Brompton X Via Rail Adventure

Instead of attending the infuriating bike industry trade show in Las Vegas this Fall, we decided a fun-focused trip was in order and since Nadia had never seen the changing forest colours in Eastern Canada it was decided we'd head out east for a little vacation time.

A plan was hatched to visit Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City - with train trips in between cities to maximize our landscape viewing potential. And the only thing better then a train trip is a train trip with Brompton folding bikes!

So, without further rambling on, please enjoy this short photo essay.

Our bikes at rest along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. Our route today had us riding the canal and then back towards the core along the Rideau River proper. Quite lovely, easy riding, and the section along the river itself reminded us a lot of some of the pathways in Calgary. We finished off the ride by ending at the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Quebec.

The next day was pretty overcast and a little drizzly so we stuck close to the downtown and did the touristy thing starting off with breakfast in the Byward Market, some sights around the Parliament Building, then off to the National Gallery of Canada where we saw a really big spider!

 

Smell ya later, Ottawa! Time to hop onboard our train transfer to Montreal. The bikes were a breeze to navigate on and off the train and there were no extra fees to bring them along.

Bonjour Montreal! This city is renowned for being super awesome to cycle in and, as expected, did not disappoint. This was the first of 2 rides we did while here. From downtown, we rode the Lachine Canal all the way out to Lachine then circled back along the the south shore, and more. Turns out we ended up doing close to 60kms (which was NOT part of the plan) which ended up being the longest ride Nadia had ever been on too. Fun, but tough, long day on the bikes.

Scene from Montreal's industrial past along the Lachine Canal. We took a couple days off after this ride (needed it, sore butt!) and decided to summit Mount Royal before we left.

 

Time for our next train trip, moving onto Quebec city, and the final leg of our journey. The trip itself was almost twice as long as the Ottawa/Montreal jaunt, but more beautiful with more forest to enjoy along the way. Business Class (aka free red wine) didn't hurt either :)

On our first full day in Quebec City we decided to do the normal tourist thing and walkabout. With this city being the only walled city in Canada or the USA there is so much history oozing into your eyes everywhere you look. Absolutely stunning, although perhaps a wee bit too touristy for our tastes. On our second day we decided to get away from the tourist trap and take the short ferry ride over to Levis, Quebec for a ride on Route #1 of Quebec's "Route Verte". It was a great choice as the area was deserted and we felt like we had it all to ourselves.

The pathway along the river used to be a rail line so the gradients were mellow, the views beautiful, running past classic old homes, and through open park areas. The fall colours we also in full effect. Highly recommended if you are in the area.

Somewhere along the eastern section of the route - Nadia had to stop. These trees were so bright red that they were glowing and making everything around them glow red too. Spectacular.

From the top of Mount Royal, thanks for reading.