The seats even had heaters and reclining options. Super fancy. The dining room downstairs could only hold about half of our car so we went in two shifts.
We had late seating. While we waited for our seating time, the crew brought coffee service with a delicious lemon bread. Soon it was time for breakfast. Breakfast started with some fresh fruit and pastries. And then you could order a la carte. I went with the eggs Benedict. Well poached eggs with a paprika hollandaise served with well dressed greens.
After breakfast it was time to head back to our seats and enjoy the view of the Canadian Rockies.
We'd have almost 600 km to get to Kamloops. We passed such great views. It was really challenging to get the "best picture" so for most of the day I just sat back and enjoyed the amazing views. Not too many pictures. There was a vestibule where you could stand and watch the views while getting some fresh air. Make sure you are following Trips with Angie since she'll be posting a vlog about the experience.
It was getting close to lunch time so the crew started taking drink orders. Gold Leaf service included all your alcoholic drinks as well. They had four BC wines, four local beers from Vancouver breweries in addition to the normal spirits you'd expect. We had second seating for lunch. They rotate it so tomorrow we'll have first seating for both meals.
Lunch began with a charcuterie platter with banquettes, brie, prosciutto, figs and pickled vegetables.
Off to a good start!! Just like lunch, you ordered your main from the menu. Many interesting choices. I went with the steak and Angie ordered the Dungeness crab ravioli. When you look at the size of the galley they have on these trains, it is surprising how they are able to make much more than simple meals. But both dishes were really well crafted. My steak was a perfect medium rare and the raviolis had a lot of flavorful crabmeat in a delicate sauce. I had berries and cream dessert. And Angie had some Earl Grey macarons.
For the afternoon, the crew provided more drink and snack service, bringing around some savory and sweet bar-type snacks. All while Chase, the lead crew member, was providing us narration of what we were seeing and what would be coming up later. He also hinted at a surprise snack - in case we were still hungry. That ended up being a wine and cheese plate that had some delicious crackers and a dilled cream cheese - similar to Boursin. Also some dried apricots, figs and apples.
They served it with a Pinot Noir or a Sauvignon Blanc - neither of which were on their regular menu. A nice treat!! When we were about 45 minutes away from Kamloops, Chase said the galley team would be coming up to serve us a sweet treat before we got off the train. Soon they came up with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. You certainly won't go hungry on the Rocky Mountaineer.
We arrived at Kamloops train station about 8:15. Almost twelve hours from when we left Banff. We'd be staying at the Doubletree hotel tonight. Chase came around and provided room keys for everyone. We wouldn't have to check in at the hotel. We'd just go directly to our rooms. We walked off the train and into the waiting shuttle bus that took us to the Doubletree. And our luggage had been delivered right to our rooms. Such a smooth operation.
Tomorrow we meet in the lobby at 7AM. We'll be taken to the train station to continue our journey towards Vancouver. It will be a shorter day since we have less than 400 km to go. And we'll have first seating for breakfast and lunch.
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