2015-06-27: Hopes and Dreams

We have a Dream to share Happiness!
It involves Calgary Stampede!
Hopefully that means Slutty Cowgirls.

Entry of Excitement!

Step One of Achieving The Dream is to get to Calgary.
Many people would attempt this by whizzing through the air in a magical tube of wonder.

Cultural Observations: The World

Flying is so amazing and cool that any sane human would get all excited and jump around.
This would unbalance the plane I assume (I don't really know how planes work).

On the shinkansen they sometimes have the speed displayed like this. I am pretty sure there is meant to be a decimal place after the 6 for this train.

To sedate everyone planes are only entered via Buildings of Boredom and all entertainment and food on the Magical Tube is muted and boring.

Rating: 9/10 (Just because I hate it doesn't mean it isn't successful)

Trains on the other hand often have interesting architecture and fun food. Plus they jiggle around forcing you to jump up and down. So, screw planes. There is a train that goes all the way across Canada. It takes days. It is rated as one of the great train rides on the planet.

Toronto train station. I am pretty sure this should be in Tony Hawk.

The train doesn't leave from Montreal. Only from Toronto. The train doesn't go to Calgary. Only to Edmonton. The math stacks up reasonably well though. The cost of flying plus accommodation and food for days is roughly the same as the cost of the train ticket (which includes food and accommodation).  I think that is enough justification to do this.
Dr Internet claims that Toronto invented the Peameal Bacon sandwich. We are in Toronto. I like bacon and have been disappointed by the local bacons.

NZ / Australian bacon. About a single serve for a decent BLT.

Canadian bacon and American bacon appear to be each end of Australian bacon. I don't understand this. You need both bits to make it good. Plus I don't think they cure it properly. Oh and it seems to be really wet.
We have hopes peameal bacon will be better.

Tourist Checklist: Market Time!

We like markets. We have yet to see one better than the one in Sao Paolo but being lesser than that glorious repository of food is no great crime.

Opposite the Ice Hockey Hall of fame which has no bacon sandwiches of any style.

Dr Internet seems to think there is little to see in Toronto that is close to the station if you don't really really like Ice Hockey and it is raining a lot. Fortunately the St Lawrence market is also the home of some of the highest rated Peameal Bacon sandwiches.

And it is undercover. Nice range of products. It has Gherkins in a barrel. Ewa likes that, makes her feel cozy and safe.

One of the hams, a bag of olives and some bread would have been a wise investment. Oh and a knife.

It also has tinned cassoulet. Cassoulet makes me feel cozy and safe however I am not sure we will have heating tools on the train and plus beans followed by a small compartment might not be a kind choice for me to make.

We should assemble a train picnic kit really.

We didn't have time to really appreciate the market as we arrived just as most of it was closing. The rush to see as much as we could before it closed meant we didn't really think clearly and didn't buy the fixings for a train picnic. I think also Japan has spoiled us with the shops on the station and on the train so we forgot there wouldn't be one here.

Rating: 8/10 (definitely a market I would like to spend a week or two living next to)

I thought Paddington's favourite food was marmalade sandwiches. I suspect there might be a long and convulted story behind this name but I am not drunk enough to find anyone to tell me.

Paddingtons Pump is showing the Australia versus Japan Womens Football World Cup match. We have dreams of Australia winning and then we can watch the semi finals when we are in Edmonton in a few days.

We could have even taken the leftovers for a Train Picnic but we were too slow witted

Peameal bacon is okay. It is not as good as Australian bacon and the Reuben sandwich I got (because I was trying to remember what pastrami was like but I have already forgotten what Montreal smoked meat is like) was better than the Peameal Bacon sandwiches.

Waiting for trains is not quite as bad as waiting for planes but it can still be a little tedious.

The sandwiches were huge and we battled bravely to the end showing more grit than style. The Australian Ladies team played much the same way against Japan.
Unfortunately in the end the Canadian sandwiches beat us and the Japanese Ladies beat the Australian Ladies. If we had had Aussie style BLT's or Bacon & Egg rolls I reckon things could have been different.