Every spring, some 500,000 snow geese, Canada geese and ducks make a stopover in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec on their migratory journey. Accordingly, every spring, I like to visit the Centre-du-Quebec region and show the birds my support!

Located just 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal, south of the mighty St. Lawrence, Baie-du-Febvre and the wetlands of St-Pierre Lake provide a natural haven for these magnificent birds as they travel from their winter homes in the Eastern United States. In fact, St-Pierre Lake has been named a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

When the birds take flight, it’s a mad cacaphony of sound and light that you’ll never forget.

For more details – and to watch videos! – visit a special Web page on the Bonjour Quebec site.

As you already know, VIA Rail is a proud sponsor of Benoît Huot. To help you get to know this amazing athlete a little better, I recently had an interview with the man himself!

1) What first drew you to swimming?

I love sports. When I was young, I dreamed of playing hockey or baseball. My hero was Patrick Roy! My parents enrolled me in different activities, like skating, karate and baseball, but because of my slight handicap, I quickly realised that it would be difficult for me to keep up with the other kids in team sports.

When I was eight years old, my friend introduced me to swimming. It was the perfect choice – an individual sport that could be pursued at my own pace. There’s no pack to follow, you’re truly just competing with youself. At the beginning, I swam for pleasure, but then I wanted to see how I measured up against other swimmers in a regional competition. That’s how I ended up participating in the 1995 Jeux du Québec at the age of 11.

2) What’s a typical week of training like for you? How do you balance your studies, training and international competition?

I train six to eight hours a day, six days a week. My typical day is like this:

• Wake up at 4:45 a.m.
• Training at the pool between 5:30 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
• Cardio or weight training from 8:00 a.m. to noon
• More training at the pool between 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

I am also simultaneously completing a bachelor degree in communications. I’m taking two correspondence classes, which cuts the amount of time I have to spend at the university and maximises the time I can devote to training and competitions.

3) You’ve won so many honours, is there any one performance that you’re particularly proud of?

I am proud of all of my performances! But it is true that my first medal won at the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000 was a magic moment. The six medals that I won in Athens in 2004 — five gold and one silver — were also memorable because I achieved an almost perfect performance, while still setting three world records. The Beijing Games were more challenging as I had a virus during the second day of competition. I still managed to bring home four bronze medals though!

4) What competitions are you currently training for? Are they national or international? Should we be looking forward to any one in particular?

The short course championships taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next December is undoubtedly the most important upcoming event. There is also the Coupe du Québec in Montréal this June 21, which will also see Michael Phelps in the pool. All competitions are very important to an athlete, because they represent an important training opportunity.

5) Do you travel frequently by train in Canada?

I actually love travelling by train, it’s definitely more comfortable than travelling by car. I travelled with VIA to Québec City last November and again to Toronto in March.

6) How does the support of VIA Rail contribute to your athletic career?

I am very privileged to have VIA as a sponsor. Just like trainers, dieticians and family members, sponsors greatly contribute to an athlete’s success. Professional services, training and competitions are costly, so without the support of a sponsor like VIA Rail, I could not pursue my passion for sport.

Working for VIA has so many perks… among them the pride felt in sponsoring a great athlete like Benoît Huot!

I’m so thrilled VIA Rail is sponsoring this Paralympic swimmer and eight-time gold medalist for Canada in Beijing, Athens and Sydney. He’s also scored heaps more honours, including several world records and an athlete of the year nod from the Commonwealth Games Federation.

And how about some major congrats for his March medal haul at the Can-Am Championships, taking gold in six of his seven events?

I’ll be keeping you posted on his upcoming events, activities and successes – so if you love the sport, check back often! In the meantime, read my interview with Benoit on this blog.

Want to share some words of encouragement with Benoit? Share them in the comments.

It gives me goosebumps just to think about it… Every April 22, some 1 billion people in over 170 countries celebrate Earth Day with activities and projects that address local environmental issues. That includes some 6 million Canadians!

Always a firm believer that we can change the world together, VIA Rail is proud to be supporting this worthy cause and is even offering travellers a limited-time 50% discount on Comfort class tickets* to help more Canadians discover a greener way to travel.

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change that has been transforming lives for almost 40 years. So get your 50% e-coupon now and then become your own catalyst for change by finding an Earth Day activity near you!

The coupon is only available until April 26 – so don’t drag your feet!

*Some conditions apply.

I’ve worked my way through all the exercise books, I’ve mastered the art of French conversation, I’ve developed a passion for croissant, and now it’s time to test my mettle.

Yes, dear readers, I will now be publishing posts on my French blog @ vivianvirtuelle.ca. In fact, if I’m a hit in the language of Molière, you may even start seeing me on Twitter and Facebook too!

…in which Martin Lévesque and I embark on a walking tour of Toronto. We missed out on the ferry to the Toronto Islands, but it was still fun! Read Part 1 here.

For the full photo album, visit my Flickr photostream.

Before rails brought this country together, Canadians travelled by the waterways. It comes as no surprise then that cities have been built along the waterfront – and Toronto is no exception. Viv and I decided to start our walking tour along the Harbourfront.With seabirds circling above and ducks splashing the waves, this neighbourhood is a true urban village, featuring a bright mix of condos, boutiques and old-fashioned coastal charm. I marvelled at the mix of past and the present, the river boats anchored near luxury condos, the Air Canada Centre to one side and the Toronto Islands located just across the water. And the best part is, Harbourfront is located just a few minutes walk from Union Station – perfect for a stroll between trains!

First we next popped into the Harbourfront Centre, an arts, culture and recreation hub in Toronto that is open to the public. I loved being able to walk along a walkway and see artists in full creation mode! And Viv loved dropping in to the Bounty boutique to browse the one-of-a-kind gifts. Next we visited Exhibition Place. This 129-year old venue attracts over 4.5 million visitors a year thanks to Major League Soccer on the BMO Field, the Toronto Grand Prix every July, hundreds of trade shows yearly and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. There’s even an amusement park and water slides!

I was starting to get hungry, so we exited the Harbourfront area by the European-style arch at the end of Princes’ Boulevard. Crossing through Coronation Park, I was struck by how deep royalty ran deep in this city and was hardly surprised when Viv tugged on my sleeve to point out Fort York.“Where the city of Toronto was founded,” Viv noted as she handed me an apple. The cannons and the enemies have slid back into history, but the memories of wars fought almost 300 years ago are still standing by the curious mind.

Welcome to guest blogger Martin Lévesque! A passionate rail fan* and lover of panoramic photography*, Martin provided the words and photos that inspired the following three-part trip report. Looks like I’m developing another crush…

For the full photo album, visit my Flickr photostream.

For the long Easter weekend, I hatched a plan! To travel from Montréal to Kingston and then on to Toronto for a walking tour of the TDot with the lovely Vivian.

The weekend started in VIA 1 class of Train 57, departing from Montréal on a bustling Friday morning. I chose this train so that I would arrive in Kingston shortly after lunch – giving me plenty of time to explore this once-capitol-of-Canada before catching my afternoon train to Toronto.What’s for lunch? After a refreshing aperitif, Jos, my friendly VIA 1 class attendant, served the appetizer – smoked scallops on a bed of endive, thank you very much. And if the view of the Thousand Islands wasn’t enough, this was quickly followed by the entree – roast beef, served with dauphinois potatoes, salad and a perfectly paired wine. When the meringue dessert was served, I was ready to cry with joy!

Still rosy from lunch, I disembarked at Kingston, camera in hand. There are some notable attractions located near the Kingston station, but the one I most wanted to visit was Cataraqui Cemetery, named after an Amerindien terms meaning “muddy river” or “place of retreat”. Founded in 1850, this cemetery is a National Historic Site of Canada and the final resting place of famous Canadians like Sir John A. Macdonald, our first Prime Minister. The Cataraqui Cemetery boasts great natural beauty, adorned with magnificent flower gardens, the twittering of birds and sculpted monuments of stone and marble. Every turn brought a new moment of wonder – especially as the sun began to fall. My finger was clicking almost non-stop and if it wasn’t for the alarm on my cell phone, I might have missed my train to Toronto.

The faces of my fellow travellers had changed but the train experience remained the same. I immersed myself in the landscapes outside my window – the waters of Lake Ontario and a carefully preserved locomotive outside Brighton. But soon enough, we began to cross more commuter trains and I knew that our final destination was in sight.Toronto! As I take the tram up Spadina towards my hotel I wonder… where Vivian will be taking me for dinner?

*Sites are in French only, but the photos speak the international language of wow!

In my attempts to help you plan the perfect summer vacation in Canada, first I took you to the Gaspé. Today we’re going to move a little further west and find destinations where you can exercise your body and your mind.

So without further ado, here’s your top five cities to visit in central Canada – with some outdoorsy suggestions!

Want to take a multi-city tour? Visit TrainPackages.ca for some inspiring ideas.

In the weeks to come: Halifax, Niagara Falls, the Prairies and Rockies, yay!

We posted a new contest challenge and you responded! Of the many fine suggestions we received for future blog posts, it’s Debora Miscione’s entry that won the day:

Comment on whether or not the

current economy situation is going to affect

vacation plans this year. – Debora

Congratulations to Debora, who has won a $200 travel voucher redeemable for travel with VIA! But to give you a taste of the other great topic suggestions we received, I’ve chosen four runner-ups.

(of course there’s no prize for the runner-ups, but you have my undying admiration and gratitude!)

I would really like to know more about the people

who actually make those trains work, how it’s like to

work in the Canadian during a four-day trip…

That’d really be interesting! – Maxime

—

I would like to see a post about travelling

on VIA Rail with a wheelchair. – Lori-Ann

—

I would like to see a blog post on how to keep children

occupied during long train rides. –Geraldine

—

I would love to know more about the people.

It might be nice to see something in the title like

“Bernard, VIA business traveller since October 2007″

or something similar. — Bernard

Keep an eye on this space for inspired new blog posts – and more contests!

Voilà! Mes cours de français ont pris fin la semaine dernière. Je suis enfin prête pour écrire sur mon blogue quelques articles en français. L’êtes-vous aussi ?

Le lancement de la version française de ce blogue, Sur les traces de Vivian, verra le jour très bientôt. Il sera alimenté d’article toujours aussi animés et passionnés sur le voyage au Canada, les parcours en train, la découverte de nouvelles destinations, etc.

Parcourir en photos des villes canadiennes, voyage en train, activités et festivals haut en couleur, je vous propose d’explorer avec moi le Canada, de la plus agréable façon qui soit : en train.

Prochain arrêt : à la découverte de Montréal pour une fin de semaine!