We got home and I got a call from Sarah's sister. Sarah and Dan are on holiday in Tunisia and with all the news coverage of the attacks there she was pretty worried. She'd tried calling them and neither was answering their phone.
This is probably why you're supposed to leave an itinerary and addresses with people when you go away.
She asked me which hotel they were staying at, and I couldn't remember- So I spent a portion of my evening trying to ask our friends if they knew without panicking anyone and on hold to the embassy trying to get any information (They don't know anything, after 2 hours on hold- so if you're in the same boat it really is just a waiting game but if you needed the number it is 02070081500)
Part way through this I got a very tearful phone call from her sister saying she thought she's seen them hurt on the news footage.
We found the footage but it was soo blurry there was no way of knowing for sure but we weren't so convinced. I do feel really sorry for families who will see their loves ones hurt on the TV or online. It's not an advantage to have so much media coverage. Those injured people and the dead should be treated with more dignity,and the videos and images have just added to the panic and chaos.
In the end- after Traff had started smoking Mayfair to calm is nerves and we'd fielded calls from everyone we'd ever met- they rang to say they'd been paragliding all day and had just returned to the hotel and seen all the horror. They assured us that the security is now seriously stepped up and that they are and will be fine.
They could not have planned their day any better- not even on land during the shootings.
I'm so grateful that everyone is OK, and my thoughts really are with families and friends waiting for news form all the disasters today- my heart was in my mouth every time I took a call or saw a new section of news footage or someone messages me more pictures online from news articles.
It's made me realise 2 things:
1) I should see more of the people I care about because you really don't every know what will happen next.
2) I should always leave my travel itinerary with my parents/ close friends, because although the odds of anything ever happening to me when I'm travelling are tiny, if they do I don't want my family and friends to have to deal with this!
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