Switzerland

We've gotten to do some pretty amazing things living here in the UK, and now we get to add Girl Scout hiking trip to Switzerland to the list.  Granted flying to Switzerland from London takes less time than driving from LA to San Diego does, but it's still pretty cool.  The trip consisted of girl scouts from our school from 5th to 10th grades.  With 22 girls and 11 moms we were off on a fun-filled weekend of hiking and good old fashioned girl fun.  

We spent the better part of the school year preparing for the hike with fundraisers and various hikes around outer London.  It was more than adequate preparation for the alpine hiking in Switzerland, but it was also a great chance to get to know the other girls and moms going on the trip.  Although these pre-trip events kept our schedule pretty full, I have to say I'm going to miss it all.  It was a lot of fun with a really fabulous group!  

Planes trains and automobiles, er, coaches.  A long day of travel from London to the girl scout Swiss chalet.

Swiss night on our first night at the chalet, a great night getting better acquainted with a bit of Swiss culture.

We had a pretty rainy first couple of days, so the camera stayed safely ensconced in my backpack most of the time.  We enjoyed a warm, dry stop at the wood carvers hut.

Walking through this majestic gorge was a real highlight

All the girls

All the moms

Lovely friends!

If this is what 10th grade looks like, sign me up!

My cute friend and her great girls

Madeleine's troop, a fun group of 5th grade!

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

At the top of the mountain after a scenic cable car ride we were rewarded with these magnificent snowy scenes

The girls had a grand time playing in the snow, lots of soggy feet and even sunburns to follow

Not properly equipped for night photography, but I managed okay with another make-shift tripod to capture Adelboden at night.

The cloud cover finally lifts . . . on our departure day of course!

The Swiss girl scout Chalet, called "Our Chalet" is one of four girl scout world centres.