From the Train in Casselman

From the Train in Casselman, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I'm usually walking along this street, sometimes waiting for the train to pass. Today I was in the train, going from Ottawa to Montreal. I couldn't help but thing of those who lost their lives yesterday in a tragic ViaRail derailment. My heart goes out to their families. Somehow, today, I felt the engineer took extra care each time we switched tracks. Nothing is known yet of the cause of yesterday's accident. 

 

It's always good to cross the bridge onto the Island of Montreal. Although a half hour still remains of the trip, it feels like home is close.

Trains don't always follow the most scenic routes. I'm not sure what these hold, but we passed several varieties of storage facilities.

It's good to see the skyline of downtown Montreal and know that arrival at our destination is only minutes away. I enjoy train travel but as Dorothy said, "there's no place like home."

Brockville Station

Brockville Station, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I seem to be taking a lot of pictures out of windows lately as I travel from place to place - a quick snap out of the car window when stopped, a view through the house window (so as not to scare the critter being photographed) and through train windows. This photograph had to be touched up to get back its colours.

The train from Toronto to Montreal stopped at Brockville station. The train itself, split in two there, with half continuing on to Ottawa and half to Montreal. I had time to admire this mural through the window. Many years of events are depicted here. It's how I sometimes feel as I get older, seeing the layers of history in one scene. I drive through the city and remember buildings that are no longer there, walk past places from my youth and remember people and events that happened. It's nice to have that fourth dimension to see, for those are our stories.

July 19/10: Via Rail

July 19/10: Via Rail, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Dreaming of travel, reading the brochures, imagining the trip. It's hard to believe we are en route. Slowly the train pulls out of the station en route to our first destination: Toronto. Since we got to the station, the sun has broken through the clouds and shines on our departure. We pass familiar landmarks as we pull away from Montreal. I've taken this train before, but this time Toronto is only a stop on a great adventure. Both of us dreamed of travel to the Arctic before we became a couple. Now we are both about to live our dreams. Travel is so important to broaden our horizons, to understand other cultures, to see how interconnected our world is. Each trip changes us a little. And the memories sustain us throughout our lives.