Você já comeu o peido de uma freira? Andar em uma geleira? Explorar uma urbano parque nacional?

Você provou torta de shmoo? Bagels ou perogies com sabor testado? Lanche em Kouign-Amann?

Você tem ido sobre seus negócios diários — as if you were an Acadian in the 1700s?

Você já viu o túmulo de Louis Riel? Dipped your toes in the surf of the world’s highest tide?

Have you considered how aboriginal artists perceived the explorers who arrived on their land?

…explored a neighborhood museum — in a former public bathhouse?

…listened to stories of immigrants as they came to start life in a new country?

I’ve recently had the chance to do all these things, e mais.

Todos aqui no Canadá.

My Cross-Canada Rail Adventure

I’m just back from a great adventure — an epic cross-Canada train trip.

Passei um mês traveling across Canada on Via Rail de Vancouver a Halifax with numerous stops along the way.

As a new Canadian myself — my family and I became Canadian citizens last year — I wanted to explore some of Canada’s iconic, don’t-miss places, das Montanhas Rochosas à Costa Atlântica.

But I also want to follow, e partes, Canada’s multicultural story, learning more about other newcomers, passado e presente.

O Access Pass Cultural

Eu era capaz de fazer esta viagem, em parte, graças a an excellent program that’s available livre to new Canadian citizens: o Cultural Access Pass. Sponsored by the non-profit Instituto para a cidadania canadense, the Cultural Access Pass is good for free admission to more than 1,000 museums and cultural attractions across the country e to all of Canada’s national parks and historic sites.

The pass also gives new citizens a 50 percent discount off a Via Rail trip, and I was excited to learn that you can apply the pass to an already discounted fare. That’s right — when Via Rail announced a 50-percent-off sale, Eu era capaz de usar o meu Access Pass Cultural para um desconto extra.

If you’re a new citizen, it’s the cheapest way you’ll ever find to take the train across Canada! Graças à passagem, também, my admission to the national parks, historic sites, and most of the museums I visited — from Jasper to Winnipeg, Toronto para Montreal, Moncton to Halifax — didn’t cost me anything.

All Aboard!

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be posting stories about my new Canadian’s cross-country rail adventure. I hope you’ll join me on my travels.

And I’ll be sure to tell you all about those nun’s farts.

Photo credits:
A bordo do trem Via Rail de Vancouver a Jasper © Carolyn B. Heller
Embarking on the train journey © Alan Albert
Trains departing from Toronto’s Union Station © Carolyn B. Heller