Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrook, Charlevoix, Outaouais
QUEBEC’S RAILS AND WALLS HIGHLIGHTS ➤ Ride Le Massif – Quebec’s newest tourist train ➤ Board the rolling stock exhibited at ExpoRail ➤ Visit several historic sites and national parks in Quebec ➤ Experience the majesty of the St. Lawrence ➤ Discover Montreal, Quebec City and the National Capital
DAY 1: Montreal We’ll arrive in Montreal and take a tour of the city, including stops at Windsor Station, Old Port and the central business district. Our overnight will be at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, situated just on top of the Montreal train station and connected to its famous “underground city.”
MOTQ / Linda Turgeon
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY
DAY 5: Quebec City to Gatineau DAY 2: Montreal to Sherbrook We’ll stop on the outskirts of Montreal at ExpoRail – The Canadian Railway Museum, home to over 160 railway vehicles, models and artifacts. We’ll also visit Fort Chambly & Canal and the Amerindien Cultures House. We’ll take the sunset ride on the Sherbrook-Magog Dinner Train.
We’ll have breakfast on board VIA Rail as we travel to Canada’s National Capital. Once there, we will take a tour of the city, including Parliament Hill, the Canadian War Museum, RCMP Stables and the National Mint. We’ll overnight at Lac Leamy, where you can enjoy gaming in the casino or exploring the beautifully manicured parks around the property.
DAY 6: Gatineau/Outaouais DAY 3: Sherbrook to Quebec City On our way to Quebec City, we’ll stop at the Windsor Pouderier and Ft. Levis. We’ll take a guided tour of Chateau Frontenac, 22nd Regiment Museum and the Plaines of Abraham, where many battles important to North America were decided. Dinner this evening will be at a revolving restaurant with magnificent views of the region.
DAY 4: Quebec City to Charlevoix
The Canadian Museum of Civilization covers over 1,000 years of Canadian history, from coast to coast. We’ll have a docent-led tour in the morning. Then we’ll board one of North America’s last remaining steam trains for a ride to Wakefield. In Wakefield, we can help turn the engine and take a guided tour of the village. We’ll have a fantastic dinner and entertainment onboard for our return to Gatineau.
DAY 7: Ottawa to Montreal
Today, we’ll try Quebec’s newest rail attraction, Le Massif du Charlevoix. Our scenic ride will take us along the St. Lawrence Seaway. The day will include a whale-watching cruise and dinner served onboard the train during our return to Quebec City.
We’ll visit the Plaisance Heritage Center for the display on the history of trains around Ottawa. Then, we’ll stop at the Montebello Train Station and follow the short trail to Chateau Montebello for lunch. The hotel timbers were brought from British Columbia by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Carillon Barracks and Canal will be our final stop before heading for the airport.
CONTACT: Tourisme Québec
OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:
➤ Debra Ruzbasan • www.BonjourQuebec.com 2158 45th Ave., #218, Highland, IN 46322 Phone: 219-937-2280 • Email: QCDER@aol.com
➤ Quebec Lighthouse Discovery ➤ Montreal Hub and Spoke
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June 2011 101
SASKATOON – A NEW ENERGY
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
HIGHLIGHTS ➤ Batoche National Historic Site ➤ Western Development Museum featuring Boomtown 1910 ➤ Ukrainian Museum of Canada ➤ Wanuskewin Heritage Park ➤ The Granary
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY A Walk in Time—Saskatoon and Area
DAY 1: Trails of 1885 – Saskatoon – Batoche – Fort Carlton We begin our adventure at the Batoche National Historic Site, which was once the center of Métis settlement in Saskatchewan and served as the last battlefield in the Northwest Resistance of 1885. Down the road at the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre we’ll find artifacts pertaining to the 1885 Métis Resistance. You have to climb the 80-foot tower and take in the 360° view of the surrounding area. The Fort Carlton Provincial Park was the original site of a Hudson’s Bay fur trading post that operated between 1810 and 1885. Visiting the reconstructed palisade, provisions store, clerk’s quarters and tipi encampment takes you back in time. The Saskatoon Station Place provides casual, fine dining in the design of the building and dining cars dating back to the early 1800s. Perhaps most impressive of all are the C.N.R. dining cars that are annexed to the building and offer diners a real glimpse into the past.
DAY 2: Saskatoon’s Roots – Saskatoon Beginning our day at the Western Development Museum, which features Boomtown 1910, provides you with what life was like in a typical prairie town in 1910. Stroll along Main Street and hear the clang from the blacksmith shop and laughter of children as they race down the street with their favorite dog barking behind them. To capture the feel, have your picture taken in the Boomtown Photo Studio, then board the simulated train and begin your journey to a new family homestead. Participate in a walking tour of the downtown area, which shows a variety of buildings, sculptures and memorials starting with Saskatoon’s history at the Meewasin Valley Centre. The University of Saskatchewan is home to the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, where you can learn all about Canada’s 13th prime minister, John G. Diefenbaker, and then take a campus tour and visit the many
museums and galleries. Learn about the hardships of Ukrainian immigrants and share in their cultural heritage that is displayed at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, one of Canada’s foremost cultural heritage museums. Carver's Steakhouse in the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel offers AAA beef, Saskatchewan-raised meat and fresh local produce.
DAY 3: Linkages from the Past – Saskatoon Over 6,000 years ago, the Northern Plains Indians settled on the land of Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Aboriginal history throughout the river valley was a way of life as many First Nations communities gathered. Walk in their footsteps at the buffalo jumps, tipi rings and a medicine wheel. Your visit would not be complete without a tour of the historic “Castle on the River,” the Delta Bessborough Hotel, which was originally a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel. Guided tours highlight the history and some little known features and facts about the grand hotel’s past. A true taste of Saskatchewan flavor is waiting for you at The Granary, which boasts all the features one could wish for in an upscale casual dinner house—in a unique old-fashioned prairie atmosphere.
CONTACT: Tourism Saskatoon
OTHER ITINERARIES AVAILABLE:
➤ JoAnne Wasko • www.tourismsaskatoon.com 101–202 4th Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 0K1 Phone: 800-567-2444 • Email: jwasko@tourismsaskatoon.com
➤ Golf Tours ➤ Natural Beauty
102 June 2011
special section
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