Things to remember from training trip - part 3

When we got to Tyrol in Austria, some of us got a huge treat. Our names were drawn out of a hat to experience one of the optionals that passengers partake in on trips. One person skydived. 3 went paragliding and a big bunch of us got to canyon. I was lucky enough to get a go at canyoning. For one day we were allowed to act like passengers and just have fun! We got all suited up in our crazy wetsuits, took illegal pictures, and went to jump off a few waterfalls. The water was freezing but I couldn’t stop grinning for the whole experience.

Canyoning crew!

• Dressing up – Later on that night in Tyrol we had a dress-up party with the theme as cross-dressing. As usual it is funniest to look at the boys and we were surprised by how much everyone got into it (well, they had to really). The eastern European boys may not have been comfortable to start with but they all got into it in the end. Some were too comfortable (*Cough* Ray). And Greg looking like your creepy old Aunt? Awesome.

Obviously enjoying it!

•  The cooks sat on the back seat, sometimes we got the seat in front of that as well but we were pretty exclusively back seat bandits. And you know how that used to be the cool spot when you were at school? It’s not cool now, I always wanted to sit further up where you could see and not be cramped. However we did have fun times squashed 5 in a row. Crispy would inadvertently go crazy on sugar and I would tease and laugh at him as he bounced up and down. Laura (my exit buddy) Emily and I would sing under our breath (because singing out loud was not allowed) and I would trace maps of Europe on the window for Kat to practice her countries on. This was all until Bessie came down to make us do work and be quiet.  

• Saying goodbye to people in Rome – In Rome we were culled. We had driven in 2 coaches and would only be driving 1 out. Luckily instead of firing lots of people (they did send a few away) they sent a lot of cooks off to be on site. Laura and Holly to Lauterbrunnen,  Hightower and Dee stayed in Rome and Tobin and Caity went to Venice. I was really sad to see them all leave us, and shed a small tear when we drove away. Several of those guys had been my support network and I was worried that I would need them again.

• Whispered puns from Kevin in Berlin – Driving tours in Berlin went until 3am and were SO BORING. (purely because all I had to do was stay awake, the TLs had very interesting spiels) There was lots of room in the coach because the drivers had gone to bed and so the cooks got to move down where we liked. I ended up sitting in front of Kev who whispered puns to me from between the seats and I had to try not to laugh out loud. It improved my night tenfold!

• Helping Jose in Dubrovnik and with his spiel – Jose was a Spanish driver with not much English but a lovely personality. I always made sure to have a chat with him each day and see if he needed any help. One night in Dubrovnik he came to me with the drivers safety spiel that he had written out and asked me to correct it. It was mostly great just a few grammar things to correct but I enjoyed going over it and helping him spiel it. It also helped me the next day when the trainers asked me to get up on the mic and do the Driver safety spiel.

• Blake’s rat on a dog – Blake came back one day in Paris so excited because of what he had seen. He pulled out a Dictaphone so we could listen to what had happened. “And here you see the pitti palais which was built for the... OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT! IT’S A RAT RIDING A DOG!” Again another scenario that had us all in stitches.