Saying Goodbye

Pax was so amazing and I know I am going to miss it. One day I really hope I can come back and maybe even volunteer on the staff. It was so amazing meeting so many new girls and hear why they chose to come here and all the planning that went into it. Most girls had been planning to come here for the past two years so you can imagine the excited they had finally arriving. Every girl I spoke to was just lovely and I got to record a lot of what these girls told me and I plan to edit it into my video later.

Last night, I was able to attend a special event here that was part of the Journey Through London Tour here put on by Pax Lodge. It was called international night and the staff was there dressed in their uniforms from their countries and shared with us some information about their country. The girls staying taught songs and we laughed and had a great time. I also got a special Pax Lodge Pin. Each World Center has their own special pin that you can only get when you visit it and it is given to you at a ceremony.

The volunteers here come from all over the world, yet many of the girls that were part of this tour were from the United States. Take a look at some photos from this morning and last night.

Again I must say that I will be missing London and Pax Lodge. I can't wait to get started on my video though. I really want to convince girls to come here. It is a great experience. Stay tuned for my video where you can hear girls and staff members share their stories about Pax Lodge, the planning it took to get here, and the amazing time they are having.

Back at Pax Lodge

We have just enjoy a wonderful dinner here at Pax Lodge after arriving a few hours ago. I have started my interviews by interviewing two Scouts who had just graduated from high school. I got some great footage of them and I know it will be great in the video. They shared with me that how much they had been enjoying Pax Lodge and how much planning went into it. The girls had been preparing this trip sense their freshman year of high school. They are part of a Journey Through London event organized by Pax Lodge and part of this event is international night, which happens to be tonight. I know I will get some great video there.

Back to the Pax Lodge Tomorrow(:

It is our final night in Paris.Yesterday we visited Musee De Lourve, one of the most magnificent museums in the world. Being 652,300 square feet, the Lourve holds nearly 35,000 objects. It was amazing to walk among the glorious works of art and artifacts. We saw incredible paintings, statues, Egyptian artifacts, Greek artifacts, Oriental artifacts and so much more. Unfortunately, we were not able to explore the entire museum in one day, but we did get to see A LOT including some very famous works of art such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and many more. I adored seeing all the Egyptian artifacts like jewelry, sarcophaguses, hieroglyphs, papyrus, paintings, vases, sculptures, furniture, and more. One of the highlights of the day was when we saw the Mona Lisa and witnessed a young boy around the age of eight creating a beautiful sketch of the Mona Lisa. He was quite skilled and made a wondrous replica of Da Vinci's painting.

I enjoyed to museum so much and I hope that one day I can return and visit the exhibits I did not get to see.


Today, we took a train to Giverny and visited the gardens of Claude Monet, who has been one of my favorite artists since I was very young. The gardens were beautiful and we sat by the lilly pond as I took out a small notebook and sketched the view of the lilies right in front of me. I am very proud of this picture.

Arrival in Paris

Today's adventures began with a journey under the English Channel via train to Paris. The speeding train could travel up to 203 miles per hour. Paris is absolutely incredible and the food is delicious. Everything I have eating is heavenly and the rich flavors melt in your mouth. We ate our dinner at a cafe on a busy street corner, sitting at a small table in cozy chairs facing the streets, the people, the city and enjoyed our order of pasta. We also have indulged many sweets a cookies a tarts some ice cream, but I can't forget about that amazing ham and cheese sandwich. It was the first thing I ate in Paris and it was one of the best sandwiches I had ever tasted.

We went on a short tour at Notre Dame and attended services there later that evening. We strolled around town experiencing the rich lively culture of Paris and hearing murmurs of french phrases accompanied by think accents. Luckily for us, most people we have spoken with can speak English quite well and we haven't run into any problems with the language barrier. Tomorrow, we plan to visit the Louvre and possibly the Eiffel tower. Paris is so lovely, but I feel a bit of longing for London and look forward to my return to Pax Lodge on Sunday.

Tomorrow, my mom and I plan to leave London for a few days as we travel to Paris. We will return on Sunday and spend the night at the Pax Lodge. I am so excited to go back because it was so fun the first time.  I loved learning the history of the lodge and meeting all kinda of new people from all over the world! If you're ever in London, make a stop there. It's a wonderful experience and you always have the option to stay there if you are a member of WAGGGS.

Yesterday, we went on a tour that went to Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Oxford.  I loved seeing Warwick Castle, most of which was made in the 14th century, yet the oldest part was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. We saw a bird show there and had Cream Tea and explored the castle, climbing to the highest tower. Stratford is the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It was so cool to get to see his birthplace and where he is buried at the Trinity Chapel.  We had some lunch and explored a little before heading to Oxford. Oxford was incredible, the old structures of the college were marvelous.

Today we got to see (part of) the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. We also walked to Big Ben again and the Eye and stopped for some tea in St. James Park. We made our way down to Abbey Road, and then to Oxford Circus for a little shopping.

Click here to check out photos from the trip or click on the slideshow in the sidebar.

I can't wait to go back to Pax Lodge on Sunday night :D It's definitely been one of the highlights of coming to London.

Karen, a new friend at Pax Lodge.

Today at Pax Lodge, I had the pleasure of meeting Karen Mitchell, a volunteer from Australia. We talked and exchanged patches from both our areas.

Here's a look at the ones she shared with me. Notice how patches from Australia vary from the ones we have in the US.

 I hope to meet more people like Karen at the Lodge on Sunday.

The Pax Lodge

This morning my mother and made our journey to Pax Lodge. We enjoyed a yummy lunch of salad and baked potatoes with the volunteers there.  Once you reach the age of eighteen, you can go to the Logde as a volunteer where they offer you a room there to stay in free of charge while you volunteer there. This really sparked my interest and I hope that one day I can stay in the Lodge as a volunteer. In the dining room there is a world map. Herem girls who come from around the world can pin up patches they bring from their area. I put up a Sequoia Day Camp patch for the first year, a Kaleidoscope patch from 2008 and a Girl Scouts California Central Coast patch.

We watched a video about the history of scouting around the world and the history of Pax Lodge. Pax Lodge is actually the third world center London had seen. In the early 1930's Our Ark was established in London, but about 20 years later the world center was moved to to the Olave House and was later moved to the Pax Lodge in 1991. Read more about the history of the centers here.

We then toured the center, exploring it's many rooms.
Stay tuned for more as I look forward to spending the night there Sunday!

And the Days Go By

After the splendid tour of Buckingham Palace on Friday, we explored London on Saturday, visiting Westminster Abbey and enjoying dinner at the original Hard Rock Cafe that happened to be celebrating it's 40 anniversary. We got to go down into the "Vault", a special display of memorabilia from many famous musicals including an original copy of lyrics written by John Lennon and a Ming Dynasty Chair once belonging to Freddie Mercury.

On Sunday, we took a tour to Stonehenge. Along the way we got to stop in Bath, and see the Roman Baths built 2000 years ago and see the stunning Bath Abbey. We also stopped in a small village for lunch where we saw many locations used in the Harry Potter movies. We arrived at Stonehenge at sunset and got to walk among the stones.

Day 1: Arrival

Leaving in the late Californian afternoon, I flew for ten hours from Los Angeles to London. The long journey proved to be well worth it as the morning came and I entered a city full of brown brick buildings and pleasant people with lovely accents. The city glows with a certain energy woven by it's simple joy and  bursting with the history and character in the aged architecture.

I look forward to my visit to the Pax Lodge and reflect on the planning and preparations to make this trip happen. I encourage other girls to take the steps to try to take a trip like this to this WAGGGS center. Although, this may seem difficult, with the necessary hours of planning and the funds to pay for tickets remember that nothing is impossible and that when you dedicate yourself to reach a goal like this you can achieve what you desire.

A few years ago as a Junior, I was part of a troop that took a trip to the Juliette Low House in Savannah, Georgia. This is another great destination.We raised the money to go through cookie sales and parent donations.  We had so much fun and learned quite a lot about life in Juliette Low's time. I recommend girls to look into trips to any of the four WAGGGS Centers or even The Juliette Low House. Both would be trips to never forget.

Now I shall go, and prepare for my tour or Buckingham Palace tonight.