What just happened?

Greetings faithful readers.

I can hardly believe that I am now home, sitting in the very spot I was sitting in 48 hours ago, packaging up another package of whatever I was packaging, after doing an online comparison, blogging about how 1st Chislehurst Guides' first ever epic international adventure is now over.  What just happened?

Time differences always perplex me, as you will know from reading my previous blogs - the Mexico one is amusing in places; the Rwanda one is the opposite, (with the exception of when my co-delegate managed to get stuck in the loo, which was quite funny).

Anyway, we were an hour ahead in Luxembourg, so we effectively gained an hour on the way back, which was useful in that it gives us another hour here, but removes an hour there.  (I think).

Today has been amazing and I am so proud of the Guides for being so great.  The day began in the morning, when we bundled down to breakfast.  Some had slept diligently, others had talked into the early hours, as one might expect where a group of friends is gathered together. 

Lucy made her Guide promise beside the Christmas tree in the foyer at the youth hostel where we stayed.  She is the first member of 1st Chislehurst Guides to make her promise abroad, as far as we know (and if you know otherwise, do let me know!).  What I do know is that she was definitely the first member of 1st Chislehurst Guides to make the new Girlguiding #PromiseForAll, abroad, which is very exciting.

We traipsed up a very steep hill to get to the bus-stop.  I have a reputation for booking the Guides into youth hostels which are, firstly, on hills, and secondly, a bit further away than anticipated, as any Guide who went on our trip to Eastbourne in June will tell you.  Some Guides even now refer to 'a Helen walk', meaning that the destination is about three miles further than anticipated.  I don't know what they mean.  

We took a bus to the Gare Central (main train station), where I used my best French to purchase tickets for us to travel to Trier.  I can't emphasise enough how important it is for people to learn languages - there is nothing like being able to communicate in a language which is not your mother-tongue, even it's just enough to buy train tickets.  So if you don't speak any other languages, why not go and learn one? Then go somewhere where they speak it, and speak it.   

The train was amazing.  I know what you're thinking - you probably commute and spend a disproportionate amount of your life on trains.  But the train from Luxembourg to Trier was something else.  It was a double-decker train.  How much would life improve if Southeastern Railway had a fleet of double-decker trains?! Well, after they'd sorted out the bridges, it would be great.  Europe is known for having a good train network, which stretches the length and breadth of the continent, although there is something mildly disconcerting about gliding from one country into another, without being sure where the border is.  And the Schengen thing means that people can travel freely between many European countries, negating the need for border controls, which makes things much easier, but means less control, and less passport stamps.  

The train to Trier didn't take long, and the views were spectacular and not like the views on the Greenwich line from Plumstead to London Bridge, with which I am overly familiar.

Once at Trier station, I introduced the Guides to an exciting concept that many had not come across - left-luggage lockers! It's knowledge of this sort of thing which enables independence.  We bundled all of the pull-along cases into 5 lockers, using all of the Euro shrapnel we could muster, then followed our trusty native Edda to the Christmas markets of Trier, which was 10-minutes away.

The market was buzzing and had quite a different feel in the day-time, in that you could actually see people.  There was a mixture of beautiful goods, some personalised, as well as the obligatory tat which you can happily live without.  The girls had all been given some EUR with which to buy lunch, and this was very exciting for many of them.  They variously ate German sausages, called 'bratwurst', potato pancakes and hot-dogs; I ate a large plate of mushrooms.  I don't think I eat enough mushrooms.  There is room for more mushrooms in my life.  

My one regret is that I failed to get a Coke lid.  As you may know, wherever I go in the world, I collect a Coke bottle (glass bottles only, obviously) lid.  I have lost count of the curious looks I have received around the world asking for this, but am over that now.  The only time I have ever been to Germany was in 2003 when I spent an hour in a transit lounge in Frankfurt, which doesn't count.  So if you are in Germany, please could you get me a Coke lid? 

The Guides loved the atmosphere of the market at Trier.  It was busy but with a comfortable feel to it, and the entire world represented, which was beautiful.

We sent an advanced party back to the train station to unload the lockers.  We followed shortly after and together we boarded a much smaller train.  This was the stopping train. We sat on it for forty minutes, variously snoozing, playing games, reading and chatting,  At 2.30pm, it pulled into Munsbach, where we alighted.  Kim had organised for us to be collected by some relatives of the BGIFC, so we were shuttled to the most amazing building I have ever seen.

The Luxembourg Scouts own a spectacular Celtic hut in a place called Neuhausgen.  Our visit coincided with the local BGIFC District's Christmas event, for all the family.  We were warmly invited to join this event, in a huge Celtic hut, which included two fires in the room, a plethora of stalls around the hut, manned (or maybe that should be 'womaned') by BGIFC Leaders whom we met yesterday at the youth hostel.  We sipped Christmas tea, with that glorious apple-y, cinammon taste, and hot chocolate, and munched mince pies, where allergies permitted.  We sung songs around the campfire, made new friends and browsed the stalls.  It was wonderful to be part of a local Guiding celebration with our new friends in BGIFC Luxembourg and to see how Guiding is thriving there.  The hut at Neuhausgen is in a forest - a beautiful setting, great for camping, and quite different to the city setting of our youth hostel.  

I still can't quite believe that just a few hours ago, we were singing songs around a campfire, in Neuhausgen, in Luxembourg, with Girlguiding members who live in Luxembourg.  And this morning we were in Germany.  What a day.

This is almost all I'm going to write today, but I will follow-up with a post soon about fundraising and how we did it, to show Unit Leaders that it can be done.  We have had a short-haul international experience, visiting Guiding friends in one country and visiting two countries, in a weekend.  So if you are a Unit Leader, may this inspire you to do something similar.  It was girl-led; they came up with the idea of going to Europe, visiting Christmas markets, meeting Guides abroad, and at the age of mostly 10 and 11, they have now done this.  How amazing, for a 10-year-old to have flown with her friends to another country, which many adults cannot locate on a map, then visited another country, with her Guiding friends.  What an amazing organisation we are part of, one which enables us to be facilitators of such opportunities.  I didn't say a lot before I went to the World Scout Jamboree in Chile in 1998, now I struggle to stop talking and writing, as you will know as this blog is rather long.  I'll post a couple of photos and continue with this tomorrow.  

Thank you to my amazing leadership team - Edda, Tula, Sarah, Jo, Lucie, Anne - you were all great and each leader brought something unique and special to the team.  Thank you for coming, for giving your weekend to Guiding and providing this fantastic opportunity for our Guides.  I'll be in touch about the next adventure!!