Kumain ka na ba ng umutot ng madre? Maglakad sa isang glacier? Galugarin ang isang ng mga lunsod o bayan pambansang parke?

Nakatikim ka na ba ng shmoo torte? Mga bagel o perogies na subok na sa panlasa? Meryenda sa Kouign-Amann?

Nagawa mo na ba ang iyong pang-araw-araw na negosyo — as if you were an Acadian in the 1700s?

Nakita mo ba ang libingan ng 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, at higit pa.

Lahat dito sa Canada.

My Cross-Canada Rail Adventure

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

I spent a month traveling across Canada on Via Rail Vancouver mula sa 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, mula sa Rocky Mountains sa Atlantic Coast.

But I also want to follow, at ibahagi ang, Canada’s multicultural story, learning more about other newcomers, nakalipas at kasalukuyang mga.

Ang Cultural Pass Access

Ako ay makakapag-tumagal ito paglalakbay, sa bahagi, dahil sa an excellent program that’s available libre to new Canadian citizens: ang Cultural Access Pass. Sponsored by the non-profit Institute para sa Canadian Citizenship, the Cultural Access Pass is good for free admission to more than 1,000 museums and cultural attractions across the country at 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, I was able to use my Cultural Access Pass for an extra discount.

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

Lahat ng sakay!

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:
Sakay ng tren Via Rail mula sa Vancouver sa Jasper © Carolyn B. Heller
Embarking on the train journey © Alan Albert
Trains departing from Toronto’s Union Station © Carolyn B. Heller