The Program at Our Chalet

In the spirit of Girl Scouting, the experienced staff and young volunteers at Our Chalet provide numerous outdoor and indoor organized activities and programs in which its guests may choose to participate.  Depending on the season, there are guided hikes, campfires, Swiss night, sledding, rock climbing, and other (mostly free) experiences.

Our first day at Our Chalet was a pre-planned, full program day.  We were scheduled for igloo building at 10:00 and sledding (they call it sledging - is that the British term?) at 2:00.  To the girls' delight, after seeing no snow in Zurich, Adelboden was packed with several feet of beautiful, powdery, fresh snow.  And - as if ordered from the weather gods themselves - it actually snowed lightly all day long.  This group of warm weather gals was absolutely giddy with excitement.

 I wasn't sure the girls would manage to finish the igloo, especially after one of them fainted flat-faced into the snow from the altitude, but after about two hours of unexpectedly hard work, the staff leader congratulated them on being the first group in three years she'd seen actually persevere until the final brick.

After enjoying a sack lunch we'd prepared that morning at breakfast (no lunches are served in the dining hall), the girls set out behind the chalet buildings for some sledding.  Our Chalet provides toboggans, saucers, inflatables, and other sleds for downhill fun.

Evening programs we participated in during our six night stay were games, dancing, and a snow campfire on New Year's Eve.

Our Chalet

I'll begin the recap of our Swiss adventure with our visit to Our Chalet in Adelboden, which was the ultimate purpose of our trip.  Take a look at this beautiful building, owned by WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) as an international program center for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts:

This main building opened in 1932, but since then several other structures have expanded the accommodations and activities for guests, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from all over the world.  Our beds were in the lovely Spycher Chalet, a few yards in front of the main building:

 Spycher Chalet

See the two small windows of the attic under the roof?  That was where our eight girls slept, and they loved it.  It's a dorm room with eight beds:

Impeccably clean - it's Switzerland, of course - and comfortable, with soft, warm duvets and pillows, we all slept well.  The other two chaperone moms and I had a smaller but equally comfortable room directly below, with four bunkbeds, a tall wardrobe, and a convenient table with chairs.

No membership in WAGGGS or any hosteling organization is required to stay overnight, and you would fare well here as a family, group, or budget traveler.  The dorm rooms are only 45 Swiss francs per person per night and meals are 10 CHF for breakfast, 10 CHF for a packed lunch, and 15 CHF for dinner.  There are even camping facilities available in the summer through early fall.  Meals are offered in the large dining hall:

Do you hate shared bathroom and shower facilities?  Be relieved, Our Chalet's very clean and numerous bathrooms on each floor will insure you accessibility and practical privacy most of the time.  (I used the private handicapped bathroom with its glass-enclosed, high pressure, very hot water shower most of the time.)

The staff and young girl volunteers are helpful, knowledgeable, and interesting since they are from countries all over the world.  Our favorite aides were Katie from the U.K., Anna from Finland, and Katja from Costa Rica who taught us the salsa.

The downside of Our Chalet?  Its remoteness.  Take my advice and don't refuse their advice to take a taxi from the bus stop to the chalet with your luggage.  The "20 minute steep uphill walk" took us 2 HOURS, in the dark, following misleading signage, in our heavy snow clothes, dragging our luggage through snow and ice, up an enormously steep, narrow, winding road.  When we arrived we were drenched with sweat and road splash and in very foul moods.  What I consider my greatest planning error of the trip is now my best advice to you.

With remoteness, however, usually comes beauty - in the outdoors anyway - and this location is no exception.  Our climb out of the Adelboden valley floor offered us magical views of the surrounding Alps and twinkling village below.

And finally, a big bonus for eight tired, traveling teenage girls was Skippy, Our Chalet's resident housecat:

We're Back!

Woo hoo - we're back to the land of free wifi!  Thank you, San Francisco airport!  We're here on a short layover on our way back from Switzerland.  And what a fabulous trip it was - I don't even know where to start.  Glaciers, chocolate, castles, skiing, hiking . . . just magical.  Even the weather cooperated, for the most part.

Of the over 2,000 photos taken between the 11 of us, here's just one.  It kind of represents the best of everything:

We're Off to the Unknown (and Unwired) World

In a few hours we'll be on a train to Adelboden, in the Bernese Alps, via Spiez.  It's about a 2 1/2 hour ride from here in Zurich.  Hope the weather's clear because I know the route is stunningly beautiful.  And I hope the girls look up from their iPhones once in awhile to appreciate it.

First Day in Zurich

Our first full day of the big Girl Scout trip is slowly winding down here.  The girls are yawning and in their jammies, although still yammering away about all their new experiences today.  “Why are all the cars so small?”  “Why does the Starbucks coffee taste different?”  “What does Bahnhof mean?”  “Why does everyone smoke here?”  And, of course, “Why is everything so expensive?!”

We spent the day sightseeing here in Zurich, fortunate enough to have clear, dry weather.  Stopped in the Grossmünster Church, the Fraumünster Church with beautiful stained glass windows painted by Chagall (verboten photo I took is shown below,) walked along the Limmat River, and sampled truffles at Sprüngli Chocolate.  I’m only disappointed that Lake Zurich was not worth strolling, as it was completely shrouded in fog.  Pity the girls won’t get to see the gorgeous surrounding landscape reflected in the shimmering waters of the lake.

Stained glass by Marc Chagall at Fraumünsterkirche.

One other misfortune:  one of our eight girls was sick with the stomach flu today.  She missed everything, I’m sorry to say.  She’s feeling better now, but God help us if the bug passes successively to every one of us.  Tomorrow is a long day of train and bus travel we all need to rustle up for.  Cross your fingers for us!

In front of Sprüngli Chocolate.

A Christmas Adventure

Merry Christmas!  The adventure has begun.  I am sitting at San Francisco airport with 8 teenage Girl Scouts (and two other adult chaperones) waiting for our flight to Zurich.  We decided just to make the best of our 6 hour layover here (thanks to American Airlines canceling three later flights) and are just resting, exploring, and eating lunch.  Hooray for free wifi at SFO so that I can blog, at least.  Don't know how many chances I'll have to connect in Switzerland.

Note for the future:  the airports are empty on Christmas Day.  We breezed through security and have plenty of room to stretch out and relax.

We will spend two nights in Zurich and then head over to the little town of Adelboden in the Bernese Alps to stay at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts international program center.  Looking forward to a good time!

It's a Pickle

There is a Christmas tradition that supposedly originated in Germany, though no German family I know has ever heard of it.  My mother certainly never has.  It is the legend of the pickle ornament.  Supposedly a Christmas ornament in the shape of a pickle is hidden somewhere on the tree by parents and the first child to find the pickle gets to open the first gift from Santa.

Upon researching this legend on the web, I have found abundant evidence that it is not a German custom.  Every site I checked said every native German they checked with had never heard of the pickle ornament.  So there.  It's confirmed.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

Have you kissed under the mistletoe yet this year?  Or if you’re a single woman, have you put a sprig of it under your pillow yet this year?  Kissing under it will bring you good luck, as we know, but did you know that putting it under your pillow will allow you to dream of your Prince Charming?

Frigga, Norse goddess
of love and beauty.

These legends are thought to have originated in Norway with the Vikings.  It is said that Balder, the son of Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty, was killed by a dart poisoned with mistletoe.  Frigga then cried so many tears they changed mistletoe berries from red to white and raised Balder from the dead.  Frigga was so grateful she kissed everyone from then on who walked under the mistletoe.

Mistletoe was a mysterious plant to early civilizations because it has no roots of its own.  It is a parasitic plant that sprouts from bird feces and can eventually take over and kill its host trees.  

Norway's history is steeped in Viking mythology and Norse legends and a beautiful, picturesque Scandinavian country to visit.

Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg

Just received this postcard in the mail from my cousin and his girlfriend in Germany.  They live in Nürnberg, or Nuremberg, and just love the city.  When they were here over the summer they told us about the gorgeous Christkindlesmarkt, or Christmas Market, held every December in the large market square.  About 180 beautifully decorated wooden stalls sell gingerbread, baked goods, wood-carved Christmas wares, ornaments, and crafts, including the well-known "Nuremberg Plum People," little figures made from prunes.  The Christmas market draws well over a million visitors every year.

Movie Monday: Scrooge

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To Europe With Kids presents Movie Monday as a weekly feature to recommend films that might expose children and their families to any small bit of European history, folklore, scenery, or animated imagery as entertainment, perhaps new knowledge, or just a couple of hours of electronic babysitting.

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Acquaint your family with the haunts and landmarks of a Victorian London Christmas by watching this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novelette, Scrooge.  Filmed in the U.K. in 1970, it stars Albert Finney as Ebenezer Scrooge and Alec Guinness as Marley's ghost.  Even though this film is rated G, some of the more intense scenes involving the three ghosts may not be suitable for very small children, but that's what the fast-forward button is for.  The songs are entertaining, and Scrooge's change of heart from cold-souled miser to grateful individual after the spirit visitations on Christmas Eve make for a happy ending and holiday message the whole family will enjoy.

Support Passports With Purpose

Just want to give a little plug for my fellow travelbloggers who are hosting the fourth annual Passports With Purpose charity fundraiser.  The cause this year is to raise $80,000 to build two libraries for children in Zambia through a partnership with Room to Read.  With as little as a $10 donation, you can enter a drawing for the prize of your choice.  Check out some of the prizes:

•  110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points

•  A five night stay in Budapest

•  A one week apartment stay in Assisi, Umbria

•  Two nights at a B&B in Ireland

•   A $500 voucher for an apartment stay in Europe

•  A 15-day 1^st class Eurail Pass

•  A private tour of Florence's Central Market

•  Lots of travel gear, electronics, and clothing!

Donations for prizes close on December 16, when winners will be randomly selected.

Passport With Purpose was founded in 2008 by Debbie Dubrow, Pam Mandel, Beth Whitman and Michelle Duffy.  These women travelers host terrific travel blogs as well.

Photo Friday: Appenzell

Yes, I've got Switzerland on the brain.  This is the town of Appenzell, during the ceremonial descent of the village cows in the fall.

See more travel photos every Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com.

Current Currency Correction

The Swiss franc today is at $1.08.  When my Girl Scout troop originally budgeted our Switzerland trip the cost was 97¢, but a few months ago when I priced everything again the rate was $1.23, so I'm not going to complain.  I purchased about $200 in Swiss francs over the summer so we wouldn't arrive empty handed, and last week I foraged through hubby's and my shoebox, kept in the closet, full of discarded foreign coins.  There must have been hundreds of rupees, yens, liras, German marks, and Swedish kronor, but only 8.42 in Swiss francs.  At least we'll have some coins to pay the toilet lady at the Zurich train station if we need to.

My daughter asked me the other day, "Why don't we just get a whole bunch of Swiss francs, and then if we don't use them, convert them back to dollars?"  I explained the game to her - how you lose money with every conversion and transaction.  Remember how tricky it was before the Euro?  Every country had their own currency and you had to constantly figure out how to exchange enough money at once so as not to incur too many transaction fees, but not to exchange too much and have any left over.  Once on a flight home from Europe, the flight attendants passed around a hat allowing for passengers to toss in any unwanted coins.  They were going to donate them to charity.  I thought it was a terrific idea.

Blue Christmas

None of us wanted to depart on Christmas.  Everyone would rather spend the day with their family.  But since the airfare was almost $300 cheaper to travel on Christmas Day, we reluctantly agreed it was worth it.  Besides, the flight was perfect:  departing at 4:30 p.m. on American Airlines to San Francisco, it allowed us Christmas morning at home before we had to head to the airport.  Then there was just a 1 1/2 hour layover at SFO, followed by a direct flight on Swiss Air to Zurich.

But that was all before American Airlines changed our departure 4 times!!!!  Yes, 4 times so far.  I suspect it could still change again.  First AA said sorry, the 4:30 p.m. flight to SFO has been cancelled.  We rebooked your party of 11 on the 7:00 a.m. flight.  Whaaa??????  Are they, like, insane?  Eight young girls and their three stressed out chaperones with an 11 hour layover ON CHRISTMAS DAY???  I objected, and they switched us to a 2:30 p.m. departure.  Hmmph - now we have a 3 1/2 hour layover on Christmas Day.  Two weeks later came the next email from American:  the flight is rescheduled to depart at 12:30 p.m. - now the delay is 5 1/2 hours.  One week later:  flight rescheduled for 12:00 p.m.  I start to cry.  There goes Christmas with our families.  We'll be leaving pretty much first thing in the morning now just to get to the airport on time.

Can you imagine sitting with 8 teenagers at the airport for 6 HOURS on Christmas Day?  How sad is that?  Not to mention sitting on an 11 hour flight after that.  American Airlines has no sympathy for our situation, however.  Although there are dozens of flights every day from here to SFO, even on Christmas Day, American will not book us on another airline, even one of their partner carriers.  Their alternative??  "You can just cancel your trip."

Although our American Airlines flight is only one tiny segment of our itinerary (the other three segments are on Swiss Air and Alaska Airlines), our fate is in their hands.  Apparently the whole itinerary was ticketed by American (I booked through Vayama) so only American can change it.  And they're not willing.

Oh, and now they declared bankruptcy.

Photo Friday: The Countdown Begins

Happy cows in Switzerland.

Now that it's December, the countdown to Switzerland begins.  My daughter and the other seven girls in her Girl Scout troop have been planning and fundraising and saving for three years to travel to Switzerland.  Why Switzerland?  Because one of only four Girl Scout international program centers is in the Alps in the town of Adelboden, Switzerland, and when they were in 7th grade they saw a picture of that cute little chalet in the snow and decided they wanted to visit.  They are now in 10th grade, and we leave on December 25th.  I am so proud of them.

Check out other Photo Friday posts at DeliciousBaby.com.