By Stephen M. Wheeler

There wasn’t a conductor yelling, “’board!,” yet I felt the compulsion to jump on the train as if there had been. Instead of flying straight to Nova Scotia, my wife, son and I had decided to make the journey a part of our trip—by traveling by rail. A train adventure would be something new to us all.

A major benefit to train travel is the flexibility in schedules. Many prefer the straight-through approach, reaching their final destination as quickly as possible. Others view the land cruise as similar to the sea cruise, with various “cities-of-call” to visit during the day before returning to the train for dinner and the night. We chose this option, spending the better part of a day each in Toronto and Montreal and overnighting on the train—without having to worry about checking in and out of hotels.

After spending the day in Toronto, we were quite happy to check into our sleeping quarters on VIA railroad’s Enterprise. We’d had the dividing wall between two adjoining rooms removed resulting in one larger cabin with two bathrooms, enough room for four adults. The bathrooms were commodes only with a community shower down the hall, one per sleeper car.

Many passengers on the Enterprise chose to retire immediately—the 11:30 p.m. departure arrives promptly at 7:45 a.m. the next morning—while others headed for the Park car and its 360° scenic dome. Sitting in the dome car and watching the blur of lights and stars race by in the night, I began to feel as if this were some sort of sci-fi adventure. But no; unlike the famed vessel of the future, this was a vessel of the past. The Enterprise harkens back to the days when the preferred mode of transportation was rail.

The Park car remained open until 1:00 a.m. but we retired well before, falling asleep to the “clickety-clack” of the cars on the track. The next morning, we returned to the Park car for the complimentary continental breakfast—a bed and breakfast on rails!

In Montreal, we lolled the day away, shopping and snacking at a variety of cafés and eateries, before preparing to board our second train, the Ocean.

On board the Ocean, we opted for the largest stateroom, the triple bedroom. Despite only accommodating three adults, this cabin was actually larger than our previous double bedroom. There was a single bathroom with a shower down the hall as before, but the layout of this room allowed for better lounging—peacefully watching the scenery in the comfort of our own cabin. On the Ocean, sleeper-class passengers are not referred to as first class, but Easterly class—named for the relaxing style of the Maritimes.

The Ocean had several community cars. Most popular was the Dining car, of course, where the menu always offered at least one dish with regional flair, a lá the fish chowder. With portrait windows on both sides of the car, glass etchings and an art deco flair, the Dining car nostalgically reminded us of a time when train travel was king.

For those wanting a more casual meal, sandwiches and sodas were available from the vending machines in the Skyline car’s café. The Skyline car also hosted a lounge with tables for board games or cards and a 360° dome. Smoking was only allowed in the lounge.

Easterly Class passengers would likely prefer the Park car, located where one might expect to find a caboose. Like the Enterprise, a complimentary continental breakfast was served each morning in the Bullet lounge, the rear-most salon on the train. The Park car was also home to the Mural lounge, where you could readily find partners for a hand of cards, checkers or backgammon. Snacks and drinks were available and, in the evenings, the steward showed a movie. Upstairs featured a second scenic dome.

We spent a great deal of our time in the Bullet lounge and in the dome, chatting with our fellow travelers, having afternoon tea or late-night coffee and reading papers or magazines. With windows to the right, left and rear, we didn’t miss a sight as enthusiastic travelers pointed out one after another. The scenery was magnificent: quaint rural communities interspersed among rolling hills dotted with evergreens and white-bark birch trees, barren of leaves. The ground was covered white with ice from a not-so-recent snow. It was beautiful in late winter, and I can hardly imagine it in spring. Or autumn. A fellow traveler commented on this, prompting the steward to smile and joke, “Did you hear they’ve changed the name of Nova Scotia? They’re calling it ‘God’s Country.’”

And perhaps he wasn’t completely joking. The countryside was pristine with no billboards, fast food joints or eyesores to be seen. And as the scenery rolled by, it was the perfect time to reflect on where we were going to and where we had come from.

Nova Scotia encompasses 21,400 square miles and has an amazing 4700 miles of shoreline. Picturesque fishing villages ring the province, and we knew we’d want to spend a good deal of time visiting the sights. We made good use of Nova Scotia’s travel aid “Scenic Travelways”—geographically grouped areas of cultural, historical and natural interests identified via road signs and travel maps. Since there wouldn’t be time to see all the Travelways, we decided to briefly explore the Evangeline Trail and the Lighthouse Route while basing ourselves out of Halifax (and seeing the sights there, too).

The train looped into Halifax from the south, which gave us our first views of this seaside beauty. From the station, we walked up a short hallway directly into the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel, modernly furbished with views of both the harbor and downtown. The Westin, which boasts a strong history with train travelers dating back to the 1930s, would be our home for the next few days.

We found downtown Halifax easy to navigate, as most of the sights are on, or near, the waterfront. Pier 21, Canada’s Ellis Island, was just a short stroll from the Westin. Between 1928 and 1971, more than 1 million immigrants landed at Pier 21 and walked out to a new life in a new land. Now preserved as a national historic site, the museum boasts interactive displays, audio-visual booths and a virtual presentation—Oceans of Hope—that is not to be missed.

Further up the waterfront, housed in an old brewery, we visited the oldest Farmer’s Market in North America. Only open on Saturdays, the farmer’s market was an excellent opportunity to sample Acadian jams and baked goods, peruse an assortment of seafood products, and purchase maritime souvenirs and crafts.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, still within walking distance, displays the rich naval heritage of Canada, along with its proud tradition of sailing, fishing and ship building. With dynamic exhibits from the age of sail to the age of steam, the museum accurately depicts the lives and lifestyles of generations of Nova Scotians. But perhaps most renowned at the museum is the sunken treasures exhibit, including many artifacts of the Titanic. Halifax was quite involved in the Titanic disaster. Fairview Cemetery, a short drive away, contains 121 headstones all bearing the date April 15, 1912.

The Halifax Citadel Hill Fort is one of Canada’s most visited historic sights. The star-shaped Citadel was built in the early to mid-1800s. Period-uniformed soldiers and bagpipers parade for visitors and the noon-day gun fires as it has every day since the late 1800s.

Of course Nova Scotia is synonymous with seafood. We spent a romantic evening overlooking the harbor at Salty’s restaurant, located in Historic Properties, a collection of restored 19th-century buildings. Likewise, McKelvie’s restaurant provided an intimate dining experience as well. At both of these restaurants, you can be sure that the catch of the day was “caught that day.”

Venturing away from Halifax, we followed the Evangeline Trail north to the Grand Pré National Historic Site. Here, a stone church commemorates the Acadian (French) settlers’ deportation by the English in 1755. In front of the church stands the sculpture Evangeline, the fictional heroine of Longfellow’s epic poem. From there, we visited the Grand Pré winery and vineyard before arriving at Wolfville, a charming university town with Victorian homes, shops and coffeehouses. Both Wolfville and Grand Pré sit on the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy—home to the greatest tidal extremes on earth. Fishing boats floating on the bay in the morning can be resting on sand that afternoon as the tide can drop more than 50 feet. A popular place to view the Minas Basin and surrounding valley is the Look-Off, a 600-foot ascent near the town of Canning.

We next explored the Lighthouse Trail along the south side of Nova Scotia—best known for small seaside villages and, well, lighthouses. While we didn’t fully follow the Trail, we of course had to visit the famous lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove, population 60, is one of the best-regarded pictorial areas of Nova Scotia. Typifying the history and day-to-day life of small Atlantic fishing communities of the region, Peggy’s Cove attracts thousands of visitors daily. The lighthouse now serves as a post office and millions of picture postcards are sent out each year.

Following the Trail a little further, we reached two of the most picturesque communities in the region: Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. We drove in from the north around the top of Mahone Bay and were greeted with a beautiful view of the town on the south shore. Immediately recognizable was the famed Three Churches view and the dozens of old, painted, wooden buildings along the waterfront akin to the painted wooden boats, which are celebrated annually in a town festival.

Likewise, Lunenburg awed us with rows of painted wooden buildings, fisheries and a strong shipbuilding tradition that has been preserved for generations. It is so preserved that in 1996, the United Nation’s (UNESCO) designated Lunenburg a World Heritage Site. We spent the afternoon on a walking tour of “Old Town” Lunenburg, which proudly adheres to the original street layout of 1754. Many of the 19th-century buildings have changed little in the past 200 years. After sunset, we settled in at the quaint Lion Inn for dinner.

Our trip to Nova Scotia was too short and we’re already planning to return. Perhaps we’ll next take VIA’s Bras d’Or train north to Cape Breton and explore the Cabot Trail and Celtic traditions before returning to already familiar areas of the province. There’s so much more to see before our train adventures reach the “end of the line.”