In 1993 I went to Canada for a conference. Because this meeting only lasted for three days I decided to stay a bit longer and travel across the country. After reading some books and talking to a friend who had been there before I made a plan of how to travel and what I wanted to see.

Amsterdam - Vancouver
I flew from Amsterdam to Vancouver via Frankfurt (it sounds crazy, but it was cheaper to first fly to Germany in eastern direction and then to Canada in western direction and thus over the Netherlands again). Lost my suitcase during transfer in Frankfurt. Don't worry, I got it back the next day. Stayed in a hotel downtown for a day and then rented a motorhome for eight days.

Vancouver - Merrit
This was my first experience with a full size super-de-luxe motorhome. For those of you interested in the technical details: Chevrolet, maximum weight 10.500 lbs, room for five persons, ABS, cruise control, airco, solar panels on the roof, hot and cold running water, oven, microwave, heater, shower, toilet.

Merrit - Revelstoke
Somewhere around this period I realize that I didn't put the film correct in my camera. Shit, all those nice scenes are gone. We decide that after we reach Mount Robson we'll take the same way back to Vancouver.

Revelstoke - Mount Columbia
I travelled all across British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains and drove about 2800 kilometers. I must say that this part of the trip was the most impressive piece of nature that I've ever seen. Nice lakes and mountain ranges, huge forests and since it is fall, not a lot of people.
Places that I will always remember include Banff National Park, Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefields and Mount Robson. Just before Lake Louise it starts to snow, but after 1 hour it is already gone.

Mount Columbia - Mount Robson
This part of the trip goes through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. The scenery is fantastic. Near the Columbia Icefield we make a hike towards the glacier. Unlike most people here we hike all the way from the mainroad instead of starting at the carpark near the glacial lake.

Since it was October it was already becoming colder. On one night at Mount Robson the gas for the heater actually froze. So I tried to sleep with all my clothes on in a sleeping bag with 2 extra blankets and my coat on. It was still very cold. The next morning the campsite manager said "its a bit chilly isn't it". No it wasn't, it was bloody cold.

Vancouver - Victoria - Vancouver
After eight days we went back to Vancouver and took the bus and ferry to Victoria. This was the place I had to go to for the conference (ADASS-III conference about Astronomical Data Analysis and Software Systems). One of the nice places to go to is the BC Museum. Lots of things to see, especially about native americans. It seems that they honour these people more than what I've seen in the United States. I stayed here for five days in a bed and breakfast and then returned to Vancouver.

Vancouver - Edmonton
After staying there for one day at another bed and breakfast I took the train (VIA RAIL) to Toronto. For those of you who don't know Canada, its a 4500 kilometer journey across the continent. I had a cabin on the train together with my brother. This was very pleasant, since we were on this train for three days and nights. Every day you have a different view. The first day you travel through the mountains.

At Jasper the train stopped for about half an hour and I went outside. On the main street I met a collegue from the Netherlands. We both could not believe it at first. I know he was a week before at the same conference which was more than 1000 kilometers away from Jasper, but still it was quite a coincidence.
Edmonton - Winnipeg
The second day on the train you are travelling through the corn belt. Fields and acres all the way to the horizon, all day long. At Winnipeg the train stops for a few hours and you can explore the city a bit. They clean the train and new personnel is coming on board.

Winnipeg - Toronto
On the last day you'll see a landscape that is difficult to describe. It is a rocky terrain, but not with high mountains. Large areas are pretty flat and prairy like. Some people call it a tundra landscape.

In Toronto we took a hotel in Young Street (the largest street in Canada). During this stay we visited CN Tower, the heighest freestanding building of the world. It is 530 meter tall and there are viewing platforms at 330 and 430 meter.

Toronto - Niagara Falls - Toronto
On the day the Blue Jays won the World Series we went to Niagara Falls by train. This is what I call a nice waterfall. It is wet but worth it.

This document was last updated on 15/08/00