Girlguiding Sussex East Go International in 2011

On the 8th August 2011 twenty two Guides and leaders set off from all over East Sussex for a ten day adventure in Austria! The coach journey was soon forgotten as we pulled into the beautiful village of Itter where we found the picturesque Hotel Edelweiss. With the perfect views of the rolling mountains from our balconies and a swimming pool just twenty metres from the door, the settings were idyllic. But soon the adventures began and we were headed to the town of Innsbruk to see the famous golden roof. Euros were exchanged as ice cream shops were raided and the adventure continued with caves full of ice and the Krimml waterfall, which was very impressive and larger than the Niagra falls we were told!

We soon all had a head for heights as we climbed steep mountains in what sometimes appeared to be precariously balanced cable cars! But the spectacular views were always worth it, providing some incredible snow topped mountains as backgrounds to our photographs and as Kathryn, 16 commented “the best place in the world to eat a packed lunch!”.

As we rafted along the white waters of the gorges and into Germany we saw the scenery from a different perspective although we were slightly preoccupied with paddling in time and avoiding falling in! Most of us though spent some time in the water but it was all part of the fun. As well as white river rafting we went tobogganing  and completed a high ropes course which involved a zip wire across a lake, which Bethany, 14, described as “better than any ride at a theme park”.

We had a traditional campfire but in a very unusual setting, as on a river bank we sang our hearts out as we watched the moon set behind the mountains. Also squeezed into the trip was a visit to Salzburg where we did some souvenir shopping and visited the Salt mines, which was great fun as we all dressed in boiler suits and slid down slides which traditionally miners used to get to work.

The ten days flew by and much too soon we were on the coach on the way home but everyone had a fantastic time and took away memories that would last forever. 

As a member of Guiding all these girls and women have been able to experience different cultures and make friends from all over the world and cherish these memories forever.