Page 57 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

ravel is always an adventure these days, so ing, but had chosen not to.
getting to Quebec City from California to be- There were several other hotel options available
Tgin our Holland America Line’s cruise to Flor- near the Montreal airport, including a Sheraton and
ida presented some unique problems you can't plan Doubletree as well as a Marriott, with higher prices,
for. that is connected directly to the terminal.
Coming from the West Coast, getting to Quebec The next morning we ate the free breakfast at the
was going to be difficult we found early on. It would Fairfield Inn, packed up and presented ourselves at
require one or two changes of planes along the way the lobby for a shuttle ride to the train station. Our
on what would be a long day of flying and sitting in Via train tickets had been purchased on the Internet.
airports between flights. The The ride to the station from the
flight situation would have hotel took only five minutes. As
been better had we been fly- soon as we entered the small but
ing from New York and other busy station, a man checked our
East Coast cities. tickets on my iPhone wallet,
Was there a possible alter- weighed our luggage and gave us
native to a grueling day of fly- a receipt for the bags that would
ing cross country, I wondered. be put in the baggage car for the
Indeed, there was, as I re- ride to Quebec. No charge. Then
membered Canada's national he showed us to a small lounge
passenger rail system, Via reserved for Business Class pas-
Rail. I found that Via offered sengers that offered free soft
direct, no change of train ser- drinks, cookies and coffee. A
vice, from the large, better- screen, as well as announce-
served Montreal airport to ments, gave updates on the
Quebec City. The trip would train's arrival.
take about 3 ½ hours, and Via When our train was an-
offered Business Class, with a nounced, we were shown the
meal and wine service thrown place on the platform where our
in with the fare. And the currency exchange rate was car would stop. There's nothing like bracing for the
a welcome bargain for us. arrival of a train, as a growing bright light became
We decided to book a red-eye flight to Montreal visible down the line. Activity on the platform picked
from San Diego, arriving before noon, and checked in up as passengers said their farewells to friends and
to a Fairfield Inn hotel served by a shuttle that was relatives and as people in walkers and wheelchairs
adjacent to the Montreal airport. were shown to the spot where a portable lift would
With a warm welcome, we checked in and made raise them up to the train without using stairs.
ourselves comfortable in a clean room. The hotel had All aboard, and away my wife Sharon and I went,
a nice bistro with bar and restaurant where we ate a comfortably seated in single seats next to windows,
leisurely dinner and then adjourned to our room to in a 2 and 1 row configuration. You could tell the car
prepare for the train ride the next day and arrival in was a vintage model from the '70s or '80s, but it was
Quebec. clean and in great shape.
We easily could have taken a direct bus or ride- Like Amtrak, Via Rail has for years been suffering
share car from the airport to downtown Montreal from limited funding and service cutbacks, but it's
for an afternoon and evening of sightseeing and din- clear that Canada is now committed to frequent and

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