The squirrels have it right. There’s nothing like the arrival of fall to make you eat and eat and eat in preparation for the cold winter months ahead. To help satisfy the appetites of readers in Western Canada for delicious fall yummies, I have lovingly prepared this list of top food and wine festivals this November.

Get your napkins ready!

West Coast Chocolate Festival (Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam)

Until November 10, 2009

This festival celebrates the magic of chocolate and how it appeals to the senses! Events include chocolate pairings with beer, wine and scotch, a pancake breakfast, chocolate-making workshops and “Chicks and Chocolate”, a popular girls-only event featuring live entertainment, booths and tastings.

Cornucopia (Whistler, BC)

November 12-15, 2009

Sample gourmet food and fine wine in one of the most beautiful places on Earth! Festival highlights include seminars with wineries, critics and wine professionals, multi-course dinners, numerous tasting events, and various after-parties and brunches.

Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival (Edmonton, AB)

November 5-7, 2009

One of the largest and most exciting wine and food event in Alberta, this multi-city festival offers visitors a chance to sample an extensive variety of wine, scotch, beer and spirits, along with gourmet food from local restaurants and hotels. And they’ve expanded the exhibition hall this year!

If you’re always on the look-out for new culinary discoveries, visit the Tourism Canada website for updated festival listings.

Bon appetit!

Hey VIA Préférence members! Get closer to earning free train travel by shopping online at the VIA Préférence eBoutique. You’ll get one VIA Préférence point for each dollar spent, thus bringing you ever nearer to a free train trip with VIA — or maybe even the SNCF in France.

• Shop from over 85 quality online retaillers including Sears, the Apple Store and Avon.
• Double and even DOUBLE DOUBLE points offers from featured partners like Sony and Chapters.indigo.ca.

And the holiday season is just around the corner!

Start browsing the VIA Préférence eBoutique today!

Can you just feel the excitement growing? The Games of Vancouver 2010 are almost here and our medal-winning Paralympic swimmer Benoit Huot is going to be front and centre!

Local boy Huot will be the official bearer of the Olympic Torch for the Longueuil, Quebec segment of the relay.

He writes on his website: “I wish to thank the city of Longueuil for giving me the opportunity and honor to take part in something as extraordinary as the torch relay of the Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010. I was born, grew up and I now live in Longueuil. It is a privilege to participate in this event and I’ll savor each of the 300 meters that I will cover”.

If you’ve never seen him in the pool, you can now watch Benoit in action on Youtube.

Nous sommes fiers de toi, Benoit!

So you’re taking the kids on a train trip this fall, and you’re wondering how to keep them busy and entertained. VIA Rail has some fun on-board activities, and you’re bringing the usual PSP, crayons and colouring books, but what else?

• Shoot a little pocket… Scrabble! This classic board game now comes in a handy magnetic travel version. So no worries about losing the tiles!

• Remember cat’s cradle? Revive the string games of yester-year with a new generation. All you need is some colourful twine and big imagination.

• Play travel bingo! Simply make a list of items commonly seen on – and off – the train, and get your kids to find as many as possible. You can even find pre-prepared cards to print online!

• Pack a Klutz activity book – you and your kids can spend the trip making pipecleaner animals, cootie catchers, or other crafty delights.

• On the return voyage, you and your kids could make a travel scrapbook with the postcards, tickets, and other memories collected during your trip. All you need is a notebook, glue and some markers!

Do my faithful readers have more suggestions?

I’ve been to Quebec City countless times (a major perk of working with VIA!) and I’ll let you in on a secret… the city’s never more magical than in the fall. Here’s why:

1.	Start with the panoramic sweep of Vieux Quebec and the St. Lawrence River from high atop Terrasse Dufferin. Cobblestones and copper roofs are a perfect foil for fall’s colours!
2.	Now brave l’Escalier Casse-Cou (Break Neck Steps) to reach the Quebec-Levis ferry, for crisp fall views of Chateau Frontenac and the Citadel.
3.	Debark for a stroll (or fall shopping spree) along the city’s most branché avenues – Maguire and Cartier. From niche boutiques to an incredible fine dining scene, it’s all very bon chic, bon genre!
4.	With chefs revelling in the season’s harvest, you’ll want to work off some of those meals… on a bike tour. Try the old King’s Road or Ile d’Orleans.
5.	Finally, don’t miss one of nature’s most spectacular migrations – Quebec’s snow geese. Every autumn, the region is blanketed by thousands of these all-white birds.

And the most stress-free way to get there? With VIA Rail, course!

Do you have a photo worth $3,000? Then enter my new Facebook contest for a chance to win just that in travel vouchers from VIA Rail.

Here’s how to enter:

Look through your photos of train travel in Canada and select the best. Become my fan on Facebook. Upload your photo entries to the wall of my fan page by November 13 Tag your photos on Facebook with the appropriate category Encourage your friends to leave comments and share the page link.

Photos* must fall under one of four categories: What you see from your train window Urban landscapes Steel, glass and iron What train travel means to you Tell us why each photo best represents train travel in Canada.

Our jury will then choose three lucky contestants to win the following prizes:

Grand prize: A $3,000 VIA Rail travel credit
Second prize: Two (2) Canrailpasses (approx. value: $1,850)
Third prize: A digital camera (approximate value: $500)

Also, select entries may win the special jury prize of a $100 VIA Rail travel credit!

Contest deadline is November 13, 2009, so enter now.

*Contest open to residents of Canada only. For photo specifications and full eligibility requirements, read the contest conditions.

At the end of your business day, take the most relaxing way home – the train!

Business class travellers taking trains 66 and 67 between Toronto and Montreal now enjoy more perks than ever:

• Privileged access to in-station Panorama lounges (where available)
• Welcome aperitif
• Choice of three delicious meals – including appetizer, main course and dessert
• Exclusive lounge with wide screen television (just in time for the hockey season)
• Choice of comfortable single, double or double-facing seats

Are you ready for a new 5 o’clock experience?

Book your Business class ticket today!

Here are my top five picks for travel fun this fall:

1.	Go pumpkin-pickingOr zucchini-picking. Or squash picking! Pick-your-own farms are a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon – especially if you have kids. Check out the fresh produce at these farms in Ontario and Quebec.
2.	Take a nature walkThe Niagara Region is criss-crossed with hiking trails for all skill levels. Many of them cross provincial parks. You’ll see some amazing things – and you can combine it with a winery visit too. I’m just saying…
3.	Follow the Flavour TrailNot only does Quebec’s Charlevoix region boast a stunning visual landscape come fall – but it is also home to a tasty Flavour Trail. that foodies will thrill over. Cheeses, beer, meats, bread and ice cream too.
4.	Spa, spa, spa!Tired of the great outdoors? Then opt for a spa vacation instead! Plan it with your honey, with some friends – or maybe even make it a solo trip. Check out VIA’s Spa Train for all-inclusive package deals.
5.	Go West!Why not discover what nature’s most flambuoyant season looks like on the other side of the country? Take VIA’s Toronto-Vancouver train for a transcontinental trip across the Prairies to the West.

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