Day 14 - Riga and home!

We woke up and had a rather tasty breakfast in the hotel, then packed our rucksacks for the last time. Leaving our luggage at the hotel we went to catch a bus into the city center but this turned out to be quite difficult as it was a public holiday in Riga, meaning transport was free and therefore incredibly busy. The first bus that came definitely would not fit 10 people on but we managed to squish into the second bus. We got off at the new town and headed towards a department store called Stockmann's. Emily had been setting security alarms off in shops for the past few days but the security guard at Stockmann's was the only person who searched her. After 5 minutes of walking back and forth through the scanners and removing various items of clothing he finally let us in. However as we left, despite it being the same security guard we had to go through the whole palava again! We then split up to do some shopping. Cath, Sara and Rachel unsuccessfully searched high and low for a badge shop but we found badges in the first shop we went in! For lunch we went to Cili Pica, a restaurant we'd passed lots of times in various countries but never been in. We gave the leaders small thank you presents and they gave each of us an award - best captain (Helena), best sense of direction (Becky), best bank (Rachel T), best dancer (Imogen), best postcard writer (Emily), reigning champion of Cluedo (Linda) and best globe trotter (Rachel S). They also got us a little sheep as a reminder of the hilarious game of Sheep Pong we had with the Lithuanian guides. After lunch we went into the old town. We did last minute present buying and shopping at a lovely market then went back to the hotel to wait for our taxis to the airport. Linda, Helena, Rachel T, Rachel S and Becky had a great taxi driver who turned up the music for them to sing along to and then gave them a round of applause afterwards! We checked in (a stressful experience!) then got dinner in the airport. Our flight left at about 10.50pm but most of us didn't sleep as we didn't want to waste our last hours together. Instead we played all the card games we've taught Helena to make sure she doesn't forget them. On arrival at Manchester we nipped in the loo for.... a FREE WEE! This is not something you get in Eastern Europe! We were soon reunited with our families and had farewell pictures and hugs before going our separate ways. Although we will be back together soon as we have been promised a debrief weekend :)
It has been such a good two weeks and we all say a big thank you to everyone who has made it possible!

Team Lithuania x

Day 13 - Tallinn

We woke up on our last day in Tallinn and quickly went down to have a traditional (?) Estonian breakfast. After this we packed up our rucksacks then headed out for the day, our aim to see the historical old town. We passed through the gates of the old city and proceeded to look at various souvenir shops which were in the old medical style. Some of us then did a tour of the main tourist sites such as the cathedral while others continued to shop. After this we broke for lunch at a lovely restaurant which had a Michelin starred chef! A few of us then went to see one of the old towers on the city wall which was amusingly named Fat Margaret, and was indeed rather fat. We all met together again to go on a little tourist train around the city. We were given a leaflet for the museum of mediaeval torture instruments, but we opted to gives a miss! After our day in the old Tallinn we headed to the bus station to catch our bus to Riga. It was a long journey so many of us slept. We arrived at the hotel and swiftly went to bed, ready to spend the day in Riga tomorrow.
Love Hel V and EmChat (as we have become known!)

Day 12 - Helsinki

After a few minor mishaps on land (Emily and Helena overslept then locked their key in the room), Captain Vesty was at home again this morning as we boarded the MS Star to Helsinki.
We had breakfast on the ship then most of us slept for a while. Once in Helsinki we hopped on a hop on, hop off tourist bus around the city. This showed us the main sites then we hopped off for a look in the cathedral. For lunch we went to Hard Rock Cafe, then headed to the Guide and Scout HQ. We were taken to a room with refreshments where we were given a presentation about the Finnish scout movement and watched a video of Roverway - an international event which they held last summer. The staff told us where the scout shop was so we found that and bought lots of badges.
We got back on the ferry (although it was the MS Superstar this time!) and had a rather rough crossing back to Estonia. We are all very much looking forward to a good nights sleep tonight!
Team Lithuania x

Day 10- Stockholm

Turns out the sea doesn't always lull you to sleep. The boat and the beds rocked all night, leaving many of us too tired to get up that morning. However, the view outside the windows more than made up for the early hour. We ascended (some of us an hour later than others) to see islands dotted along our path, covered with trees and shrubs, some with the occasional house. The water was bright and clear, as was the day, and after a quick breakfast, we took to dry land. Opposite us as we docked, there was a huge, luxurious cruise liner; unfortunately, we couldn't get that on the way back, since it would have blown the entire budget for the rest of the trip. Taking a tour bus round the sights, we explored the history of the city before reaching the old town. There, we browsed for some souvenirs from the many shops that lined the streets. Some of us were lucky enough to get a picture with a group of Italian scouts also doing some sightseeing. Lunch was from a small supermarket in one of the squares, and eaten sitting on the water front by the docks. We gained a few funny looks from passersby and other tourists. After that, we walked to the palace, where we took some photos with one of the guards on duty in front. Don't think he was too impressed. Wandering a little longer, we saw the cathedral before returning back to the ship. The ride out of Sweden was smooth for the most part. More scenic houses and islands passed us by, along with the Emerald Princess we wished was our boat. For a lot of us, the night consisted of playing cards, reading, and singing. From Helena, we received an interesting rendition of 'under the sea', along with several other Disney classics. Hopefully, the ride would be smoother, and sleep easier once we returned to our rooms tonight.

Love, Becky x

Day 11 - To Estonia

We woke up this morning in the briny deep after spending our second and last night on MS Isabelle. Latvian land could be seen in the distance but we were still a few hours away so we had a leisurely breakfast, then went back to our cabins to get packed. We left the ship by 11am and got a bus into Riga. Having picked up McDonalds for lunch we had a picnic in the station then caught the first of two trains which were taking us to Tallinn in Estonia. Realising it was not a short journey,  we settled in on the train and spent the next three hours sleeping, reading and playing cards, uno and cluedo. Emily and Helena spent a lot of the journey wondering why train stations appear to be built in the middle of nowhere and who uses such stations? The second train took slightly longer so it was almost 10pm when we arrived in Tallinn. Tomorrow we have an early start so everyone headed straight to bed once we checked into the hotel.

Day 9 - to Riga

Today was another travelling day. After stocking up on yet more food at the supermarket we got on the coach to Riga. It was a five hour journey but it passed quite quickly. Emily and Helena sat behind two very nosy ladies who spent most of the journey watching us all! As soon as we got off the bus at Riga ferry port we boarded the ferry which is taking us to Stockholm. We found our cabins then had a quick rendition of Titanic on deck before going inside to play cards. After eating tea (they had Swedish meatballs like the ikea ones!) we found the games room where we joined some little Swedish girls to play Just Dance, this gave us a good laugh! Too cool off we sat out on the deck for a while and tried to play eye spy, but as the only things we could see were 'water', 'sea', 'waves' and 'sky' it was quite difficult! Hoping for a calm sea tonight!
Team Lithuania x

Day 8 - Meeting Lithuanian Guides

This morning was a bit different as it was rather cold. It was a shock to my system as I had been use to the warmth. 9 o'clock wasn't too early but didn't get enough sleep because storms were on all through the night again. Our first stop was the supermarket for some breakfast. Croissants it was. today is the day we met the Lithuanian guides. We met at the train station for an unknown journey to another city. By this time we needed some lunch, and three guides suggested a pizza place. I must say it was rather nice. Becky and Emily tried melon milkshakes which they found out was rather nice. After our lunch we moved on to a park by the river to play some bonding games. We learnt a new game which was rather funny as we had to say sheep without showing our teeth. This amused us for quite some time. We then walked up to a castle and had our picture taken with the guides. By this time we had to get the bus back to Vilnius. Most had a sleep as the motion of the bus was found to be very relaxing. After an hour and half on the bus we left the guides and went off for some tea. It was another pancake place as we have figured that they like their pancakes. This kept us dry from another storm. Ice cream was the next place and then the padlock bridge again for Helena and Becky as they forgot them yesterday. We took a short cut from the old town and then off to bed. But packing before as its off to Riga by bus then ferry to Sweden.

Lots of love Linda + team Lithuania x

PS. Unless the ferry has wifi there won't be a blog for the next two nights!

Day 7 - Vilnius again!

This morning we were up and out for 9 to set off in search for some breakfast, this took us to a cafe on the main street of the old town area of Vilnius. We all are a hearty meal of a mixture of pancakes and toast, it was quite a sugary start to the day! Once we had looked at some if the street's stalls we went to the main square, here we happened to meet a Russian Scout who had brought his necker in a family holiday. Once we had "made our pictures" with the Scout, (as they say here) we continued to the KGB/Genocide Victims Museum. It gave us lots of new insight into the history of Lithuania in more recent events. After this we had some dinner and then went on a bus tour around the main sights of Vilnius, when we weren't being amused by the audioguides accent, we found the tour very interesting as it showed us many beautiful places we had not seen previously in the capital city such as the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, which had huge white carvings all over the inside. We got off the bus and went to the Padlock Bridge and even found some couple's padlocks from the same day. We then hijacked a wedding (one of many which we saw that day). We saw the Constitution of the area, which involved many clauses covering the rights of cats and dogs. We had dinner in a cafe in the local area , then we walked to the Gate Of Dawn, the only gate where Lithuanians could see their national emblem of independence during the Soviet period. We returned to the hotel to collect locks for the bridge, but there weather took a turn for the worst (a gross understatement). Whilst walking in the direction of the bridge, thunder and lightning began and the roads began to flood! This resulted in 10 soaked Guides after wading through the ankle deep water. So we went back to the hotel to dry off and get an early night, ready to meet the Lithuanian Guides tomorrow! Exciting! Until tomorrow, Captain Vesty (Helena) x

Day 6 - Imogen's birthday! (and Trakai)

Today was my birthday! (Imogen) it started in an eventful way with a very dramatic thunder storm at 3 o'clock this morning! So after a McDonalds breakfast, our "B & B" turns out to be just a "B", we got the bus to Trakai castle. It was really beautiful. When we arrived who should we see but some Lithuanian sea scouts with some scouts from Germany! So we took the opportunity for a photo. We then went on a boat tour a round the castle which is situated on an island. Then we entered the castle itself and learnt about its history and explored its nooks and crannies. We then had a break and played more cards! (Helena won a game! Then we taught her yet another new one) After that we bravely embarked on a pedalo adventure, once again saw the castle from different angles. We names the two pedalos 'Vesty's Vessel' and 'Spencer's Ship'. Then we headed to the restaurant to have a nice birthday meal, we all changed into our glad rags in the lovely toilets! Then it was back on the bus to Vilnius where we went to the old town for an ice cream dessert.  Where we were complemented on the quality of our grasp of the English language, much to the embarrassment of the waiter when we explained it was because we were from England! It has been another great day in Lithuania and a birthday to remember  :-)

Team Lithuania

Day 5 - Vilnius

Finally got chance to lie in this morning!!! Well, most of us- Spencer decided to get up at 8, and spend 40 minutes in the shower. After the 11 clock wake up call, it was another hour before we moved towards productivity - although Emily did teach Helena a new card game! We walked to the old town square, not far from where we stayed. Lunch was a huge meal sitting in the shade of a parasol, watching other tourist groups go by. The waiter seemed nervous round us (we'd regained our energy) but he was nice. After that we headed deeper into the town, where we came across the cathedral and a museum, which contained information on the lords and rulers of Lithuania. Some of us had more fun colouring in. Since we needed a drink, we went to Yo Yo, the frozen yougurt store- something I'd never tried before. None of us knew what 100g felt like, which made it a little more expensive. The drinks idea didn't really work out, but the spoons were cool. After that, we went to the cathedral, but we couldn't get any photos due to the mass. Then we trecked to the top of the hill to see the tower castle. The view from the top was amazing. The old town looks like something from the set of a Persian film, or  a venetian city in Shakespeare; a beautiful sight. Tea was La Crepe. The meals were nice, as was desert, though Imogen managed to get her finger stuck in a glass bottle. Never laughed so hard in my life!  We then headed to the bus station, but it was closed, so we all twisted our hair into buns and walked back to the hotel like that; half of us had too much hair, and half too little. Back at the hotel, one of the other lodgers caught Spencer dancing in front of the huge mirror in the hallway whilst he made a cup of tea, which was embarrassing for her. She didn't realise he spoke English either. Tomorrow, unfortunately, we have to get up earlier so we can get the bus to Trakai. Can't wait.

Love, Becky xx

Day 4 - to Vilnius

Today was a travelling (rest!) day. Up and packed by 6.15am and our first train took 5 hours. We then got a bus and another two trains. Most trains are very rickety but the last train was a posh, air-conditioned double decker! The journey seemed very smooth compared to the other the journeys. Sadly upstairs was first class only :(
We eventually got to Vilnius and found our hotel, then went out for a meal. Imogen and Rachel T were very adventurous and had pig's tongue! They ate it all but they are not sure they would choose it again (to the relief of everyone else - the shape and tastebuds made it resembled a tongue a bit too much!). We then got ice cream on the way back.
Team Lithuania x

Day 3 - Warsaw

Today is our first day in Warsaw. The first thought of the day was “what shall we do today?“. Luckily we had a lie in and were able to make a decent choice. As usual we had made our lunch with these rolls that seem to be very nice and fluffy even though Rachel Spencer seems to pick the middle out. Some of us had been on the internet to find the best places to go. A discovery was made that there was a GirlguIding HQ. After our visit and also some badge shopping, our minds and bodies were  challenged with coping with the hear but also to figure out the bus and metro system within Warsaw. On our journey we crossed a bridge that had interesting pillars that we saw as we came into the city by train. We took a long walk past the university to go into the old town.  During the old town we got some free time and decided to go to Costa and then get ICE CREAM! By this time we were very tired and needed some tea, so we decided to be adventurous and try pizza hut. We figured out that the menu was in English and German. But also discovered water melon lemonade. Becky and Emily had this interesting drink and found it was rather nice. Travelling back we had to stop at the train station to get for Vilnius. Within the train station we had met some Czech Scouts. Which I must say were very shy as only one was speaking. We gave them some badges to brighten their day. The shopping centre was our next stop. The trollies were rather interesting as they were more like metal frames with basket in top. The idea if the shopping trip was for food and drinks to last us 10 hours on the train to Vilnius. Off to the hotel and by this time we were all rather tired and an had early start in the morning

Team Lithuania x

Written by Linda

Day 2 - Salt mine and Warsaw

This morning we got a bus to Wieliczka salt mine. Although it was about 350 steps down we didn't mind because the further down we got the cooler it got! Parts of the mine showed how it was as a working mine and parts were very decorative function rooms and chapels - Rachel S has decided she would like to get married down there! Almost everything underground was made from salt and our guide asked if we would like to taste the salt. To do this you could either lick the wall or touch it then lick your finger. We can confirm it was definitely salt! We also tasted some of the water that flows through the rocks, which unsurprisingly is also very salty. Fortunately there was a lift (cage!) to take us back up a after our tour
Once we were back in Krakow we headed straight to the train station to catch or train to Warsaw. At first the thought of 5 hours without air con was not good but we soon realised that as long as the train was moving the draft kept us cool. Between us we had three compartments so we had plenty of room to spread out, which was good. We passed the time by reading, sleeping, playing cards, teaching Helena new card games and writing postcards. Unfortunately we also discovered that there are worse toilets than those on British trains!
We finally pulled into Warsaw just after 8pm. Trying to get the taxi driver to understand what we wanted was a challenge - Cath, Becky and Rachel T were walking to the hotel but the rest of us were going in taxis with all the rucksacks. It was much further than we thought so it took those who were walking quite a while to reach the hotel! We had a meal in the restaurant then did some clothes washing before bed - its pretty difficult to wash in a sink that doesn't have a plug and our tops seem to be much bigger than they were before! Tomorrow we are having a bit of a lie in then going to explore Warsaw :)
Team Lithuania x

Day 1 - Auschwitz

We got up this morning and had breakfast, then got a bus to Auschwitz. The lady told us we had to change buses, then we taught Helena a new card game, which is becoming a pattern of the trip so far!
We got to Auschwitz and had a guided tour around the camp -seeing all the buildings and the museum made us realise how awful the treatment really was. Although we've been told what happened, being there is very different.
On the coach on the way back we made sandwiches as we didn't have time this morning. The man sitting next to us pretended not to notice but it was rather obvious - "Who's got the knife? Can you pass the cheese?" We reckon he was very relieved when most of us had a snooze ;)
Once we were back in Krakow we had a look around the old town, which is very pretty. Poland is really cheap, we wish we could get 10 ice creams for about £6 in England!
Today was very hot so when we spotted a water fountain we all had a quick run through to cool off.
We spent an hour in the shopping centre near the hotel then dropped some stuff off before going back to the old town for tea. We chose Hard Rock Cafe and had very tasty meals, then did a bit of souvenir shopping in their shop!
Getting packed tonight ready to move on tomorrow!
Team Lithuania x

We're here!

We arrived in Krakow this afternoon and its 30°c! After dropping our bags off at the hotel (once we eventually worked out how to use the lift, with the help of a polish lady) we headed out to the supermarket and amused the checkout man by buying 20 big bottles of water, plus some lunch for tomorrow. For tea we decided to go into the old town but passed through a shopping centre where we stopped to look at shoes, the Pandora shop and had a turn on the kiddy play area :) As we were hungry we stopped at the first restaurant we came to - a pizza place. Some of us were more adventurous by having pizza with polish sausage, onion and pickled cucumber on, which was actually quite tasty!
Tonight we're having an early(ish) night ready for our first full day tomorrow.

Team Lithuania x

This time next week...

We should have arrived in Krakow!

Final briefing!

It is very exciting to think how fast this has come round, we have been planning for ten months and have less than a month to go!
On Saturday afternoon we arrived at Ness Guide HQ, then headed to the local guide shop for badges and neckers.

Hadlow Fields Guide campsite

Rachel S arrived and we went down Nicholls Famous Ice-Cream shop at Parkgate for some delicious ice cream, we can definitely recommend it :)

Yum!

Rachel P enjoying ice cream

We then went to Sainsbury's where we emptied the shelves to find our names on coke bottles (not very successfully - we became Gurpreet, Barry, Sam...). Next we went to Cheshire Oaks but on the way we spotted a calf looking very lost and scared at the side of the road so we pulled over and Sara went off in search of the farmer. He wasn't to be found but luckily the calf managed to squeeze back through the fence.

We had tea at pizza hut then, after a bit of a palava to hide our shopping, we watched Despicable Me 2 at the cinema. We laughed, a lot - it was very funny!

The next time we all see each other will be at the airport, but until then we have plenty of packing to keep us busy!

LOTS and LOTS of badges!

Hello!
We have been very busy since our last briefing raising the rest of our money - £1000 is a lot! We have been selling hundreds of badges (yes, hundreds!) to local units and guiders and they have been very popular.

Our badges

We have done lots of fundraising over the year, including holding quiz nights (Linda and Imogen), holding Lithuania-themed evenings (Helena), raffling a giant cookie monster cupcake (Rachel S), selling knitted stockings (Catherine), selling knitted chicks (Sara) and selling lots of cake in a mug mixes (Emily).

Knitted stockings

Knitted chicks

Cake in a mug mixes

We now have a couple of hotels booked, as well as day trips to Helsinki in Finland and Stockholm in Sweden. Our final briefing is next weekend then after that it is just three weeks until we go!

3rd Briefing - Manchester!

Yesterday we had our third briefing.

We met at Chorlton scout hut and after a quick look over the kit list and itinerary we headed into Manchester for a team building game. We were given a monopoly style board and map with locations around Manchester and our challenge was to take photographs of as many places on the orange route as we could.

First stop: Piccadilly Gardens! Rachel S and Becky went straight for the fairground ride so the rest of us hid from the rain in Cafe Nero, which explains why the photo was taken through the window ;)

Piccadilly Gardens

We then hopped on the metrolink and went to Victoria Station, Urbis, some windmills, the triangle shopping centre and St Anne's square (five more ticked off our list!). We then looked for an alley with some umbrellas but ended up in the Arndale food court for some lunch :)

We got back on the metrolink and went to Manchester art gallery and central library.

Manchester Art Gallery

We then went to China town see the oriental arch and we spotted a Chinese newpaper!

Oriental Arch

With a couple of minutes to spare before we had to be back we popped into Krispy Kreme donuts and bought a box of twelve to share.

Donuts!

We went back to chorlton to eat our donuts, then had a quick parents meeting.
Really looking forward to our next (and last!) briefing in July!