First Guests and Christmas

Yesterday saw the first guests arrive and was of course Christmas Eve.

The previous day I spent most of the afternoon correcting the translations of the hotel menu, schedule of events and poem for the Christkind (their version of Santa).

Saturday was an early start, at the hotel for 07.00 to go up to Salzburg airport. But it went quite smoothly even though it was busy. The flights arrived on time and we got down to the resort swiftly. Same coach driver as last year, so yet again like meeting old friends.

Helped out with the ski fit, skis and boots, which with some first-timers was a bit chaotic, this made me late to go and get the ski passes. When I got to their nice comfortable office having battled through a biting cold wind and snow the office man was out at one of the Pass Cash Desks so they asked me to go there. I headed down there and found that the reason he was there was because the computer system was buggered. I stood around outside for about 30 minutes while they got it going again and issued my passes. Don't forget that it was still freezing cold, blowing a hooligan and snowing.

I was late back to the hotel to hand out the passes, and the schedule was tight as the festivities were due to start.

Anyway Heidi the manager asked me to welcome all the guests in English and then sing English carols along with her. I told her I was not singing! I ended up singing, very badly.

However the Deputy Manager is from South Tirol which is in Italy, but they hate being called Italian and German is their native language, but they speak Italian. So when it came to the Welcomes in the hotel I suggested to Heidi that Christoph, the 'Italian' should do the welcome in Italian. This was a pay back as he is always taking the P out of the English.

I had a quick drink with the hire shop guys and was then going to head back down the mountain to my little flat and do my books.

But Heidi collared me and invited me to have dinner with her and a few of her managers in a small room off the main restaurant. It was fantastic, the best wine and the food was superb. I can't begin to describe the dessert, It looked a picture and tasted wonderful.

After that I headed off home down the mountain that was a bit slippery. When I got to the flat the family invited me in for a drink so I couldn't refuse.

All in all a very long day!

But Christmas Day was cold and white, I went skiing, and there is no better way to spend Christmas morning. The afternoon I spent getting the books straight so that is all finished one day ahead of schedule! So now I can relax tomorrow and go skiing, although my manager is threatening to come down, we'll see...

Happy Christmas everyone!!!