For hundreds of Canada's war brides, this week's journey back to Pier 21 in Halifax was met with more fanfare than their original journey, more than 60 years ago.

The war brides arrived in Halifax at about 6 p.m. Tuesday on a special Via train that stopped in locations all over Canada to pick them up.

Pier 21, the train's final destination, is the Halifax port where nearly 50,000 British and European women arrived following the Second World War, after marrying Canadian soldiers posted overseas.

The women brought more than 20,000 babies from Europe, creating the most unusual immigration issue in Canadian history.

War bride Mary Palmeter remembered arriving at Pier 21 alone more than 60 years ago.

"I arrived with nobody there to greet me really, just my sister-in-law," said Palmeter.

It was a great contrast with the cheering crowds of well-wishers who met the train in Halifax today.

Some of the war brides who did arrive to crowds of Canadians in 1945 were met with boos from the Canadian girls who resented their presence.

Many Canadian women were upset that war brides had married so many of the country's young men; others were upset that the brides secured passage to Canada before some of the soldiers themselves were able to come home.

The women who stepped off the train today remembered feeling homesick when they arrived in Canada. Some were as young as 17 years old. Palmeter recalled feeling like a pioneer in her new home, a contrast to her comfortable life overseas.

"There was no sanitation," she said, "Only one cold water tap, and a woodstove."

But the love of their Canadian soldiers helped many of the women deal with cold winters and a cold reception.

Upon arrival today in Halifax, that love was still very much evident; many of the couples who started their lives together during that tumultuous time remain together today.

Tomorrow, 18 of those couples will be renewing their vows at Pier 21.

Some of the war brides expressed surprise that so many Canadians greeted the train at its many stops across the country.

"We never thought we'd be of any importance to anybody,' said Ruby Grey, "We just wanted to be accepted."

The historical significance of the war bride is now not only accepted, but appreciated, as eight provinces have designated 2006 "The Year of the War Bride."