Canada: Edmonton

Before I write about Edmonton at all, I need to write about the 3 day trek it took to even get there on Via Rail with the Canada 150 youth train pass. As part of my Canada150 train trip, the plan was to take the train from coast to coast (from Halifax back home to Vancouver) and only fly one way to save time (hey I only get 3 weeks vacation).

So get this: it’s a 3 hour flight from Vancouver to Toronto, but a 4 day train ride from Toronto to Vancouver. There are no showers in economy class and you sleep in a lazboy recliner chair. There is a cafeteria cart on the train but the meals are below average and very expensive. How was life on the train? Fun at first, and then it slowly made us all crazy.

At the beginning of the train ride, we are informed that there are forest fires in BC (not surprising) so we were like ok we are literally on a train going into fire and that’s fine. The first day passed fine with lots of guitar playing and making friends with other youth pass holders. We stocked up on snacks and food. We smelled nice.

The second day passed and we had almost finished all of our food. It’s been over 24 hours since our last shower. The scenery outside is the same – flat ground and as we crossed over Winnipeg, fields of yellow (canola).

I mean, you can only sing to guitars and wet wipe your body for so many days until you realize that you really, really really just want to lie down. Completely. On a flat surface. And sleep. After a nice shower. And a bowl of warm soup.

By the third day we were acting crazy, speaking with terrible British accents and hungry. We noticed condiments were free so in the morning after they restock the condiments, my train family and I would take peanut butter packets and lick them when we’re hungry. Yes, we did that.

So you can imagine by the time we arrived to the Edmonton train station, we were all pretty happy to get off. My good friend, Nick, moved to Edmonton for work after graduation and he picked me up from the train station in his nice suit all hygienic and I was all gross and exhausted. He had to go back to work and he asked if it was alright if he just dropped me off at his apartment. I only replied, “I just want to shower. And lie down. Like on my back.”

So after a long shower, a good session of wifi and rest, I was ready to explore a little bit of Edmonton (even though it felt like “deadmonton”). We went to the West Edmonton Mall, the biggest mall in Canada (and used to be the world). We went to Galaxy Land, the amusement park inside the mall and rode roller coasters and rides.

I was told Edmonton has good steak, so we went to eat steak and get fancy cocktails at a bar called Baijiu.

In general, Edmonton seemed pretty dead compared to Vancouver or Toronto. It was quiet, places closed early, and the downtown strip consisted of maybe 2 streets. And somehow Cactus Club was an actual club?

The West Edmonton Mall was fun, even though I’ve gone before when I was a kid. There’s also a water park inside the mall, but I was told they don’t clean the pool floors very often because they have nowhere to drain all the water to (lol).

If I didn’t have a friend in Edmonton, I’m not sure if I would’ve stopped in Edmonton at all.

Sincerely, Loewe