From Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station we boarded a VIA sleeper train and headed east. The train was bound for Toronto and is mainly a tourist train whose objective is Canada’s scenery along the way. We were simply using it as an easy way to get from Vancouver to Saskatoon (for whatever reason, VIA now passes through Edmonton and Saskatoon, but not Calgary and Regina, on its way to Toronto). As its purpose is tourism and not really transport, he service and amenities are quite good. At the same time, the ticket price reflects this well.
バンクーバーのパシフィック・セントラル駅から、カナダ国鉄VIAの寝台列車に乗って東を目指す。この列車はバンクーバー発トロント行きの観光列車で、乗客にカナダの大自然を愛でつつ列車の旅を楽しんでもらうことを目的としている。私たちはこの列車を、サスカチュワン州のサスカトゥーンという町までの移動手段として利用した（トロント行きのこの列車が、なぜもっと時間のかからない南寄りのカルガリーとレジャイナを経由せず、時間のかかる北寄りのエドモントンとサスカトゥーンを経由するのかは謎）。観光用なので車内の設備やサービスは素晴らしい。もちろん、その分お値段もすごくいいんだけど。
Our compartment had both a toilet and a sink. More, each car had its own conductor who was responsible for attending to the cabins, cleaning, and bed-making. As an aside, the beds are really comfortable on this train. It may have been the most comfortable we’ve experienced (in the least it gives the Ueno to Sapporo “Hokutosei“a run for its money). And the food offered in the dining car doesn’t just not suck; it’s actually very, very good. Thing is, though, that seating in the dining room is “community seating”, meaning that it there are less than four in your group you are always seated with other passengers. This can be very uncomfortable for those who are not so good with people. Note that “community seating” is not just a VIA thing; it was done on the cruise and on Amtrak as well. Many of our seatmates clearly had in mind to make conversation (no matter how inane or boring the topic), but we couldn’t help but wish ill upon those that ever conceived of such a seating system. You fail.
2人用のコンパートメントには、トイレとお湯がでる洗面台付き。各車両には車掌が1人ずつ付いていて、コンパートメントの清掃やベットメイキングをやってくれる。ちなみに、この列車のベッドは寝心地最高！これまで乗った寝台列車のなかで一番の寝心地だったかも（上野～札幌間を走る寝台列車「北斗星」といい勝負）。食堂車の食事もかなり本格的でとっても美味。ただ、テーブルはいつも合い席制で、食事のたびに知らない人と隣り合わせになるのは、人見知りカップルとしては辛かった。この合い席システムは、VIAに限らず、クルーズ船でも、アメリカのアムトラックの列車でも同じだった。乗客同士で会話を楽しんでもらおうという意図らしいけれど、私たちは気を使って食事をしなければならないこのシステムはどうしても好きになれなかった。
Our compartment/私たちのコンパートメント
Them’s good eats/食堂車。食事がとても美味しかった
Besides the dining car, the train was also equipped with a car for “activities” (with not only exciting books available such as “Canada’s Political Economy in the 70’s” and “How To Build Your Own Fishing Rod”, but intriguing puzzles, too), as well as an observatory car with a glass ceiling. But it wasn’t just scenery on offer, there was wine and cheese tasting as well, accompanied, but not requested, by a decade-by-decade account of the history of Canada’s railroad, and peppered now and then with pointless personal anecdotes and Q&As, or “miniactivities”. If only there had been a line-dancing night, we could report that the train was just as much fun as the cruise.
食堂車以外にも、ジグソーパズルやら、「70年代の政治経済」や「カナダのすべて」など楽しそうな本を置いている「お楽しみいっぱいの」レクリエーション用の車両もあれば、天井がガラス張りになっている展望車両もある。展望車両では景色を楽しむだけではなく、ワインとチーズのテイスティング、カナダ横断鉄道の歴史についての説明など、ミニアクティビティが行われていた。これでオジオバだらけのダンシングナイトがあれば、クルーズ船とほとんどかわらない。
Observatory car: shhh, people are trying to sleep/展望車両。ここにいると眠くなる～
That’s a long train/車両数20くらい。かなり長い
Some of the scenery on offer, when it’s light (see below)
壮大な自然を見られるのはお日様が出ている間だけ
For reasons known only to VIA, the train leaves Vancouver at 9pm, which means that it passes over most of the Rocky Mountains at night-you know, when it’s dark and you can’t see anything. And then there aren’t really any stops, not at least until Jasper in the late afternoon, where we were given about an hour. We seized the opportunity and took a walk about Jasper, which didn’t take long. Jasper has a stunning setting being surrounded by mountains and what not, but the town is a dead zone. There are beer and wine stores, though, making the stop not a complete waste of time as we were able to pick something up to go with dinner and hustle it back to the train.
バンクーバーを出発したのが夜9時前だったので、列車は夜中のうちにロッキー山脈を越えてしまい、翌朝にはブリティッシュコロンビア州の東部を走っていた。おそらく景色としては一番の見どころであるはずのロッキーを見ることができなかったのは残念。2日目の夕方にはアルバータ州のジャスパーで1時間ほど停車。停車中、ちょっとジャスパーの町を歩いてみた。山に囲まれて美しいところだけれど、いやー、何もない。とりあえず酒屋を探し、晩酌用のビールとワインを買ってさっさと電車に戻った。
Jasper. Yawn/ジャスパー。美しいところ。でも何もなかった
Early in the morning of the third day, we arrived at our destination, Saskatoon Station. For those of you who do not know, Saskatoon is Saskatchewan’s biggest city; despite that, the station is out in the sticks with nothing as far as the eye can see and not a person about. And station employees? There were two. Nonetheless, we hiked it out of the station to an empty street’s bus stop where after more than thirty minutes an empty bus finally arrived that eventually took us “downtown”. Well, we were told it was “downtown”, but hard to believe as there were virtually no warm-blooded bodies about, and it was so drab and boring so as to be hazardous as dozing off whilst walking was a real threat. Saskatchewan’s biggest city? You too fail.
3日目の早朝、列車は私たちの目的地サスカトゥーンに到着。サスカトゥーンはサスカチュワン州で一番大きい街。しかし、街外れにある駅のまわりには平地が広がるばかりで、とにかく何もないし、人もいない。駅員はたった2人。とりあえず駅を出てひとけのない広い道をバス停まで歩いて行き、30分後に来た空っぽのバスに揺られ、街の中心へ。ただ、町の中心といっても、おどろくほど人が少なく、歩いているとだんだん眠たくなるような雰囲気の街。これが州最大の都市ですかぁ。
Bustling…/人が…いない
Saskatoon Station/サスカトゥーン駅
Public transportation from the station/駅からの交通手段＝徒歩
Downtown Saskatoon on a weekday/これがサスカチュワン州最大の「都市」でございます
After what seemed like years, we finally got on a 1979 state-of-the-art STC bus (just another example, as is more were needed, of how the Crowns improve Sask life) headed for Regina. It had been two years and we were both looking forward to it. After the obligatory breakdown (apparently, the driver had somehow managed to lose the “air” from the cabin), we arrived late and in the evening in Regina. But it was all worth it as we were very happy to see everybody and vice-versa. Dan’s mother prepared terrific food, and we wasted no time in wolfing it down. A 5-pound gain minimum for each of us over our stay. The goodness of home-cooked meals is something that transcends all boundaries.
サスカトゥーンからは、70年代を彷彿とさせるデザインのSTCバス（サスカチュワン州有のバス会社）でダンの家族が住むサスカチュワン州都レジャイナへ向かった。約2年ぶりの里帰り。サスカトゥーンからレジャイナまでの所要時間は3時間弱のはずだったけれど、途中でバスが故障してしまったため、レジャイナのバスターミナルには夜になってやっと到着。久々に会ったダンの両親＆弟はみんな元気そう。約2年ぶりの里帰りを、家族はとっても喜んでくれた。お義母さんが作ってくれる手料理がとても美味しくて、ついつい食べ過ぎ、滞在中は腹回りがヤバいことに。それにしても母親の手料理がおいしいのは万国共通ですね。
The family…/久々の家族団らん
with good food/弟も料理上手
…and of course good wine/箱入りの「トカゲワイン」で乾杯！
Even Useless likes it/マクドナルド家のネコ（名無し）
An objective here in Regina was to buy a car for at least part of our travels in North America. More specifically, a beater that is not to be found in any used car lot. By the ‘Net we found about 4 cars (all Japanese as Dan does not trust any other make that old) meeting our requirements that were being sold by private persons. In the end, we settled on a 1991 (yeah, 18 years ago) Mazda 626 for 925 dollars (Canadian dollars). And while there were some obvious rust issues with the body and the windshield had seen better days, it seemed to run well enough. So plates bought, we were off. (If anyone wants to know in detail how we actually did this and why we picked Sask to do it, please email me.)
レジャイナでは、これから北米周遊の足となる車を購入する、という目的があった。お目当ては、普通の中古車販売店では見つけられないような古くて安い車。レジャイナ市内で使い古した車を売りに出している個人をネットで探して連絡し、4台ほど見て回った（ダンのこだわりで、すべて日本車）。その結果、91年（18年前）のマツダ626を購入。お値段、925カナダドル（約9万円）也。まあね、車体は錆びついているし、フロントガラスにはヒビが入っているけれど、ちゃんと走りそう。保険に入ってナンバープレートも手に入れ、出発準備完了。
Warning: objects in this picture may appear much better than they are
注意：写真に写っている物体は実物よりも美しく見える傾向があります
There. Just a few touch ups and we’re good to go （probably)
・・・あとここだけちょっと修理すれば、カンペキな車になる（はず）さ
Just in case you didn’t know, Regina is not much for tourism, at least not on purpose. But just to show that you could actually do that in Regina Dan took Esshie to some spots that might be called that if lacking another name. First, the Leg (that’s the provincial legislature, and it’s pronounced “ledge”). Don’t know where you’re from, but the Leg is the coolest provincial legislature in the country, hands down. Surrounded by the very green Wascana Park (which doesn’t have that funny smell about it anymore, thank you very much) and facing the creek, the Leg just demands respect. And that’s even before you’re marveled at its marble interior. Then next on the list, but in no means in that order, is the Museum of Natural History (or, now, the “Royal Saskatchewan Museum--my, ain’t we royal all of the sudden). Everything from stuffed moose to wolves, all very lifelike and with sound effects, to boot. Must say we were impressed. Enough to reach out and see for ourselves-until we got the “beep” warning. Very high tech. But the highlight of the trip is, still, that mechanical, if somewhat aged, T-Rex “Mega Munch” (see You Tube, above). Very scary, indeed. It could fall on someone at any moment.
ちなみにレジャイナは、わざわざ立ち寄って観光するような街ではない。それでも、どうしてもレジャイナで観光したいんだ～という人のために（そんな人いないと思うけど）、観光スポットと言えるかもしれない場所をご紹介。まずは州議会。州都であるレジャイナには、ダンが「カナダで一番カッコいい」という州議会の建物がある。ワスカナ公園の豊かな緑に囲まれた、川のほとりにたたずむ美しい建物で、内部もなかなか見応えがあるらしい。もう1つのお勧めスポットは、レジャイナ自然博物館。オオツノシカとかオオカミとか、カナダの大自然に生息する動物の剥製がいっぱいある。かなりリアルなので、つい手を伸ばして触ろうとすると「ピー！」と警報が鳴り、ドキドキさせるところがポイント。でもこの博物館の一番の見どころは、本物ソックリの機械仕掛け恐竜。その名も「Mega munch」（意味：おおきなおくちでパックリ、以上のユーチューブをご参照下さい）。「ガオ～」とうなる恐竜から本当に食べられてしまいそうで怖いよ～。
The Leg. Admit it: it like kicks some major architectual ass, dude
サスカチュワン州議会。なかなかちょっとしたもんでしょ。
One of these flags does not look like the others. Two are cool; one is not. Your guess?
州議会にはためく３つの旗。右から英国、カナダ、そしてサスカチュワン
Yikes/なかなかリアル
Wascana Park: now unscented/ワスカナ公園
And with all that our time in the Queen City came to an end. We got in our seasoned 626 and made it straight for Toronto. Only question is: How long would it take. Or, would we ever get there in that thing?
…というわけで、刺激いっぱいのレジャイナ終了。買ったばかりのおんぼろマツダ626で、一路トロントを目指す。いったい何日かかるんだろうか…。それより、このボロ車でトロントに到達できるんだろうか…。