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By now we had all by and
large mastered the rudimentary techniques of skiing to various degrees of
success. This feat was mainly due to the encouragement and patience of our
teacher. So when Andy turned up that morning a little later than normal
and looking distinctly the worse for wear, we were all shocked to learn he
had suffered quite a bad epileptic fit in a restaurant the previous
evening. After our normal routine of going up and down the Allmendhubel a
few times Nick and I decided we would again break from the group and have
lunch inside the Gasthof, Nick tucking into Frankfurters fries and beer,
hair of the dog, me with an excellent goulash soup, bread and a diet coke!
After lunch it was back down the mountain again before ascending the
funicular for yet another afternoon of thrills plus a few spills! As the
afternoon drew on I began to feel quite tired with the previous night now
catching up with me. I told Nick I was ready to call it a day and return
the ski equipment back to the hire shop.
Back at the hotel after a
shower and a good rest we reluctantly made a start packing our suitcases
before going down to dinner. Sandra and Daniel Kuster-von-Allmen, the
hotel proprietors, had laid on an exceptional meal for our last night with
them. As we retired for the night there was that feeling you always get
when you know something really good is coming to an abrupt inevitable end.
But for me there was also the expectant excitement of returning home to my
wife Carole and my other children Charlotte and Toby. And for Nick he
would soon be reunited with his very own ‘James Bond Girl’ Joanne. |
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