Our Chalet, World Centre of WAGGGS

 Last week on went on a trip with a group of Guiders from the Midlands region to stay at Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland.

 It became the first (of four) World Centres in 1932 and since then thousands of Guide Girls and Guide Scouts have stayed there.











It is truly international, and everything about it celebrates the fact that Guiding is world wide and encourages Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of all nations to come together.

We met a rather fabulous group of Canadians whilst we were there and played many games together.  I spent sometime talking to a couple of Australians and there were a constant stream of American groups in and out the whole time we were there.  There were also New Zealanders, Swedes, Spanish and Croatians.

 I once saw a picture just like this and from that moment onwards I was determined to eat in this room and take my own picture of it and now I have. There is an amazing sense of oneness, peace, fun, everything in the promise and the laws here.

 It is a working building full of girls and activities and yet is also stuffed full of beautiful history and amazing furniture.

We all placed our packed lunches on this incredibly old blanket box.  It seemed a perfectly normal thing to do, it was only afterwards I considered that maybe it ought to be cared for a little more graciously.  But this centre is not a museum piece, it is a living, breathing, growing, activity centre.

The fireplace in the dining hall looked like a set, until
















inclement weather meant an indoor camp fire and it was lit.















But we also managed to get outside to share cross continent songs and games.

The swaps corner was very interesting.  Bits and pieces of Guiding from all over the world left to swap and share.

 Besides some badges, I also left one of our home made woggles.

Oman Guides had left a considerably more elaborate affair.  But it was there for someone to take home.  I wonder who will?  I wonder if anyone will take my woggle?

 I adored my bedroom, I lay there wondering which guides had also used this room over the 82 years, perhaps someone as important as Agnes Baden-Powell and thousands of other 'worker ants' like myself.  Eight thousand a year visit here.

The weather is unpredictable in the mountains,  my bedroom window view looked like this, cold and rainy.

 Warm but misty.

 Crisp and clear.

I can't believe how lucky I was to wake up to this view.

 Falk knew what she was doing when she decided to build the Chalet here.