The Plane Truth

Tempted as I was to don my luminous Girlguiding jacket, wave some table tennis bats around and assist with the air traffic control operation, I resisted.  We bundled into the plane.  It was quite a small plane, but Tula and I have been in a smaller plane previously, in Guatemala, where we could have touched the pilot.

The plane before ours was cancelled; the plane after ours was cancelled; our plane was not cancelled, it just left a bit late.  Three hours late.  There was an eerie silence on the plane when we sat on the runway for about half an hour, whilst they waited for a take-off slot.  What a strange procedure - there were lots of flights cancelled, so surely there would have been a lot of slots! I was thinking about how aeroplanes work.  I mean, really, how on earth does a huge lump of metal, packed full of people who are statistically, mainly overweight, lift off from one country and arrive in another? It's a bit like wireless printers - how do they work? How can that information transport itself through the ether and onto paper? Amazing.  But enough about all that, let's get back to the trip.

I had a run-in with the hostess.  I did not endear myself to her as I was darting around checking on the girls who were variously losing their passports and asking questions about how planes work.  Luxair woman looked at me with a look which said 'this aisle ain't big enough for both of us' as she wielded trays of croissants and I wielded the clipboard of knowledge.  It wasn't a very big aisle, not like in Morrison's or Tesco's, which have much bigger aisles.

Eventually, we were airborne, not like an airborne bacteria, you understand.  Once off the plane, my beloved team inform me that I conducted a roll-call in the 'no go zone' right beside the propeller, in an area which was actually cordoned off.  Thanks for telling me at the time, team! Anyway, we jumped on a bus and several Guides thought this was the bus to the youth hostel, and were worrying that they had not collected their stuff.  Thankfully, it was the bus to the terminal.  We gathered our bags and I prized the girls away from the conveyor belt, which was itself more exciting than any Guide activity we have ever done.

The flight was remarkably short - we were going to Luxembourg, not Johannesburg.  I had to use my very best French to convince the immigration guy that our trip was legitimate and that all of the children were mine, but not mine, in that way that fellow Leaders will understand.  I produced a list of names, the consent forms, and an explanation as to what we would be doing.  He wasn't sure and took a bit of convincing.  Once he was sure, I asked if he would stamp all of our passports.  He said, quite categorically - 'non'.  I explained that it was our first time in Luxembourg, first time on a plane for some, and that a passport stamp would mean a lot.  He relented,  and dutifully stamped every one.

The youth hostel have a bus and they were going to shuttle us from the airport, but it only had 7 seats, so would have taken most of the weekend to bring us back here.  I don't think the Guides are quite ready for the African bush taxi experience, not on their first international trip.  Instead we took bus number 9 into town, with most of Luxembourg.  I then took the girls on a minor detour to find the place where we are staying.  On arrival, my dear friend Anne, a fellow International Adviser, was here to greet us, along with a group of BGIFC from Luxembourg, with many of their Leaders, led by Kim, with whom I have been in touch planning our adventures.

Allow me to explain what BGIFC is.  It stands for British Guides in Foreign Countries.  I first learnt this when I was given a BGIFC mug when I left Brownies and went to Guides, in about 1992.  BGIFC provides Guiding units which follow the Girlguiding programmes, in countries where there are British communities.  There are BGIFC all over the world.  Anne is, amongst other things, the Outdoor Activities Adviser for Benelux and France County and has many connections.

We spent a happy hour with the local Guides in Luxembourg, playing impro games which were great fun.  We heard about why they live in Luxembourg and how long people have been here.  Many of the Leaders came for a short period and have never left, so if you're ever tempted to move to Luxembourg, be warned that you may not leave.  Ever.  But it's a beautiful place, with winding streets, variously coloured buildings and a happy place.

We walked into the Christmas market in the centre of Luxembourg, which was beautiful.  The comforting smell of open fires, candy floss machines buzzing, people chatting in a plethora of language.  The girls were mesmerized by the Ferris wheel, which was illuminated against the deep darkness.  There were bungee trampolines, a carousel and a lot of happy Guides.

The Guides are amazing, if exhausted.  Many of them are wearing onesies, some are dinosaurs and others are monsters, or One Direction.

I am so proud of the Guides who are making new friends, growing in confidence and doing a great job of representing Girlguiding abroad.

The girls are now having a bit of free-time, debriefing and planning tomorrow, when we are off to Germany! Very exciting. In other news, as Pip and anyone else who was on the Mexico / Guatemala trip will be pleased to hear, I found a Coke lid.  Unfortunately, it appears that it does not have 'Luxembourg' written on the side, which suggests they may not be bottled here.  Interesting.

Well, night is drawing in; in fact, it has drawn in.  Lights out is looming, so I must sign-out.  We are having a wonderful time, despite the slow start at London City.  The Guides were great and didn't make a fuss.  They were friendly to the general public in London and in Luxembourg.

More tomorrow - goodnight!