, the UK and France. 

So here is the start of my trip around the world by train!

For those of you who might not know me and just stumbled on this blog I live in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada – the furthest east you can get in North America.  If you could throw a rock across the Atlantic Ocean you would hit Ireland first – that’s where I am going but the long way around!

My husband Peter always told me that in June 2012 he was going to Northern BC to see the Venus transit – the rarest astronomical event (won’t happen again for  another 100 or 120 years).  Last year when he brought it up I pointed out that to fly from Newfoundland to BC and back and then to my conference in Northern Ireland was really expensive – wouldn’t it be more interesting to just keep going? We’ll see the Venus transit in Mongolia or Siberia where it’s not nearly as cloudy as BC adn then keep going to Europe to my conference!

So here’s our rough itinerary

Mid-April – Peter left and performed on the VIA rail train in exchange for passage out to Jasper. He then went to the Queen Charlotte Islands and down to Victoria and Vancouver. 

I left May 1 and flew to Halifax and stayed with Peter’s wonderful cousins Zoie and Gaetan! Thanks guys! Loved staying with the kids – they have soo much energy!

May 2 – I got on The Ocean – the Halifax to Montreal train. I’m going economy class so I sit up all the way.  Fundy was gorgeous but I have no pictures as my camera card broke! L

May 3 – arrived into Montreal where I met my good friends Lindsay and Ed! Great breakfast with you two J  (got a new camera card)

Travelled on to Toronto and had dinner with great friends Evelyn McTaggart, Christopher Guest, Diana Pugliese and Kelly Best!  I had such a good time reconnecting with you all that I forgot to take a picture!!

10pm that night I left Toronto on The Canadian (Toronto- Vancouver) and have been on it ever since! (I’m currently in Edmonton) I’ve met some great people Enrico, Ajay, Linda and the crew J

Tomorrow I arrive in Vancouver to see my love <3 and then on the 9^th we fly to Tokyo.

We spend about 10 days in Japan where we see our friends, Erin, Tomi and Ted, and meet new friends Megan and Evan.  I’ll be going to Matsumoto which is where the whole Suzuki violin movement started.

Then the plans get looser, we plan to take the ferry to South Korea and stay for a few days, then take the ferry across the Yellow Sea to Beijing and stay a week. Then the trans-Mongolian railway to St. Petersburg (with stops in Ulan Bataaor, Irkutsk, St. P and Moscow). Then high tail it to the UK (stops in Berlin and Paris – very quickly).  I have my conference in Derry Northern Ireland at the end of June.

Then we’ll stay in the UK for about a month before we part ways and Peter stays on to go to his conference in Stockholm.  I’ll go home for a bit (via a 2 day stop over in Iceland) and arrive home just in time for the folk festival.  Then we’ll meet up again on Sept. 1 in Ottawa for our friends Colleen and Eric’s wedding!

Wheee!

Along the way I’ll be posting video postcards for my violin students with their favourite pieces from interesting places.  Feel free to comment and keep in touch!

Happy Trails

Evelyn