Does being sick in paradise make it better?

Lauterbrunnen

Every time I breathe I cough so much that my stomach muscles ache and my head hurts

It is a perfect 28 degrees outside in the picturesque Swiss Alps, the sun is shining, church and cow bells are ringing, children are laughing by the crystal clear stream (I am not joking, this place is out of a fairytale) and I am in the black hole (ie cabin 91), in bed, with 2 blankets on

Walking to Lauterbrunnen

I was supposed to be paragliding (yes mum, ME, paragliding) but instead I am trying to convince myself that I really do want to eat a piece of bread so I stop feeling sick from hunger, even though the thought of food makes me feel sick

I am beyond caring that if I leave my cabin to find the campsite bathrooms, 20 passengers and probably my boss, will see me still in yesterday’s clothes, with crazy hair (or my colleague likes to call it, Party Lynda hair) and mascara all down my face from the coughing that makes my eyes water – luckily the antibiotics that I smuggled out of Australia with me calm that down enough for me to breathe again

Cows with bells everywhere

I sleep right through the yodelling, alphorn, handclapping and general festivities of Swiss Folklore Night that are going on 15 metres from my cabin but somehow hear my alarm and make it out of bed for work, aching all over from 34 hours of laying in the same position

Are you sure you are ok to work my boss asks. I stupidly say yes (as I am sure the only other possible guide to take over enjoyed Swiss Folklore Night to his full ability knowing he had 2 days off to recover, and would not appreciate an “oops you are now guiding today!” wake up call with 15 minutes notice….), then wish I hadn’t when it turns out the microphone on my coach is not working. Unfortunately for the passengers, my throat feels like it is embedded with shattered glass and sounds like nails on a chalkboard. They get the briefest of the essential safety spiel and for the first time ever – no city spiel coming into Lucerne. What do we do here they ask – I give them a city map and point to the “highlights” written on the side

 

Neuschwanstein

Luckily a spare microphone is found and after sending them to find their own way up to Neuschwanstein castle (always a risk, im sure they could quite possibly somehow end up in Austria or even Lichtenstein rather than back at the coachpark meeting point) I discover that no, German supermarkets do not sell panadol/ibuprofen/codeine/anykindoffu**ingpainkiller in their supermarkets, so I have to wait until our 7.30pm arrival in Munich to find a pharmacy and the magic drugs to put out the fire in my throat and the pounding in my head.

Being sick in paradise does NOT make it better

Highlights and Lowlights

Xavier and I at the Red Garter

Tuscany

Days off in Florence were fabulous, epic night at the Red Garter – sang happy birthday to a passenger’s fiancé and then became Sandy from Grease

On the horse

My horse

Went horseriding in Tuscany and it was AMAZING – first stop a little castle town called Monteriggioni, time to stroll around, a delicious cappuccino(Italy is the king of coffee) and a surprise wine tasting – Chianti Classico is always welcome at 11am J Jumped all the way up on to my beautiful brown horse and rode through the Tuscan countryside (SO beautiful) and vineyards for a couple of hours and then a massive Italian feast of dishes such as fresh tomato, cucumber

and basil salad, lightly fried and salted vegetables, pasta al forno and panna cotta at a farm by a lake

Riding through the vineyards

Sunflower field in Tuscany

Finally got to see my favourite friend from training for the first time since we said goodbye on the 2nd of May and caught up on all the gossip J

Woke up a week ago with a killer sore throat which turned into a nasty cold, not fun -  I was losing my voice and talking was killing my throat and I had a fever too but had to keep going – its not really the type of job where you can call in sick – what are you going to tell the 51 people waiting for the coach?!

Managed to talk my way down from working 18 days straight to working only 12 (ONLY!!!)

I have 2 days off in my favourite city – Berlin - in a few days where I can finally get my 2 inches of roots coloured and my mullet cut

Staubach fall, Lauterbrunnen

On the 1st August it was Swiss National Day and I happened to be on the coach going into Lauterbrunnen that night, bbq at my managers house (instead of my scheduled debrief – yes!!) and at 10pm a big fireworks display in front of the waterfall with noise that echoed all around the valley– SPECTACULAR

Trying to decide where to take my parents for their 5 weeks in Europe in November…….there is so much to choose from! What to cut out?!

Coming in to Amsterdam today: so guys, the hostel is right next to Vondel Park - where its apparently legal to have sex if anyone is interested.............yep. never going on the mike again ha ha ha ha