Canadian Capital 6/12/19 (Buffalo to Toronto)

We started with a relaxing morning.  This includes breakfast at the hotel, time to read the paper and time to contemplate the upcoming adventure.

About 10:30am, we headed out looking for a few last minute items.  A stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond was not successful, so we moved on to the mall.  No purchases made here either, but we did enjoy lunch at the World of Beer (what could be wrong with that?) sharing the Crispy Chicken Tacos.

Our last few stops included one last Dunkin Donut iced coffee for Mary and a stop at Walmart for a bungee cord (for the luggage) and an umbrella.  Being big fans of Wegman's, our last stop was there to pick up something for dinner on the train..

Our train plans included taking Amtrak between Buffalo and Toronto.  We arrived at the train station around 2pm, but learned our train was running a little late.  We boarded a little before 4pm (45 mins late) and settled in our seats in business class.  As we crossed into Canada, the Niagara Falls were visible in the distance.

On our last trip to Canada (the Canadian Rockies), we took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver and barely noticed the border crossing.  My how times have changed!  Once we crossed into Canada, they announced that everyone needed to exit the train and take all of their luggage with them.  Ugh.....no assistance in getting the luggage off the train and the steps are steep (I miss those Acela elevated platforms!)

We passed through Canadian customs with no issues, then needed to exit the back of the building, walk around to the front, then enter through the front door only to then wait in the station waiting room until they called for us to reboard the train.  Just an FYI - if you make this trek, the capacity of the train exceeds the seating in the waiting room...and children & men no longer offer their seats to adult women. (Does it make me old to expect this?)

Back on the train, we decided it was time for dinner and broke out our Wegman's purchases.  We shared a lovely cheese plate, some prosciutto and baguette.  A glass of local Niagara wine completed the meal.

As the miles rolled by we saw many vineyards and active farmland.  As we rounded the end of Ontario, the terrain changed and we could see various harbors with sailboats moored awaiting their owners and the looming sunset.

The ride from Niagara to Toronto was about 2 hours and during the ride, I began to wonder how Tauck planned to transfer us to the Falls on Friday for sightseeing.  It seems unlikely they would take us by bus both ways...but I've been wrong before.

Arriving at the Toronto train station was a little bit overwhelming.  Larger than most US train stations, we found our way out with the help of a local traveler.  Tauck had arranged for car service to transport us from the train station to our hotel.  While Mary was on the phone trying to locate our driver, I noticed the hotel was directly across the street from where we were standing; we decided to walk.

The Truck tour starts tomorrow evening, so we are taking a walking food tour in the morning...they suggest we eat lightly for breakfast,...hoping the rain does not dampen the day!

Click below for link to photos:




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