Back in London safely

The cruise was excellent, travel back from Oslo with no problems, and we're now back at Pax Lodge for the week. Will be adding more posts and pictures this week now that I have a little more free time and easy access to WiFi.

Jagermeister update

Discussed this drinking phenomena with some new Norwegian friends to "get the scoop". Apparently, Jagermeister is purportedly good for the digestive track so it is consumed for medicinal purposes. Who knew!

May 23 - Normandy Gardens

The beautiful gardens of Normandy are the feature today. We took a ½ day tour from the Port of Cherbourg and visited two outstanding gardens in the peninsula area. The mist in the port area quickly gives way to a beautiful sunny day.

The first, at the Castle of Vauville, is 10 acres in size and a family operation. It has over 500 different species of plants from all over the world and the garden is designed and planted to provide quiet walking paths which allow the plants to develop naturally. The owner has doubled the size of the garden since taking over from his father, and has plans for gradually increasing the gardens further.

We’re here at a perfect time – the rhodos and azaleas are out in full bloom – for a period of 2-3 weeks only. This garden is situated just off the beach area so must be planned in such a way that high growth protects other parts of the garden from the intense winds and species are selected that can deal with salt mist.

The second, the gardens of the Chateau de Nacqueville, were astounding. The chateau is registered as an historical monument and owned by an English family – it has been in their family for several generations. Construction started on the chateau in 1510 as a fortified manor. Like much of this area of Normandy, fortification against attacks by the English was common. It is characteristic of the finest of Cotentin manors. It was occupied during World War II by both the Germans and Americans and was badly damaged in parts. Rebuilding was undertaken to restore the exterior to historic correctness, but the inside has been (and continues to be) upgraded to modern standards.




The gardens were created in 1830 by an English landscape gardener and features a stream with a series of waterfalls leading to a lake. The engineering on-site is amazing as gravity is used for all the water sourcing and the site is laid out in a way that makes the view out to the ocean appear as if passing cruise ships are floating in the air. Again, rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom. Ornamental trees, palm trees, and beautiful perennials of many kinds make this an absolutely beautiful setting. The original guard house and drawbridge remain, though the moat has disappeared. The owner personally provided the tour which was special, as she knew the history of the owning families over the ages.

The Beaches of Normandy

Le Havre is our port today. It was built in 1517 to expedite trade with the New World and to protect France from Britain. A large lock separates the tidal River Seine and an inner canal. This port focuses on export of vehicles and the import of petrochemicals with 7000 ships per year. Eighty percent of the nuclear power in France is produced in the area.

Our long day tour today featured the WWII memorials dedicated to the stories of the Allied invasions in Normandy as the overthrow of the Germans began on the western front in Europe. While focused on the American sites, once our guide knew we were from Canada, he shared a lot of information about the British and Canadian contributions in the area as well. Our British guide, Colin, was absolutely superb – definitely a history buff so not only did he share information about the battles in the area, he was able to share the long history of wars, leadership, etc. over the ages – very interesting.

The first stop was the cliffs above Utah and Omaha beaches at the Pont du Hoc.
With a deep mist blowing in off the ocean, you could almost imagine how difficult this landing and battle was – it was cold and wet – and we were only there for an hour. For those soldiers there for many weeks, it would have been very uncomfortable for sure. The top of the cliff is riddled with large holes which would have provided protection for German soldiers as the attacks began. Two of the planned gun platforms were in place at the time of the attack on 6 June 1944 and remnants remain on the cliff.
After here, we traveled to the lower beach level where a beautiful sculpture and several memorials mark the Omaha beach landing sites and battles. Here, ~ 1,000 Americans lost their lives on June 6th, 1944 due to several factors – inaccurate bombing activity from the ships offshore, no tank support for the 1st wave of soldiers, poor weather, a well-qualified German division recently relocated to the area, and the terrain. It was easy to see how the long, flat open beach would have left the soldiers disembarking from landing craft totally exposed. We learned that even with a similar mix of mistakes and bad weather, the Canadians were successful in their part of the mission on Juno beach and also on the Plain of Caen where they took control of the Pegasus Bridge.

Our next stop was the American Cemetery where 9,387 soldiers lost in battles in the area are buried. The perfectly aligned crosses, in every direction, are enscripted on one side, purportedly facing the U.S. In total, 14,000 are buried in Normandy, while another 14,000 were repatriated to the States when the cemeteries in the area were consolidated in the 50s. France has given the US land use in perpetuity so the site is managed and maintained by the States. A very moving site with beautiful gardens. The holly oak, which is green all year, lines many of the long walkways between the different sectors of the cemetery. Large wall diagrams show the movement of the various allied forces in the area over the summer of 1944 and the contributions of the various regiments.


Our afternoon was spent at the Caen War Memorial centre. An absolutely fantastic collection of print, picture, and video information about the time between WWI and WWII (economic, social and political happenings around the world), and then after the war. We didn’t even have time to get to the 2nd half of the exhibit as there was so much to read and listen to in the pre-1945 section. Definitely worth a 2nd visit on a return trip.

The return trip through the countryside of Normandy offered views of a mainly agricultural area with many cattle grazing in the hedge-surrounded fields.
Dairy and beef cattle are both raised – including a Normandy breed – it features “sunglasses” around the eyes! Camembert cheese is made from the milk of a certain breed of cow in this area. Apples are plentiful in the area after introduction from the Pyrenees in the 11th century. Distilled, it forms the traditional drink of Normandy, Calvados – an apple brandy. Flax in the fields produces first seeds and oil, then linen threads from the stocks which are exported to China. There is lots of limestone in the area so the houses are all block stone construction. Numerous 17th century castles are visible along the routes in the area – no stops to view today though as it wasn’t the focus of the tour.

Sailing with Norwegians - a new experience

Sailing with 1300+ Norwegians, Jagermeister is definitely the drink of choice it appears – and any time of day or night! The bartenders are walking around at 10:00 a.m. offering shots while we’re still making our way through coffee and breakfast– a bit of a culture shock for us! Or HUGE cans of Foster beer – about 2 times the size of our cans of beer at home. We thought there must be a special on the beer on arrival day as most tables in the dining room were adorned – but it turns out, it is just a favourite! A lot of alcohol consumed on this cruise – but no wild parties or problems – everyone is well behaved!

May 20 - Arrival day, Oslo, Norway

Our 9 day Normandy & British Isles cruise begins today in Oslo. No problems with flight from London due to volcanic ash, although the cruise transportation fellow that met us at the airport said a number were delayed on earlier flights. Our cruise experience began with the news that the ship had been plagued by Norwalk virus on the last couple of sailings, so was undergoing an intense cleaning before we could board – all precautionary to decrease the chance of sickness. Slowed lines considerably and then everyone had to wait for cabins but by late afternoon, everyone was getting settled. The precautions also include TOTAL handling of all food service by staff – again, a rare event for them so it is taking everyone a little getting used to. Unfortunately, it means the library is closed as well (though we can still get a daily Sudoku puzzle!) as they have no means to sanitize the books, as they are doing with every other surface of the ship (many times a day).

Having cruised before, a quick tour of the ship helped us get our bearings pretty quickly. Off we go! A day at sea tomorrow.

Pax Lodge Welcomes Guiders

Pax Lodge World Centre is located in Hampstead Heath just north of central London.


It is co-located with Olave House, the headquarters of the World Bureau.


The facility operates like a hostel (B&B) for Guiding members (and others) – but is also a meeting place for Guiding committees while offering girl and adult programming a number of times during the year. So …. It is a busy place. You receive the code to the security door and are asked to sign in/out so they know where you are in the event of a fire, but other than that, everyone comes and goes on a multitude of schedules. It is ideally located near the north tube line, so it’s a quick 13 minute ride to central London

As you enter, you are greeted by a beautiful collection of the symbols of the four World Centres – the squirrel for Our Chalet, the Cuernavaca tree of life for Our Cabana, and the emblems for Pax Lodge and Sangam.
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The lower floor has offices, meeting space and the large common dining hall. The 2nd and 3rd floors are predominantly residence rooms for visitors together with staff space, a common kitchen and laundry facilities. A very efficient layout that is very welcoming for visitors.

Like the other World Centres, it is actively promoting the WAGGGS 3-year Global Action Themes and encourages members staying at the Lodge to participate in examining the issues and proposing actions in their own community to address the issues. The walls are covered with ideas from various sessions and from visitors staying at the Lodge.

So much to see in London!

Wow! A long list of “top sights” – so we’ve only started to scratch the surface.

We enjoyed a walking tour through Hampstead Heath which is the area in which Pax Lodge is located.
Known for its historical buildings and access to the 800 acre Heath (a park area of controlled wilderness with walking trails), the area tourism highlights the sites where famous writers and painters have lived through the years. Built on a hillside leading up to the Heath, you wind through narrow streets with beautiful gardens – a good workout for the quads!





We’ve seen two production shows so far – Thriller Live, featuring the music of Michael Jackson (Shirley is a fan) and Les Miserables. Both were in beautiful old theatres in the west end. We’re hoping to see Lion King, Love Never Dies (sequel to Phantom by Andrew Lloyd Webber) and Stomp when we return to London after the cruise.

In central London, we’ve started visiting some of the major sites – though we’re not rushing – we’re stopping to enjoy people watching in the parks and to stroll through the green spaces. Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square were busy and lively. We even got to see the arrival of Indian movie stars for the red carpet European premiere of a bollywood film, Kites. The crowds were big and appreciative – an interesting sight! On our return, we’re going to try the hop on/off bus to get around to see the British national museum and other major sights.

In transit again tomorrow

Inernet access has been very sporadic for some reason today, so I haven't attempted to add anything of substance to the blog. We've had a few good days in London and are definitely comfortable getting around on the tube. Some lovely restaurants in the area as well (we're finding out as we venture further afield!). Tomorrow is travel day if there are no air disruptions. One thing we've both commented on today is the lack of TV and therefore news - we have no idea of what's going on in the world :-(.

Cruise starts tomorrow so internet access is uncertain at this point. Hopefully, if access is available, I'll post some info about Pax Lodge and some of our London activities so far.

So .... a quick view of Our Chalet facilities

As you arrive at Our Chalet, up the narrow road from Adelboden, you are greeted with a beautiful sign. This marks the entrance into the site which is stretched over the hillside in both directions from the entrance road.

The original building (Main Chalet) was constructed in 1932 and is now the centre of program activities and guest accommodation.

Everything in Main Chalet is made of beautiful wood - which is scrubbed clean often, so it looks like new. The verenda is now closed in, giving more space in the dining room when crowds are larger. The upper floor (and loft) are all guest accommodation - rooms serving from 3 to 9 guests. The middle floor (the one just above the stone foundation) has the dining room & kitchen and several small reading/theme rooms. The lower floor has mens/womens shower facilities, the laundry room and the T-bar - an adult lounge area with self-service coffee/tea bar and computers with internet connections.

In the late 1990's, space was tight and a 2nd building (Spycher) was built - it now houses the administrative offices and guest accommodation.
Of course, there is a resident cat - Skipper - she's a beautiful brown tabby who lives in the administration building and is kept and loved for her "mousing" skills.

Also on the site are camping facilities (with a supporting "shower house") and "Baby Chalet" which is available for self-supporting travelers - beds are provided plus kitchen equipment, but you provide the rest. This sits on a grassy knoll not far from the Main Chalet building.

Our room looked like this .... very basic, but very comfortable. Like at Sangam and Our Cabana, washroom facilities are shared and rooms/dorms are only for sleeping. Lovely duvets were provided rather than blankets - nice and snuggly warm as the weather each morning was such that we could see our breath!

The dining hall is open bench seating which is flexible enough to "grow" when more seating is required - much like we have at Sprucewind in Yukon.

Adorning the walls of the dining hall are a collection of anniversary momentos over the years - quite the history lesson!

Our home away from home for 3 days - a wonderful spot that is definitely worth visiting again - given the sun never shone! It was a nice treat to see Sally Thornton again - she was the World Centre Manager at Sangam when we visited in 2006 - 2010 finds her as World Centre manager at Our Chalet! What wonderful opportunities Guiding can offer!

May 14 - another fabulous day at Our Chalet

Another perilous, spine-chilling, nerve-wracking drive along a VERY narrow road further down the valley took us to the famous (at least in the area) Trummer woodcarver today. BTW – the adjectives are from Shirley, who was the passenger, not even the driver! This is a 2-hour one-way hike option from Our Chalet, but since we were trying to cram as much as we could in today, we traveled by car. This family business has produced carved works for several
generations. At the workshop down the valley, they have a number of specific items for Guiding, which you can have personalized while you wait.



We had coffee and scrumptious lemon cake at the home next door – highly recommended by Our Chalet staff, so we couldn’t miss it.








Clouds still down low so we haven’t yet had a full view of the mountains around the valley – disappointing, but it sounds like the forecast is for more of the same for the next couple of weeks.

As viewed in other parts of the valley, the numerous structures dotting the hillsides are a combination of home and barn – and are HUGE! All are perched along the mountainside, connected by a lacework of narrow roads which aren’t visible when you look up or across at the mountainside.







After returning to the valley floor, we headed east driving through the beautiful town of Frutigen, then around the lakes toward Brienz and the Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg Open-Air Museum.












It has more than 100 original, age-old buildings from across all of Switzerland, and gardens over many acres. Traditional handiwork is done in several of the structures and each is adorned/furnished as it would have been. From the homes of day labourers, to the wealthy farmers/business owners, the home structures are grouped in theme areas and are connected by walking paths. We hardly got through ¼ of the site in the few hours we had available – but we focused on the Bernese Oberland area of the park since this is the area we are visiting.















The drive was very picturesque as we traveled along the shores of first the Thunersee then the Brienzersee (lakes). The town of Interlaken lies on a narrow strip of land between the two lakes – quaint! Boat tours on the lake are offered as a way to see the numerous communities situated on the banks – but in the rain, not such a good deal so we passed. Interlaken is a tourist resort popular with hikers and mountaineers in the summer and skiers in the winter.

On arrival back at Our Chalet for dinner, we were greeted by a troupe of 15 9-11 year olds from the American Army base in Stutgard Germany who are here for the weekend. Dorm is MUCH busier tonight!

Tomorrow, sadly, we leave Our Chalet for travels on to England and Pax Lodge. We’ve been able to see some of the key sights in this beautiful area, but would definitely need to stay longer to get a better sense of the whole area as there is much to see. Another trip some day!

May 14 - limited blog time

Sorry - have notes written about today but am sharing a connection with one of the staff and she has homework to complete - so more after I get to Pax Lodge. Tomorrow is travel day - back to Geneva for a flight to London which will arrive late afternoon.

Til then, hugs.

May 13 - day 1 at Our chalet

After a tour of Our Chalet this morning, we headed out to visit the Engstligen Falls close by - walking up to the falls through meadows. This name is used to describe the valley Engstligental, the falls Engstligenfalle, and the mountain Engstligenalp. The falls tumble from the alp 4 km above Adelboden and are accessible by cable car (but not today).

Today is misty over the mountains with a light rain falling so much of the top of the falls was not visible. Beautiful walk none-the-less through forest much like coastal B.C. Up close to a farm along the way, it explained building construction that we'd observed elsewhere in the valley - large houses with attached barns.

We then made our way to Adelboden for a walking tour of town. Today is a national holiday so almost everything was closed - but it was nice to be able to stroll through the narrow streets. Narrow is an understatement! Hardly wide enough for our small car and no obvious passing spots. Streets are cut into the side of the mountain and zigzag through the unstructured layout of buildings all the way up the mountain side. Of course, lovely fresh pastry was a welcome addition to afternoon coffee break.

Tonight after dinner, a WAGGGS wide game is the activity all can participate in to share Guiding experiences and talk about the implications of the themes in the 3-year action plan.

May 12 - Arrival in Europe

After a long day of travel, we ventured off in a rental car east from Geneva towards the mountains. What a stunning drive! Along the north shore of Lake Geneva on the motorway made travel very quick - at least until we hit the massive traffic jam near Lausanne! 10 km/hour slowed progress considerably. A very agricultural area with many vineyards.

Our arrival at Our Chalet in Adelboden was "exciting" given the narrow roads, steep climbs, darkness and rain! Seeing things in the daylight the next day, I'm glad it wasn't visible on arrival as I'm not sure how keen I would have been to continue!

As the Guiding song says about this World Centre, it IS "High Up, High on a mountain". The centre is on the side of the valley opposite from the town of Adelboden, at the end of the road leading into the mountains.




A lovely, lush green valley with farms and houses dotting the hillsides. Small herds of cows are seen behind/beside many houses and their bells are audible as they graze in the fields. Each bell is engraved with the name of the cow and the name of the owner. The houses are all made of wood - mostly 3 story structures under a peaked roof reached almost to the ground. Lots of small paned windows. Many are adorned with wooden shutters and many are named. Each appears to be a combination of house and attached barn and wood heating appears most common.