Earning My Pay Day

As you know, Tour Managers are immensely highly paid, earning many Millions a year and doing very little for it. Just occasionally, God laughs at us and sends down a day where we have to earn our pay. Today was that day. For those interested, one of my clients snuck a candid photo of me doing something that is known in the Tour Manager profession as “Sitting while panicking “.

What should have happened was this. Coach to our hotel @ 07:00 to take clients and bags to Trondheim station for 07:58 rail to Bodø arriving 17:34. What actually happened was…

A serious and un-forecast blizzard started in the night. Our coach got stuck in the snow and couldn’t get to the hotel. I tried for taxis but we were #41 in the queue. The snow was getting deep and the wind was well up and hotel reception said we’d never make it walking to the station. But we did. We walked. I have a brave and indomitable group of clients and we made it, towing suitcases through a blizzard (Sorry no photos because we were all concentrating on not freezing).

Our train was late, then later, then cancelled, then reinstated, then diverted. The group stayed undercover in the crossway under the tracks which was warm but aesthetically had all the appeal of a Somali abattoir. For a long time it looked as though we were going to have to give up and return to the hotel and fly next day. Long story short, in the end the train turned up and we made it, although late and chilly.

I have to say a big thank you and well done to my clients who stayed cheerful and brave throughout a difficult morning. No toys were thrown out of the cot, despite provocation. They’re a good bunch so I think I’ll keep them.

We travelled through some wild and remote countryside.

Our afternoon was brightened by Felix the Field Spaniel who was taking his first train journey. Dogs up here sometimes wear booties, not because of the snow but because of the salt and grit.

The train is very warm but in between coaches it was snowing occasionally.

As we crossed the Arctic Circle we raised a glass of bubbly stuff to celebrate.

Fate tried to trap us today but we slipped away from its’ claws. Ha! Take that, Fate. (I may be possibly be getting a bit over tired at this point. Hopefully, Mummy will take me up, tuck me in and tell me a story in a minute). G’night Jon Boy.