Day 25

Why couldn't coming home be easy?  First a 2 plus hot delay in Zurich.  Now a automatic rebook for 6 hours later AND going to DC. Hanging in the airport while USAir comes up with a better solution.

Day 24 - our last

Today may have been the toughest challenge we've seen the whole time we've been gone. We all hiked up Elsigen. Some of us took the high road and some the low but we all did it. On the alp was a man-made lake, which many of us swam in. I heard it was quite chilly. Tomorrow we head for home and while part of each of us is glad to be returning home,  there's also a part of us that doesn't want the adventure to be over. It was certainly a trip I will always remember. Thank you for letting me take your daughters so far away for so long!  See everyone tomorrow afternoon. .

Day 23

Here we are at the top of Niessen after a ride in the funicular. The view from up here was phenomenal!  Alps in every direction,  some covered with snow. After we rode back down the mountain,  we hopped in a bus for the ride to Thun lake and a short ferry trip.  Some of us visited Oberhoffen castle, and some continued into Thun for some shopping and sightseeing in this medieval town. We participated in the Special Agent Storrow competition, racing all over Our Chalet to earn points while solving puzzles.

Day 21

Today we went to the Reharti Adventure Park. Every one of us had the chance to overcome one or more fears. We all took turns ziplining across the gorge on lines as high as 80 feet. We crossed a high ropes course and then abseiled off the side of the bridge as well. This was followed by rock climbing up some pretty challenging rocks. We ended the day with a long uphill hike back to the Chalet.

Day 19

Day nineteen, finally! We all want to come home so bad by now. We woke up at 7:45. Breakfast  at 8. And then we climbed into a bus heading an hour away to a town called Interlaken. We climbed out of the bus after being fOrced to sit next to strangers, and walked down the street to a Chocolateir and watched a short 20-minute tutorial of chocolate making.  It wasn't very interesting for us though after the 5-hour chocolate tour in Brussels, but Ms. JEN enjoyed it.  We split up after that and munced on our lunches and splitting up into white water rafting or hiking. Almost all of us chose the rafting, and so we headed to the rating place. The cute little hut run by all New Zealand, shirtless,  men was very quaint and cozy.  We got dressed in our wetsuits and shows and climbed in the van to the river.  For the next hour we were being instructed and "fun-facted" until our wetsuits were soaked with sweat. Serving ourselves out in safety gear and slipping down the bank to our rafts. Seven people were in our boat plus the guide; Sarah B. Alina Morgan Cat Emily Ms. Loriannn, and me (Mikhaila). For the next 3 hours we fought through the ice cold rapids, laughing and learning and listening to instructions from the guide.  At one point we were at a war with the other rafts. And Sarah B. turned out to be in every boat at one point. We finish with a dip in the lake and leave tired, aching, but happy. We finished the day with shopping at chocolate shops and a long bus ride home.

Day 18

Okay so yesterday we went on this really long hike,  and it was fab! Some people didn't like the uphill but It was worth it. We got to this big gorge and we had to repel down the huge hill thing into the deep gorge and it was foul. It was cool but so scary!  Then we went into a wood carvers and saw a bunch of neat stuff! It was all made by hand. Then sarah and I shared a plum cake and it was delish!  Then we hiked back to the chalet and took showers.  Then we had Swiss night where we ate fondue.  It was a fun day.

Day17

To start the day off, we ate breakfast and participated in morning flag. We then split into groups and started our stations. The first station I did was to make a campfire in the traditional swiss style by cutting tinder and kindling off of blocks of wood with knives. We had a contest to see who could build a fire and burn through a string the fastest. The second station was learning about how to separate different types of recyclable materials and trash and then to wrap an egg in the different materials and see if it won't crack when dropped out of a window. After the second station, we ate a barbeque lunch and took a break before starting the last two stations. The third station was about different swiss crafts including woodburning, papercutting, and snowflake making. The fourth station was orienteering. We learned how to use a map and compass and had a scavenger hunt to find points. After stations we ate dinner and had an international night to learn about where all the troops at Our Chalet came from.
-Elizabeth

Day 16-4 trains, a bus, and a 45 minute hike uphill

There is much to be said for packing light when you have to haul your own suitcases up and down stairs,  over cobbled sidewalks,  and through turnstiles. It was a very long and exhausting trip but we made every connection,  thanks to some friendly and helpful Europeanss.
After a delicious pasta dinner and a quick tour a around Our Chalet,  we fell into bed.

Day 15

Today was our bike ride around Giverny. We booked for 10 but ended up taking only 6 due to the nasty virus the girls have passed around. We had the most entertaining and good looking Portuguese guide for the trip. We bought lunch at the local market,  picniced by the river,  booked 5km, and visited Monet' s home and garden. It was a great time. Some of the girls who didn't go went to Luxembourg palace and gardens, as well as Invallides Palace.
After the 6 of us got back,  most of the group then took the metro to the Champs d'Elysses for some shopping and a stop at the Arc d'Triomphe. We also went back to the Eiffel tower with hopes of going up but the line was way too long sms we still needed to pack,  as we were headed for Switzerland in the morning.

Day 13

Today was definitely the best day so far,  at least for me.  We went on a tour of the Palais Garnier, or the Paris opera house. This opera house,  designed by Charles Garnier, is not only full of history,  brilliant architecture,  and amazing design;  it is home to le Fantome de l'opera: the world renowned Phantom of the Opera.  We went in a tour of the main floors of the building,  and were able to sit in the auditorium while people worked on the stage.  I asked if the guide could tell me about box 5, the Phantom's box.  She pointed it out,  but I was disappointed that she did not speak of the Phantom more. We continued to see some more of the opera house,  our tour ended with her taking us to the door of Box 5. Although we could not go inside,  we could look in hoping for a glimpse of Erik. After the tour we stopped for lunch at a creperie.
We then went on a tour of Notre Dame cathedral and Saint Chapelle, a "gem of High Gothic" architecture.  Both were beautiful churches, but in completely different ways. Notre Dame was fanastic on the outside but much simpler on the inside. Saint Chapelle was the opposite,  with stained glass 30 meters high and what semed like old painted floors. It was like going back in time. We finished the day by exploring the Latin Quarter, shopping and getting dinner. We are all having so much fun and can't wait for the fun to continue.

Day14 and Kimberly and Cat try escargot

Today, some of us went to the catacombs. There were a lot of skulls and bones. Some were even put into cool patterns (a heart for example). It was quite damp and partially dark. Later, after some laundry, a group of us went Sacre Coeur. It was okay, despite the fact that it seemed so similar to other churches. Now we are shopping on Monmatre after a tasty dinner.

The other part of the group went to Versailles and toured the palace and a small part of the gardens.

Day 12? Who's counting anymore.......

The first day we got to Paris, we went to the hotel where Ms. Jen already was, and got our rooms. Some were really small, but they were all different. One even has aliens on the walls. Then we started to stroll through Paris, seeing many of the landmarks. We went to a carnival,  took a boat tour, and then looked at the Eiffel tower from the ground.

Day 11 plus

Yesterday we split into three groups to go to museums. Several girls went to the comic strip museum, some went to the costume and lace museum, and Mrs. Kimberly went to the musical instrument museum. Then we all met up for lunch, and afterwards we went to the national museum where we saw the Mannekin Pis costumes. After that we split into groups again for shopping and meandering back to the hotel. To end the day we got Belgian waffles with gellato.

Day 10

Today we took a trip away from Brussels to Bruges, a very pretty old town about an hour train ride from Brussels. The first thing we did was find the city center, which was a busy square with cobblestones and shops lining the sides, plus a tall bell tower that could be seen from many points in the city. At this part of the day, the group split up; some of us wanted to climb to the top of the bell tower and others wanted  to explore the square. Later we met up again and started a personally-guided walking tour that took us through some of the city's side streets and to some very old churches and buildings. The town was not heavily affected by World War 2 like London was, nor did it experience a big fire like both London and Brussels (I think, so don't quote me on that) so most of the old buildings are still intact. You just don't get that kind of history in America. After the walking tour was a boat ride along the canal, which consisted of our tour guide telling us about the old buildings and churches. He even said everything three times, in French, English and German. When the tour was over we split up to eat dinner (or not, if we chose) and now  we are on our way back to Brussels, where we spend tomorrow before we travel to Paris.

--Cat

Day 8 and things become more challenging

Northern tube line shut down for the weekend made today difficult to say the least. We still managed to finish the rest of the list (aquarium, film museum, Sherlock Holmes museum) and ride a double Decker bus but we missed out train to Brussels because getting to the station took twice as long as it should have, and had to hang out in the station for 3 hours. We arrived here just as it was getting dark at 10:00 pm and grabbed taxis to the hotel. Just to make a difficult day worse,  there was a mix up with the hotel and they didn't have all the rooms we booked. Now,  at almost midnight,  we are making 6 rooms work for the night when there were suppose to be 7. But we start tomorrow with an overdose of chocolate so it's going to be awesome!

Oh my! !!!!

This picture was yesterday. It was taken in Kensington Gardens about mid day with the girls draped all over the Peter Pan statue. We were able to sleep in a little as the Pax program was over and we were in our own. Left about 10:30 am for a day of trying to squeeze in many things.  The natural history museum, Hyde park and the gardens,  doing in Portobello market,  meals and a ghost tour. 12 hours later,  we returned to collapse.

Day 6

Today was service project day.  The weather started out cloudy but it quickly turned sunny and we had another beautiful day.  Some of the girls went to help at an assisted living facility, some went to help clean a narrow boat, Loriann and most of our girls did a gardening project, and I went to pull thistles at Hampstead Heath.  The projects were a chance for us to help the community surrounding Pax Lodge and to see a different part of that community.

The afternoon was filled with planning tonight's celebration bbq which was lots of fun.   We had burgers (I think our picky eaters were very happy), listened to music and just got a chance to relax and hang out.

The evening ended with a very moving reflective candle walk and then a pinning ceremony.  The girls played some games with their new friends and some of them are still downstairs chatting. It's hard to believe that our time in London is almost over.  The other groups leave tomorrow and Loriann and I are trying to figure out how much we can cram into the next 1 1/2 days.

So it's off to herd them to bed
Kimberly

Day 5

The day began with what seemed like torture as we journeyed to the Tower of London. While some of us saw the royal beast tower others saw the tower's few remaining prisoners (don't worry they're birds, ravens to be exact). From torture chambers to medieval weapons to the crowns of former kings, we certianly saw a lot. However our day didn't end there. After the tower its the playd the thing at Shakespeare's Globe. All the world may be a stage but this stage in particular was a sight to see. We were fortunate enough to watch part of a rehearsal during our tour. After we got our act together we walked to the other side of the Thames. Some of us shopped while others wondered the market at Covet Gardens and all returned to Pax for dinner. Then we took the bus out to Abbey road. We scrambled to cross the road and quickly snap our pictures in hopes we wouldn't be hit by a car. You'll be happy to know we all made it safely back to Pax. Now I'm so tired, as we conclude another day  of our amazing adventure.
-Maddie E

Dsy 4

Today we spilt up in groups and did challenges. I went to a fashion museum, antique shops, and Harrod's while other girls went to see the famous streets from the Monopoly board and take a trip back in time with a visit to Greenwich to stand on the International date line. Ms. Loriann and Kimberly went around with some of the leaders from New Jersey to explore the city themselves.  I loved this day so much because instead of being guided around by adults, we guided ourselves and one of the volunteers around the city. We concluded our night with everyone celebrating all of the countries at "International Night." The Canadians showed everyone up with a well thought out game show Canadian style and Canadian girl scout cookies.  All in all it was a great day.
-Emily/Morgan

Day 3

We will, we will rock you! Today's journey through London consisted of many new experiences and exciting adventures from traditional British pub food to the  Queen show! I have to admit as we rushed to enter the theater (we ran late due to a little train misshap) I had no idea what to expect except for some fantastic music. Never in fourteen or so years of musical theater have I ever witnessed an entire audience sing the last four songs (start to finish) with the cast. I was blown away by both the cast and Mrs. Loriann's awsome dance moves.  As another day bites the dust I can assure you it will not be one we will forget.
-Maddie E

Day 2

Tomorrow I will remember to have someone else write this blog!  Busy day. Left Pax at 9am to get to Westminster Cathedral for the 10:30 mass for those who wanted to attend. All of us wandered the gorgeous cathedral then split into 2 groups. Some of us went back to Victoria train station to look around and then shopped. A stop at Platform 9 & 3/4s on the way back provided some fun picture opportunities for all.
English cream tea and a short get to know you session began the Journey Through London programming. A ride on the London Eye and a bus tour of the highlights of the city ended our JTL activities for the day.
We learned we need to have ID with us to use the credit cards, how to read the underground map, and that we are still getting hungry at what would be dinner time in MD. Made a run to a grocery/convenience store at 10pm for a bunch of hungry teenagers.

Day1

After a 15 minute delay I'm Baltimore and an hour of sitting in the plane on the ground in Philadelphia,  we finally made it to Heathrow at 11am. Another hour to get thru customs and we were finally done with planes and airports.  Met Julie Ryan for lunch at Brown's Brasserie for a great Oxford lunch.  Then played tourist walking around Oxford. Visited Christ Church where several scenes from Harry Potter we're filmed. Saw the Bridge of Sighs and the outside of Bodelian library. Unfortunately due to our late arrival and a faulty GPS, we didn't get to go punting. :( Have arrived safely at Pax Lodge absolutely exhausted.  Chilling and going to bed early.

Here we go!

May be the only time we look this good.  Everyone is so excited.  Going we get some sleep on the flight.