It was an early start for all involved with a 4.45 meet at the school. All involved today including Mr Bristow & Mr Goodfellow, who kindly assisted with the transport of the touring party up to the airport. Luggage was loaded on to the minibuses, goodbyes were said to mums & dads & the boys were all eager to buckle up in the readiness to get going quicker. Despite the early start, Jake Hobbs decided to arrive in his mum's car, whilst wearing his sunglasses. A strange choice when it was pre-sunrise.
All were looking very good in their tour travel kit. All that is apart from James Roche, who decided that instead of going with the many directions & instructions of wearing his travel shorts & tour hoodie, he would choose his own ensemble. Something that was quickly picked up on by both the staff & the boys.
The journey up to the airport was largely uneventful & fairly smooth. For whose who were in Mr Goodfellow's bus, they were treated to a small glimpse in to the "Goodfellow Family Holiday Playlist" with entries from Adele to The Proclaimers & all the way through to Thin Lizzy!!
Within no time, we were at the terminal unloading our bags & looking for the correct check in zone. Our early start had been successful meaning that we were there in plenty of time. This gave the boys the opportunity to have a wander round the terminal & grab some snacks & forms of entertainment from the shops. In doing so, they happened to bump in to Jeremy Clarkson (of Top Gear fame). Most were happy to simply lurk around the newspapers to grab a glimpse of him, however Ronan Taggart simply went over & grabbed a selfie.
Before we knew it, it was time to check in, drop the bags off & head through security. Again for most, this was a smooth & simply process, having read & taken heed of the instructions that were given to them prior to arrival with regards to packing of items & liquids. Again Mr Roche struggled though, with his bag being pulled aside, opened & searched intensively. Only to find a shower gel container that had made it in to his hand luggage instead of his check in bag.
Time was given to the boys again to grab some food before we all had to meet up at the gate in readiness to board. The early start was starting to take its toll on some of the boys & the opportunity to finally take their seats on the plane was welcome. Coach Walton, as is usually the case, was one of the first to fall asleep once buckled in to his seat, but others were soon to follow, with many photos being taken of boys in various states on unconsciousness. The selection of media available was appreciated by the boys, with the prospect of seeing The Hobbit making Sam Ansell openly rejoice as he "had not seen that yet!!" The food served was also greatly appreciated & before we knew it the fasten seat belt signs were lit ready for landing.
Through security & customs we went without any fuss & onto the luggage reclaim area. Jake Hobbs' bright orange bag, that had taken much abuse during the day, came in to it's own at this stage when it was immediately visible to everyone when it went round, rather than having to be hunted for. It was then on to the rental car place where 3 (very) large wagons were collected. The boys organised & separated themselves in to the 3 separate vehicles & we were on the road. The GPS sat nav systems that were rented as part of the car deals came in to instant importance as our journey required us to drive through Downtown Boston. Not as useful as his colleague's was Coach Walton's that was pre-set to give out directions in Spanish!! Seeing Boston from the highways & through the car's windows was enough to get the boys excited about tomorrow's prospects.
After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at our hotel for the next couple of evenings where we all unpacked & simply chilled out for a bit before we went for a group walk around the lake that was located next to our hotel. This allowed the boys to loosen up their muscles after a long day's travels whilst also just getting themselves used to the American way of life. After a good 45 minute wander, it was all back in the vehicles to head to our evening meal at Fuddrucker Burger Joint.
Fuddruckers is known for it's big burgers & thick shakes, so naturally a competitive Man v Food competition was organised. The prospect of trying to beat the 2009 squad in the number of 1lb burgers eaten was set. For those who weren't feeling as hungry. Or for those who like Josh Donald described himself as having a small stomach, there was simply a 1/2lb option. Of the 9 who took up the challenge, there were 8 successes. Working out the figures, almost half a stone of beef was consumed!!
To finish of the day, & to let the food & mass amount of meat to settle before bed, the boys were given the chance to have a walk around a small shopping mall. Before arriving for dinner, Josh Donald was given the task from Coach Stevenson to buy a simple Aux cable for their car so they could listen to their iPods. Unfortunately Donald took this as an immediate task & went to the Bose outlet to spend $21 on an Aux cable that he could have purchased tomorrow during his day in Boston city centre for a couple of $s.
Before we headed back to the hotel, the group were pulled together to for tomorrow's details to be given. Timings were told, as well as the punishment for any late comings were warned. Finally the tour first aid bum bag (in a fetching purple/pink colour) was handed over to James Roche for his stupidity during the day. His task is to now carry this with him for the following day, offering support & medical assistance when needed, whilst also adding a piece of tour memorabilia to it. This will be decided daily by the coaches & handed out each evening.
Nice post
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