Welcome to beautiful Jasper, Alberta, Canada and good morning…it’s around 8 o’clock. And we are at the gorgeous,
historic train station in Jasper because we have an amazing two days coming up starting right now in about ten minutes time. The spectacular Rocky Mountaineer luxury train is going to convey us in first class, white-gloved, luxury. There’s no other word for a train like this. We will be spending two days aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. We are heading west to Vancouver stopping in Kamloops. We’re going to be on the train all the daylight hours so that we don’t miss one single inch of the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains. We’re going to overnight in Kamloops and get off in Vancouver in just first class style. There is nothing like this in the entire world. We cannot wait for this spectacular
journey through the mountains. Okay, if you know us, you know that
we don’t want to miss one single shot so we just ran to the front of the train. Literally running because we wanted to see the engine that’s going to be pulling us
through the Rocky Mountains. Marc, I’m already out of breath. I’m breathless and I’m out of breath. In all senses. In the best possible way. We do not want to miss this train so let’s go. Fabulous, JL6…welcome aboard!
-Thank you so much. Here we go! Morning!
-Hi. Welcome aboard! Thank you so much! K. We made it…at least they’re not
going to leave without us, right? Yes. We’re safe. Oh my god. Are you seeing the train? I’m in shock. It’s so beautiful! We are starting the journey off right with breakfast. They divide you into two different groups and we were the lucky ones chosen
for the first round of breakfast so we have come down from the top floor
with the beautiful glass dome to the first floor so we can look out the window
as we sit at these tables with white linen tablecloths and there’s a full menu with everything from
eggs benedict to skillets to pancakes. So we got two different things so that we could try. I got the classic eggs benedict with Canadian back bacon, smoked paprika hollandaise, hash browns,
and citrus-dressed greens and Marc got the smoked salmon avocado toast, which is served with a boiled egg,
pickled red onion, and beets. Both look delicious and you can hear the
clitter clatter of…clitter clatter? Pitter patter? Sound of cutlery all around, which means that people
are enjoying their food, which we’re going to too. That is delicious. And bodes very well for all of the many meals
I plan to consume on this two day journey through the mountains. I know that they have chefs working back there very hard… My arm’s getting tired! It’s a workout! …and this is delicious. Let’s go upstairs! God I love that sound! That’s so all the bears and elk know we’re coming. Oh wow! Our first tunnel! Wow, our first tunnel! So, as you can clearly see and hear, we have come down to the special outdoor viewing platform. This is on the first level of the two-level carriages. It’s a fantastic way to get an even better
view without the glass right up front. You can’t get any closer to nature. And we’ve just passed our first major landmark. There are landmarks all along the way
and they always give you some notice of when to look out to see something that we’re going past. And so we’ve just passed Mount Robson,
which is the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies. We were hoping to get a peek of the tallest peak,
but today there’s a lot of cloud and so normally the cloud is just covering the top but because we have a lot of cloud today,
we’re not going to see it. And that’s totally fine because
this journey on Rocky Mountaineer is actually called Journey Through the Clouds so as promised, we are journeying through the clouds. And for me, the clouds are just hanging in this very moody way and creating this beautiful atmosphere
as we travel along the tracks. They’re taking drinks orders at the moment. There’s a little bar area at the back of our carriage and there’s a full drinks list. Everything from wines to craft beer, craft cider,
signature cocktails like the classic Canadian caesar, spirit-free cocktails, liqueurs,
and then coffee, of course. It’s the Spirit Bear Coffee Company,
which sounds rather delicious. It is officially snack time on the Rocky Mountaineer. Snack o’clock. Everyone just chuckled actually because they just
made the announcement about lunch being ready soon and we haven’t even started our snacks. We are not going to go hungry at all on this train.
-Definitely not. So they have a tray of different snacks,
you can choose what you like. They have gluten-free options as well. So we got a savoury, which was like a kettle potato chip and then these are cinnamon clusters.
-Cinnamon clusters? Which is a sweet option. So savoury and a sweet. And then we each got a drink and I will read you
what they are because we have a menu here. And it sounds like poetry. Exactly. I got a grapefruit frizz. Frizz? A grapefruit fizz, which is grapefruit juice with a simple syrup and soda and Marc got the virgin mule. Ginger beer, simple syrup, lime juice, and bitters. Mmm…can’t wait. So now our main job is to finish this
before it’s time for lunch. Which is like minutes away. Wish us luck. We passed from Alberta…his home province…
to British Columbia and when we passed into BC,
we also passed a new timezone. So we went from Mountain Time
to Pacific Time, which means… We've gained...
-We’re younger. We’re an hour younger, true. Can’t you tell? And also we’ve gained a whole hour, which is very exciting because
if you’re going to get an extra hour, I would like to do so on the Rocky Mountaineer. So we’ve picked an excellent day. What are you going to do with your extra hour? Sightseeing. More snacks? Sure. We’ve just passed our first waterfall,
which is called Pyramid Falls. It was so beautiful. Yeah! And one of the things I love about this train
is that they do slow down to show you points of interest and to
give you a chance to get a better look. So if there’s wildlife or a waterfall like that, or a certain view that they really want you to appreciate, the whole train will slow down,
which is pretty unique and special. We’re picking up speed again now. Full speed ahead! Can you smell that pine smell? Yeah. It’s incredible. It’s a little bit wet and I’m wondering if that’s
kind of unlocking the scent even more. But it just…it smells divine. We’re back in the dining car because it is lunch time and they’re really giving us the five-star treatment
right down to the white tablecloths. Everything is arranged just so when you sit down right down to every napkin having exactly three folds in it. And being in the dining car, I can’t help but think of
Bing Crosby in White Christmas in the club car so I’m definitely living out my train travel
dining car dreams at the moment. And just like breakfast, they have another
full menu for you to choose from. Everything from Lois Lake steelhead salad, feta & fennel polenta, Alberta beef shank ragout,
and sweet corn & kale gnocchi. All of it sounds delicious. If you have dietary restrictions,
they can accommodate anything — they’re happy to make substitutions and rearrange things
for whatever suits you best. Everything is local by the way,
so everything from the wines to the food, everything has a really local focus
and is made from local ingredients. The starter is seasonal Kamloops pickled vegetables. Kamloops, of course, is where we are
going to be stopping this evening. Prosciutto, summer fruit, and brie. So we’re going to dig in. The mains have arrived and I got the Fraser Valley chicken. It’s sundried tomato with bell peppers,
romesco, and citrus-dressed greens. Marc, you got the pacific ling cod, right? Sure did. It’s the truffled green beans, fresh greens,
and lemon preserve. The third course of our three course lunch is here and it was worth waiting for. It’s, of course, dessert. I got the Fraser Valley berries. We will be travelling through the Fraser Valley
so they’re very local, with chantilly cream, honey, and
sprinkled with fresh mint and bee pollen. And Marc got the chocolate torte, which has salt on top as well as some toasted coconut. I think it’s pretty obvious what makes this such
a special train journey because look around me. We’re standing on the top of the GoldLeaf carriage so not only do you get a better view because you’re higher up, but you have this custom-designed glass dome that gives you panoramic views so that you can
still see the tops of trees and mountain peaks. I literally just saw an eagle fly over. Unfortunately I don’t think we got it on camera
but I saw it because of the dome. And they have a filter on the top that they can
control based on heat and temperature just to make sure that it keeps
feeling really comfortable inside. And what I think is so interesting about
and special about this train route is that we get to go to places
that are only accessible by train. And you have this unique opportunity to see things
that you wouldn’t get to see any other way and the glass dome makes sure that you don’t miss a thing. Just wanted to give you a tour of our seat
because it’s actually really cool. On the armrest, there’s all these controls. The top one, you can control the temperature, which is great after you’ve come in from outside
and you might be a little bit chilly. The next one down controls the amount you can recline without affecting the people behind you, which is really cool. There’s also lumbar support and you can kick up your feet with the bottom button. Another useful feature are these buttons you can push
and you can hang your coats from there. Between the seats, there’s also
charging ports for all of your electronics, and because of the beautiful glass dome overtop,
there are no overhead bins so you have to stow your bags underneath by your feet. In the seat pocket of every seat, there’s a couple of things that I wanted
to show you because I think they’re really neat. One is this Journeys magazine. Everyone can take it home if they want to. And it’s full inside of lots of different information, history,
facts, science, about the places that Rocky Mountaineer goes. So we’re heading to Kamloops so you can
look ahead to see what restaurants there are, or activities that you might want to do,
so I think that’s really cool. But my favourite is the Mile Post. It’s their own little newspaper and inside they have numbers that are the
mile markers along the side of the railway tracks. So because there’s no wifi on board
and reception is quite spotty, this is a perfect way to keep track of where we are
and what you might see outside. Points of interest, things to look for, and it’s nice to be unplugged and take it back to paper I think. I absolutely love this outdoor platform. So do I. I think this is my favourite place on this whole train. There is just nothing like having the wind in your hair as you’re winding through the Rocky Mountains. Nothing like it. We are pulling in to Kamloops
and this is a semi-arid desert. And out the window, the landscape
just looks completely different to where we started out this morning in Jasper, Alberta and it’s been so interesting to see all the changes
along the way through the train window. And something that I think is really neat is that there’s been another train coming from Banff today. |t’s also stopping overnight in Kamloops and then tomorrow,
all of the cars are going to form a supertrain and we’re going to all go at the same time to Vancouver. The train has stopped and it was so nice to see a bunch of people
waving from the platform just like they waved us off in Jasper.
-Such a friendly welcome. And we’re just sitting here for a minute
because there are coaches right outside the train waiting to take us all to our different hotels because we are staying the night in Kamloops. And the host has gone to get our room keys
because we’re already checked in to our hotel. We don’t have to check in ourselves or wait and… Or even do anything with our luggage. Exactly because our luggage is already here,
waiting in our rooms. It actually wasn’t on the train today. It took a bus because it’s a little bit faster and so they’re able to get all of the checked bags here and put them in your room waiting for you when you arrive. That’s luxury. Have a lovely night. Thank you, we’ll see you in the morning.
-Thank you so much. Yes absolutely.
-Don’t leave without us. No I won’t. Thank you, we’ll see you tomorrow. Hello.
-Welcome to Kamloops. Thank you! Have a good night. Great backing in. Oh thank you. I’ve done it a couple of times. I’m sure.
-Thank you! Day 1 is complete! Success! We did it! We’re here!
-We’re at the midway point in Kamloops and... we actually got here quite a bit earlier than anticipated. Like 2 to 3 hours earlier than I thought we would. And when they made the announcement
about what time we would arrive, I have to admit I felt a pang of noooo! No! I’ve never been so sad to be early. I was really hoping for more time on the train
because I just love it so much. I think it’s a first where you are actively
hoping for delays on your route but that’s how I felt. Me too. I guess you were the same. Yup. So we’re in Kamloops. We’re going to spend the night here. Bright and early tomorrow morning,
we’re going to make our way back to the train station, get on again and make our way further west
all the way out to Vancouver and there are some amazing spots…
-Amazing! …that we’re going to see along the way. So there’s a lot to look forward to. We’re going to get some sleep
and we’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight! Don’t miss our next video for part two
of this breathtaking journey and our final day on the Rocky Mountaineer. We’ll encounter some of the best and most
anticipated sites along the tracks like hair-raising Hell’s Gate and Cisco Crossing high above the mighty Fraser River. Plus we’ll have more wildlife sightings, more delicious meals, and, of course, more incredible views before arriving in our final destination
of Vancouver, British Columbia. We’ll also share more insights on what to expect, and tips and tricks for planning your own trip. We love reading your comments
so please say hello down below. Is this luxury train trip through the Canadian Rockies
on your bucket list? What excites you most about the journey? The nature and wildlife, the on-board meals, or the chance to see places you can only access by train? Leave a comment and let us know. We really hope you enjoyed this video. Please give it a like if you did, and remember to subscribe to our channel
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