Last weekend saw my final tour for Andersons and, just like it began, I took a group of 40+ to a place I had never been before. Yes, a mere 3 and a half years since I kicked off my tour guide career taking a bus full of Japanese exchange students to Brugge, the curtain has finally come down.
After the usual pick ups in London we headed to Southampton (the sail place of the Titanic) to board the ferry over to the Isle of Wight. In tow I had managed to get 11 mates book on the tour: Mouse, Ange, Jane, O, Al, Rui, Armando & Maya, One Fid & her mate Eleanor.
Upon arriving on the Isle we met our local guide who proceeded to take us around intertwining stories of her very strange childhood with landmarks and history. We managed to see virtually the whole Island whilst receiving a rundown of her entire life all in one afternoon!
Having said that, the Island is beautiful and the landscape breathtaking in parts - although give the Oyster beer a wide berth!
After our day on the coach we required some refreshments so headed to the Jolly Sailor, by name not by nature, had dinner on the water front, twice, before ending up back at the Jolly Sailor in a bid to drink the bar out of Moet. O, typically retained his title as the Lord of loose, donning one of the girls scarfs as his attire for the eve - I found him too irresistable so we shared a dirty dance.
Sunday we piled back on the bus after quite possibly the worst fry up ever and headed over to the Islands famous needles, had lunch in a nice sailing town of Yermouth before jumping back on the ferry home.
All in all a great weekend with great people, except the whingeing Kiwi couple who slated me in the feedback form because I didnt take them to Osborn House ... to them I say get over it!
And so a great tour guide career is over, on Sunday night you could hear a sigh of relief from all those people planning an Andersons Tour in the future.
