Whoever imagines winter train rides as boring has never seen the beauty of the Canadian landscape in its snowy splendor. Fleeting images are many. Here are but a few. Banks of snow-dusted birches, their white trunks glistening in sunshine. Clusters of ducks paddling in watery holes amid icy ponds. Woodpeckers tap-tap-tapping on a tall tree, oblivious to the train rolling by. The train slowing down as we cross a bridge over a rushing waterfall, its edges frozen into shapes that look like mini polar bears. Pretty clapboard homes, maybe a century old, their gingerbread trimmed with sparkling icicles. Ride the rails in winter and you’ll agree, VIA Rail is more than transportation. It’s a ride filled with memorable images that will linger long after you roll into your destination. For a glimpse of riding the rails in May, read " Romancing the Rails" @ www.travelterrific.com/summer2000/canada_sum00_04.html
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