nay Posted November 30, 2010 Posted November 30, 2010 I was SO exhausted at Efteling, and was beginning to feel sick from that European death flu I caught, too. I wish I could remember more from that day! Was River Quest the ride where a random box or something fell from the sky and hit Lou? That was the craziest rapids ride ever!
larrygator Posted November 30, 2010 Posted November 30, 2010 I loved my knock-off Pooh Bubbles. Nice to find unsanctioned Disney merchandise at a fair.
Cameron Posted November 30, 2010 Author Posted November 30, 2010 ^^ Hahaha Renee, I'd totally forgotten about the random plastic box that landed in Lou's lap! And yes, it was on River Quest at Phantasialand. That was my day to be a walking zombie, so my memory is a little hazy in places. The last six months have just flown by at incredible speed - it really seems like we were all there just yesterday. Cameron.
Moose Posted December 2, 2010 Posted December 2, 2010 I also can't believe these trips were that long ago. I love these parks, thanks for posting your updates, I'm still sad I didn't continue on to Europe.
Cameron Posted December 3, 2010 Author Posted December 3, 2010 ^ Yup - it sounded like you guys had such an amazing time on the UK portion, I was bummed that I wasn't able to be there too. The Final Night... Robb describes these trips as "summer-camp for adults", and that really is very apt for you get to have a lot of fun, great laughs, no sleep, and you hang out with some amazingly awesome people. It's always a reunion of old friends, and a place to meet new ones; and the people come from all over the world. It's funny how close you can get over just one or two weeks, and so the last night is always quite emotional since you know that you won't be able to see most of these people for months or years. There were a lot of hugs, and even some tears, as we reminisced about all the amazing things which happened over the last few days (it seemed more like weeks). The festivities began as soon as we arrived at the hotel after the great day at Efteling. We headed down the street for a delicious group dinner. It was slightly amusing to be in Amsterdam, at a French restaurant, eating Italian food - but such madness is actually not all that unusual on a TPR trip. The reality of it being the Final Night was not discussed much, and the dinner was full of the typical fun and laughter. We all thanked Robb and Elissa for their hard work, as park and even hotel changes were going on even while we were on the trip. I honestly don't know how they do it all so well. After dinner we all met up in the hotel bar, which fortunately was open until 4am. I don't actually remember how we got on the subject of different currency, but I of course whipped out my Australian notes for a bit of show-and-tell. I always enjoy challenging people to rip the money, having them ask me "are you sure", and me saying (smugly) "yes, you won't be able to". They all try, and so far have all failed, but that is precisely the point. Lou was so taken with the money that she was reluctant to return it.. For a good two-three hours this was a typical bar night for TPR, but unfortunately people started dropping off after midnight. Every goodbye is tough. Lou, Eric and I were all on the very first TPR trip in 2006, and have all hung out several times since. Eric is really an amazingly sweet and fun guy, and it was great to have him on the trip. "The Brit Crew" is an ever-evolving group of Brits, and all of them are just wonderful. I spent most of my time this trip hanging out with them, and we all got along really well. Many of these guys hang out even in "real life", but they welcomed me into their close group with open arms. Pictured here is just a small subset of the group: "Scottish" Steve, Brad, Russ (in the back row), and "Southern" Steve and Lou in the front. It was getting late, and we were all sleep-deprived, so it was natural that someone would fall asleep in the bar (and amazingly it wasn't me). Russ, Steve and Lou pose with the snoozing Brad. Just after we took this photo Brad shifted, and almost tipped his beer in his lap. Fortunately we were all there to catch it (which wouldn't have been the case had we not been taking the pic). I finally succumbed to sleep at 3:30am, and we took this pic with the last remaining people in the bar: Brad, Russ Lou, me, Bob, Steph, Fran, and Steve. If it looks like we're all half asleep it's because we are, if we look all sad it's because we are . I'm starting to feel a bit silly going on and on about how amazing this trip was, but it really was. There really wasn't a single disappointing park or ride, and experiences like that German fair was like nothing I've ever done - and I very much doubt I'll ever do anything like it again. Aside from the parks, rides and of course the people, I have thoroughly enjoyed typing up these reports. I can't believe all the technology involved in taking the pictures, transferring them to the iPad, typing up reports, and then emailing them .. From a balcony in Rome, or a bus driving through Switzerland and Germany, or currently on a plane flying back to Chicago (which I hope to transmit from the taxi-way once we land). I know that the audience is small, but I hope to look back on this in years to come and re-live some of the awesomeness. Thanks for reading, and remember that all of this was brought to you by... The End. Cameron.
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