Don't Stand on that Syringe!

The last night of orientation went down on the pier. Although not clear, the view back over Sanremo was pretty impressive and the misty sea behind us was hypnotic. We'd all gone down for some official takeaway pizzas. It was a real DIY fix with the plastic cups zipping up and down along with our friends, the 5 litre vats of quality wine. Mmm...


In theory it was a lovely way to close the whole shebang - we weren't on a time limit, we could roam, we could dip our feet in the sea, we could watch the sunset and so on. However, in reality we seemed to have accidentally taken over Sanremo's junkie haven for the night:
"What's that inamongst the broken glass?"
"A syringe."
"Oh."

Many of the party did shimmy over the pier walls to go and dip their feet in the glittering sea - the wine went with them. To this day I know not how they got back as the wall was at least 5 foot. I think the wine may have helped.

The following day we all went our separate ways and although some of us met up again, much of the Sanremo magic had gone; we were no longer part of an identical experience. I kept (and still keep) in touch with a few of the people I met in Sanremo, but I have a sneaky feeling that four days out of my life will be all the time I ever spend with them all. It's a shame, a real peccato. They were a fabulous bunch.

So before my train heads off to Brescia, stay tuned over the next few days for a couple of stories from the business end of my training week so you can begin to understand how it's possible to make lifelong friends...