Moncton with the Whalens 2023

Saturday presented another beautiful sunny winter`s day!  The temperature was just below zero, but a truly perfect day to do some exploring in the heart of Moncton. We received notification at the start of the day that our Via Rail train back to Halifax would be three hours late.  So insteaed of a 1:38PM departure, it meant we had to find things to do to occupy us til a 4:30PM departure (which ended up being 5PM).  Fortunately, the hotel extended our checkout until 3PM, which made things quite comfortable. We all had breakfast in the Delta Signature Club Lounge, located on the top floor of the Delta Beauséjour Hotel.  From there, we headed to the Marché Moncton Market, which was abuzz with Monctonites enjoying the food stall, craft and local grocery offerings.  Next up was a walk along the Petitcodiac River as far as the Moncton-Dieppe boundary.   A lunchtime break back at the hotel, we enjoyed a fun game of Cranium in the Delta Signature Club Lounge ...

Each year we do an overnight excursion with our good friends, Mel and Juliet Whalen. This year, we decided to take the train to Moncton and back, mostly for the experience of riding the train. Via Rail has reduced its service significantly over the last decade. There are now just two trains a week that operate on the Halifax-Montreal line. Fortunately, the schedule worked such that we could leave Halifax at 1 o’clock Friday afternoon and then get the return train on Saturday afternoon, this making for a perfect up-and-back weekend getaway. Although yesterday brought 100 km/h winds and heavy rain to Halifax, today brought beautiful sunshine. It made for a perfect day to travel by train. I went into work at 7 AM and got off at noon, while Pam normally finishes at 11:30 on Fridays. Mel and Juliet picked up Subway sandwiches on their way, and we all met up at my office building. Each of us had a small backpack, so we set off and walked the Halifax harbourfront to the Via Rail station. It ...