Today was a laid back day. The scouts that remained at camp had no program scheduled for today other than a service project. The other scouts are currently on the Lötschenpass hike. (As you may be able to tell, I avoid all possible hikes.)
Service Project
This wasn't too exciting, but went towards one of our camp awards. Basically... we had to stack lots and lots of dead brush in a giant pile to be mulched later on.
The Rest of the Day
We pretty much just sat around talking for the majority of the day. We went to a local restaurant with three names for lunch, they include "Crystal Café", "Crystal Pub", and "McDoris". I really do not have any idea why they have three different published names, but the french fries were absolutely spectacular. We had political debates with Danish neighbors. We watched the most insane game of soccer imaginable, there were at least 50 people on the field at once. We witnessed a huge gradient of climates, from sweltering hot in the afternoon, to extremely cold right now. I learnt how to sing "Happy Birthday" in Dutch. We met up with a group from Hong Kong that arrived today. Nothing very very interesting happened today, but I know that I'm looking forward to canyoning and white-water rafting.
Conclusion
I'm still suffering from the side-effects of the disco. This being a sore throat, problems with talking, exhaustion, and sore legs, but it was worth it.
That's all I have for now. Cheers!
~Dan
Note: Keep the comments coming!
Dan (myself) says "Hi to mom, dad, Lori, Eliana, Andrew, Grace, Lalita, Eric, and everybody else, I miss you all dearly."
We are supposed to get snow on Monday
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Today, the scouts split in to two groups. One group went on a chocolate and cheese tour, and the other group went hiking up the Bunderspitz mountain. I don't have any details on the Bunderspitz hike.
Chocolate and Cheese Tour Group
Chocolate
We took a long bus ride to Broc, Switzerland (in the French part of Switzerland, rather than Kandersteg which is in the German part). In broc, we visited a chocolate factory and took a tour through it. It. Was. Great. The entire place smelled wonderful, the aromas of chocolate, milk, and nuts filled the air. We learned how chocolate is made, and how much science is involved in the making of chocolate. Arguably the best part of the tour was the sampling room. They had layed out about 15 trays of chocolate and had an all-you-can-eat policy! The trays were constantly refilled and had everything from their cheapest chocolates that come in small plastic wrappers, to their most expensive chocolates that come in big velvet boxes. This place was a chocolate lover's dream, and if it hadn't been for the Irish kids behind us singing "Willy Wonka, the Amazing Chocolatier" and "Bob, the Builder" the whole way through, it would have been perfect.
Gruyeres (pronounced "grew-ye")
The "cheese capital of Switzerland", Gruyeres, is an absolutely beautiful medieval French castle/town. We walked the streets of this town for about an hour and a half looking at all the overly-expensive French cafés, and art galleries. The town was an obvious tourist destination, as we met many American and Japanese visitors there.
Cheese
The cheese tour wasn't that great. We walked around three small rooms with these audio-tour-devices that told us all about cheese production. I know a lot about cheese now! But the only free samples we got were three small pieces of packaged cheese and access to a gift shop. As myself and many of the scouts have discovered. Switzerland is, in and of itself, a money making scheme.
Other
Cats
So far, we've found a total of 9 wandering cats, and they're all so friendly.
"Everybody, to zee Disco!"
Last night, we also experienced an international "disco". It was basically a dance/club scene with scouts from all over the world. It was bloody insane! I always knew that Europeans knew how to party, but who would ever expect a bunch of scouts to be able to do it so well? I'll spare you the brutal details, but just know that it was a night (8-12) of partying to everything from Led Zepplin to Offspring to Cascada. People over 16 were allowed to drink, and many of them were, but none of us Troop 1018'ers, seeing as how the parents decided to not allow it.
Lötschenpass
Today, many scouts are going on the Lötschenpass hiking trip, I don't have any info on that so far.
Conclusion
Europe is awesome.
That's all I have for now. Cheers!
~Dan
Note: Keep the comments coming!
Matt says "hi" to his mom, and Zach but not Michael.
Laurence say "hi" to his family.
Mary Maroney made it safely to Kandersteg. --To her cousins in UK.
There is a prediction for snow within a week.
I'll get more shoutouts for tonight's post.
Y and Z on this keyboard are inverted.
About:
- We are BSA Troop 1018
- From Dranesville, Virginia, United States