Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday in Italy - April 18 - 20, 2012
After a few crazy days in Rome, we rented a car and drove south to explore more of Italy.  Our first stop was to climb Mount Vesuvius!  You actually take a very windy, somewhat scary and precarious road most of the way up the volcano and into the national park.  As we navigated our way past buses going up and some going down, we parked our car on the side of the road and prayed there would be no damage when we returned.  We paid the entrance fee and started our climb to the rim of the volcano.  As we climbed our view became more and more obscured by the clouds settling over us.  After much cajoling, we managed to get the kids up to the rim where we peered over the edge into the crater.  Although we could only see clouds, we could definitely smell the sulphurous belching from the abyss.  The kids were not thrilled that this is what we dragged them up to see.  Oh, well, at least the walk down was quicker and easier.

At the Rim of Vesuvius

Climbing up the Volcano!

Another pizza lunch at a cafe down the volcano and then to Pompeii.  Here we again had Rick Steves giving us a tour of the ruins.  The audio was very interesting and even the kids were learning something.  One thing that stuck with us is that you often see these shops opening to the street that have a counter covered in mosaic tiles.  The counter has four to six holes in it which would have been to hold pots of food being kept warm by coals below.  You see these places every other block or so.  Apparently, this is where the people of Pompeii would have come to buy their dinner, a sort of fast food establishment.  After they learned this, the kids used their cameras to make short videos of themselves coming to the McDonald's of Pompeii to order dinner.  They were happy, which made me happy.  From the theaters to the colosseums, we really had a great time exploring Pompeii.  The only negative thing was that we did not stop for gelato on our way out.  We still had an hour drive to get to our hotel. 

On Stage!

Pompeii Colosseum

The hotel that we stayed as is a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Sorrento and is called Villa Oriana.  Another family from the kids' school had recommended it and it was perfect.  As we drove through the gates we landed in an oasis with lemon and orange trees leading us down the drive (which honestly seemed more like a walkway and our minivan was a giant crushing it!).  The owner was there to welcome us with fresh lemonade and apple cake just out of the oven.  The kids made themselves at home with a checkerboard as Steve and I checked us in and brought in the bags.  We had two rooms next to each other where the kids were safe in one and Steve and I had the other.  We weren't sure we were going to want to leave in the morning to go sightseeing it was so comfortable to just be there relaxing.

On Thursday morning, we made our way to the main room for breakfast.  The owner's wife asked me to run down and get my camera for a surprise.  I knew what must be up their sleeve.  When I returned, they came out of the kitchen with a small chocolate torte dusted in powdered sugar and cocoa with candles and they were singing Happy Birthday to Katie!  She had mentioned to the owner's wife the evening before that it was her birthday the next day so they made it special.  I had no idea how I was going to get her a cake and my prayers were answered!  Everything was so nice!  The other guests also took a moment to wish her a happy birthday as well.  It was a good start to the day.  Then again, how could it not be with chocolate cake for breakfast!

We walked to town to catch a train to Herculaneum for some sightseeing.  This city was also destroyed in the same volcanic eruption in 79AD as Pompeii, but because it was buried in a mud slide, it is actually even better preserved.  The kids had more fun making videos here even after the rain started.  We made our way back to the hotel for happy hour.  Steve and I got a bottle of wine and the kids had the rest of Katie's cake to eat!  We sat in the lemon grove while the kids made some more silly videos.  Steve was surely thinking, "why can't our vacations be more like this...sitting in a lemon grove drinking wine all day rather than getting all this silly culture?"  Well, Steve, that's because no one wants to read about us sitting and drinking wine all day!  Gotta give the folks something to read!  So...more sightseeing!

Amazing frescoes after almost 2000 years.

Herculaeum McDonalds

smiling in spite of the rain!

Friday we had a guide pick us up in his van and take us along the Amalfi coast.  The road is precarious along a cliff and the parking in the villages is even more questionable.  Our guide told us about the sights and knew where to stop for photos.  Our first long stop was in Positano for an hour.  Here we wound our way to a beach where the kids just wanted to play in the water.  They would chase the waves and taunt them.  Really.  Of course, because it is my vacation, the rain started, so we headed back into the village with our umbrellas.  Steve and I found a piece of pottery which was one of the things on the list I wanted to be sure to get.  We found snacks for the kids and then back to the van. 

From there we headed further south to the town of Amalfi.  There is a Cathedral to Sant Andrea which is an amazing bit of architecture combining Sicilian and Arabic-Norman influences.  What was really great was that there was a wedding going on and tourists were milling about.  We were able to see the happy couple down the steps to their waiting car.  As they rode off to their big party, we sat down to some well deserved gelato!  Of course.  Just as we were about to amble through the town, it started to rain, but not a drizzle, a torential downpour!  We were soaked and the umbrellas were being blown inside out!  We found cover in a shop, but it wasn't letting up so we had to make our way out to find our guide.  Looking like a family of drowned rats we climbed into the van and our guide remarked on how the weather is NEVER like this and we must have the worst luck.  Yep, that about sums it up. 

Gelato, just minutes before the downpour

We continued along and the rain subsided as we made our way to Ravello.  Just as we were getting out of the van, our bad luck pounced again and the heavens again opened upon us.  The two closest restaurants were not suitable for our children's discerning palettes (I hope you read into that...no pizza).  We had to brave the weather and head up the road into town.  The main piazza was just about empty.  People were tucking in wherever possible.  That also meant we were having a terrible time finding someplace with an open table for lunch.  Finally, down a back road, we found a nice little restaurant with pasta on the menu.  The only table was right by the door and we were constantly getting up to close the door when thoughtless patrons came in or out and did not pull it closed.  Beside the rain, a cold wind was assaulting us.  Really bad luck.  But the waitress was very friendly and even brought out seconds of the pasta for Jacob and Steve!  Gotta love the Italians.  The sun was peeking through the clouds as we left the restaurant and we were able to take advantage of the break to explore Villa Rufolo and its garden. 

Gardens at Villa Rufolo

We made it back up the coast to Sorrento in time to change and go to dinner.  It was our last evening in Italy.  Dinner and our last gelato.  We would be heading back to Rome and the airport in the morning.  It was a great trip in spite of the rain!  Steve and I are trying to plan how to go back to Villa Oriana without the kids for a weekend.  We would recommend it to everyone.

Ciao, Italia!

Rome with Friends!

And there is STILL MORE of ROME!!!
We were very lucky to find that two other famies from our Expat community were also in Rome.  To keep the kids a bit more interested in all of the history, we decided to meet up for some guided touring.  The Barnes family has three children the same ages as ours just they reversed things by having a 6th grade Girl, a 4th grade Boy and a 2nd grade Girl!  The Catao family has a fourth grade girl and a seventh grade boy who is involved in scouts with Jacob.  It was a great balance.

Monday
Monday morning, our tour guide collected each of us in a large van for a driving tour of Rome which would include a stop at the Colosseum.  A stop at the very quiet, since it was still before 10am, Spanish steps for some photos before driving across Rome as our guide told us more about the history of the city and pointed out various buildings.  Our first destination was the Colosseum.  We made our way into the most iconic building in Rome and had the advantage of our guide to lead us through and explain what we were seeing.  The kids were even paying attention. 

Family Photo

Ready for the Gladiators

After our tour of the Colosseum, we continued our driving tour of Rome which included a trip up to the highest point to catch the noon cannon firing.  From here you were able to look across Rome.  From there we went back down to the Capitoline Hill.  Our guide showed us the Roman Forum and helped us try to understand even more history of this amazing city. 

Our group parted now that it was lunchtime, setting off to see more of the city in further detail.  Some had not yet been to the Parthenon and others were looking forward to a trip to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.  We headed off to find lunch! 

Self Portrait!

Cameron angle...

After lunch, we went back to the ancient ruins of Rome to explore the Roman Forums.  Armed with audio tours by Rick Steves on our ipods, we walked through the ruins trying our best to understand the meaning of all the rubble.  Cameron was armed with a camera and actually took some really great photos of the rubble that actually included family members!  Something that I often don't manage to do.  The sun was warm which meant that we would soon need some gelato too.

After the Forum, we made our way over to the Castel Sant Angelo.  First we stopped at San Ignazio.  This church has a trompe l'oeil ceiling that makes it appear it has a dome when it really does not.  Cameron sat there looking at it and refused to believe that it was not a real dome.  There was no way to convince him otherwise, so we continued on our way armed with gelato to help us get to the castle! 

The Castel Sant Angelo was fun to explore and because it was Cultural Week our entry was free!  Bonus! 

From there we had to continue walking around Rome.  Stuck in a van for most of the morning, we had to step it up if we wanted to walk seven miles again!  We wound our way to Piazza del Popolo and rested our weary feet.

I was quickly being worn down by complaining from four of the family members.  From there we agreed to find an early dinner.  A restaurant near the Spanish Steps fit the bill.  Of course we still had to walk back to our apartment, but pizza and pasta fortification made it a bit easier.  93 steps up and we crashed into bed.

Tuesday
The kids were thrilled that we just had to walk a block and a half up the road to a taxi stand to catch a ride over to our early morning tour!  We met up with the Barnes and Catao families in front of Saint Peter's Basilica.  From there we met our guide at the Vatican Museums.  She did a great job of keeping the kids interested in what we were seeing and showing us some great connections between the art in the museum and the painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.  We had met early so that we could get into the chapel in an early group at 8:30am.  It was nice to be able to sit and reflect on what we were seeing without large crowds.  After the chapel and the museum, our guide led us to the basilica and we had the opportunity to see St. Peter's.  It was amazing, of course! 

Saint Peter's Square...empty at 7:45am!

Vatican Museums with our group

The Dome in Saint Peter's Basilica

At this point, we went our separate ways.  Our family was ready for lunch.  Hmmm, what should we have for lunch today?  Pizza!  of course! and beer!

 After so much walking over the previous three days, my family made me promise not to drag them all over Rome again in the afternoon!  From Vatican City, we made our way back across the river and through Piazza Navona.  We found some gelato to keep us going and then up the Grand Staircase by Michaelangelo to the Capitoline Museum.  From this museum (free entrance since it was Culture Week) we had an amazing view of the Roman Forum.

Gelato...mmmm what flavor today?!

And I thought Jacob had a Big Head!

Jacob with Sophocles in the room of Busts! (had to write that...)

From here we agreed we had seen A LOT of Rome and that we felt sated with history.  We actually headed back to our apartment for a short siesta before dinner.  After all of the sightseeing we had done, it was much deserved.  After that we found dinner at a really nice restaurant near there that had a notably Tuscan menu besides pizza and pasta for the kids!  Steve and I enjoyed roasted potatoes and an amazing roasted chicken.  It was a great way to end our stay in Rome.  We would be heading south in the morning.

Italy - Day 2

Sunday, 15 April

I pushed the family out of the house by 9am so we could get to church!  Actually, we would just be sightseeing, but our first stop was Santa Maria Maggiore where they believe they have the manger from the Christ Child's birth in front of the altar.  The kids were not thrilled to find Bernini's grave here, as the architect Bernini seems to have designed just about everything in Rome after the ancient Romans finished the Colosseum.

Santa Maria Maggiore

From there we headed over to the Church of the Bones - Santa Maria della Concezione, where in the Capuchin Crypt below the church you find vertebrae, skulls, femurs, etc arranged in "decorative"patterns in the crypt.  It was very strange, but we honestly did look through the crypt.  The kids even went in a second time on Monday when our tour guide took the group.  Steve and I waited on the bus!

one of the Quattro Fontane

Along our walk between the two churches we were able to take in the Quattro Fontane.  Then we were able to wander over to the Spanish Steps.  It was not yet even 11am, the steps were not so crowded, and we were able to leisurely enjoy the scene.  The only thing on our schedule for the day was our 3pm tickets to the Borghese Gallery, so we had lots of time still to explore.

At the Spanish Steps

From here we made our way over to the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) along the Tiber River.  We followed the sidewalk along the river and managed to catch crew teams racing on the Tiber.  There was a 5K charity race also going on along the river.  Amazing what you may see when you get up early and Drag your kids around a strange city!  At this point we did have to break down and get the kids (and ourselves) a beverage from a vendor.  If you know anything about Rome, you will realize that by this time we had walked pretty far...but it was not even lunchtime yet!

We wound our way to Piazza Navona and wandered through rows of artists displaying their work and statues ready to move for a coin or two.  The fountain by Bernini in the middle of the piazza was the one that was the object of our respite in the square.  On a side street we found a cafe for lunch and everyone had pizza, except for me who had a salad! 


A more Modern Sculpture

Lunch

The sun was shining and we made our way across Rome to Villa Borghese for our visit to the art museum.  Upon arrival in the park, we had a bit of time to stop and enjoy some gelato first!  The Borghese gallery has an amazing collection of art:  paintings and statues.  You only get two hours to visit, and we found that with our tour guide in hand we were able to easily see the important bits in that time and more than two hours would have been torture for the kids!  To treat them after, we rented a bicycle built for the family to explore the garden.  The canopy on the bike made it easier to tolerate the drizzling rain that followed us from England to Italy.  Please note Steve's review of the weather showing a 20% chance of rain.

Gelato!

Bicycle Built for Five!

We left the park to head back toward our apartment for dinner.  The rain was falling more steadily and the hawkers had all pulled out their umbrellas to push on the tourists.  By the seventh one who asked us if we wanted an umbrella, I had reached my seething point and snapped at him.  On principle we were not buying an umbrella when we had four in the apartment!  Damp and cranky from hunger, we were happy to find pizza and pasta at a restaurant near out apartment and the Colosseum.  They even served gelato which lightened our spirits for the trudge up the 93 steps! 

As we all made a wish and threw a few Euro Cents into the fountain!

By the end of the day, we had walked 7.1 miles!  I have mapped it on Google Maps and if I were more astute, I would be able to add the link.  Monday would be a better day with a morning van tour of the city!

Ciao, Italia!!

ATTENTION:  There are photose below...so you must just read a bit to get to them.

On Saturday, April 14th, our family flew to the continent for some sightseeing in Italy.  Over seven years ago we made our first trip to Italy, but stayed a full week in Tuscany exploring and drinking Chianti (or apple juice for the kids).  This trip was to Rome and the Amalfi Coast.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that a few other families that we knew from our expat community were also going to Rome at the same time.  Consequently, we arranged to share a tour guide for two half days.

So Saturday, after a gate mix up by Heathrow, we did make it to our plane on time and landed safely in Rome.  A prearranged van service collected us and navigated us safely to the apartment we had rented not far from the Colosseum for the four nights we would be in Rome.  The apartment manager was waiting for us and lead us up to the fifth floor of a walk-up!  Loaded like pack mules, Steve and I collapsed upon entry.  Some basic instructions and some guidance on getting around the city from the manager and we were on our own.  With only a short time in Rome, I rallied the troops to get on the move quickly so we could start seeing the sights! 

This trip had an added bonus: we were going to get a chance to meet up with my cousin, Kaitlin, who is studying architecture and happened to be in Rome for the spring semester.  In the weeks prior to flying, we had been in contact and arranged to meet for dinner on Saturday after we arrived.  So a quick text message and we agreed to meet at 17:00 at the Pantheon.  The five of us made our way down the stairs (all 93) when we noticed at the bottom that Katie was carrying her backpack, which she did not need for sightseeing and would only be extra weight that would hold her back as we were about to do quite a bit of walking.  Steve ran all the way back up to put it in the apartment.  (By the way, he had already been up and down earlier, after our arrival, to stop at a small convenience store for milk and cereal for breakfast the following morning.)

Once we were making our way, we seemed to regain the bounce in our step.  As we passed the Roman Forums, we stopped and gawked at the crumbled structures that had been part of this city for more than 2000 years.  A drizzly rain did not impede our progress toward the Pantheon.  Everywhere we turned there was history to drink in.  The kids weren't so keen on it all, but I made them linger in the dampness so I could absorb as much as I could.  Steve continued to lead us to our destination.  When we found ourselves in Campo dei Fiori, we realized we had seriously made a wrong turn!  I texted Kaitlin to let her know we were a bit lost.  She assured us we were only ten minutes and even offered to come and get us, but we figured she had better stay put.  Rather than rely on the paper map, I pulled out the trusty 4G phone, used the map to find us and confidently watched as our blue dot moved closer to the plotted destination on the little screen. 

Wow!  The Pantheon!  The piazza here isn't too big so it was a great place to meet and Kaitlin found us easily.  When standing in the piazza you see roads coming in from all directions and my cousin pointed out that people in Rome say that "all roads lead to the Pantheon!"  This, of course, made us laugh as we had somehow managed to get lost on our way here.  Saturday evening mass was still being celebrated so we decided to get Gelato!  Fortunately for us, THE BEST gelato in Rome can be found down a side street not far from the Pantheon.  Please be aware that this is the best according to my cousin and her professor.  It was really good, but I am not sure I am the true connoisseur.  I may need a trip back to just try gelato and concentrate on assessing that rather than architecture!

So with our first gelato under our belts we made it back to the Pantheon.  Kaitlin was able to tell us a bit about the building.  She also told us about being inside when it was snowing back in February and another time when it was raining.  If you have never been to see the Pantheon, there is a large hole at the top of the dome.  It was planned this way.  The floor even slopes to allow for precipitation to drain.  We also took advantage of a downloaded audio guide from Rick Steves website to add further to our appreciation of the building. 

With one major sight checked off of our list we let Kaitlin lead the way around the city and to our final destination for the evening - dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was so nice to not have to rely on a map and just follow someone through the winding streets of this city.  She took us past the Trevi Fountain and up to the Spanish Steps.  We stopped on the way in the church of Santa Maria Soppa Minerva.  Having been there already with her program, my cousin was able to tell us what we were seeing.  It was great!

Some of you may be wondering why we would be going out for American food when we were in Italy.  Others of you know that we love to collect a pin from each Hard Rock we get to; and with a Hard Rock in Rome, we had to make our way there at some point.  In addition, my cousin had been eating and cooking pasta and pizza for weeks and we figured accurately that she would love to get a break for some American classics.  Our All Access card and a priority seating request made the day before we left from England meant we didn't even wait but sat right down upon arrival.  For those of you who have been to Rome, you may understand why we were so happy to finally find a chair.  The city is big and we had just about walked the whole thing!  After dinner we walked my cousin to Termini station so she could catch a bus and we had less than a half of a mile walk down the hill (thankfully down hill) from there to our apartment where we found the energy to crawl up the 93 steps to our apartment. 

Day one in Italy was done.  We needed to get some rest because I had big plans for sightseeing on Sunday and there was no plan to hop on public transportation.  Everyone better have good walking shoes!

If It Rains All Weekend, We Can Act Like a Duck!

This Blog has been quiet for a very long time, and I will start with an apology to the friends and family who like to keep up with our life so far away.  I owe you all a recap of our amazing week in Italy, but first I need to recap the last week of what seems a mundane life!

This past week was all about Scouting and Rain.  We returned from rainy Italy late on Saturday to rainy England.  When we had left, the country was in a drought and there were water restrictions in place.  Now, one week after returning, there are flood warnings all over our region, although we still have water use restrictions.  All fine, until you add in Scouting.

Tuesday afternoon, my Girl Scout troop met after school for some camping training.  We talked about what to pack and how to pack it.  Campfire building skills were also imparted.  This was all to be ready for the big camping trip this weekend.  Already, the forecast called for rain everyday from that day through the weekend, so our guidance was to Be Prepared!  Everyone left the meeting feeling ready for anything and very excited for what would be the first camping trip for some of the nine girls in the group.

I continued to watch the forecast each day hoping for more information about the forecast.  Particularly, would it be a complete washout with rain all day throughout the weekend or sporadic showers with intermittent sun to cheer us up?  Each day the forecast seemed to shift from one outlook to the other. 

Thursday was a partly sunny day, which was a nice change from the washout on Wednesday.  I had a Cub Scout meeting with the second grade boys afterschool.  They played for half an hour on the playground to run off some pent up energy.  Planning for rain, the program was inside a classroom, but we had science experiments to get the boys involved in having fun without realizing they were learning anything.  If the forecast had been more accurate, we may have spent more time outside, but what do those forecasters really know?

As the evening approached and my anxiety about the weekend grew, I started thinking more about the potential weather for the weekend.  Maybe some forecasters were calling for a partly sunny weekend, but what if they were wrong and the forecasters on the other channel proclaiming doom and gloom were the right ones?  I needed a contingency plan for camping on Saturday night!

A longwinded message to the Committee Chairperson for our group laid out three alternatives for my group.  We were set to camp, but other troops in our council were going to be in a lodge at the same campground.  One plan was to be set to sleep on the floor in the common room of the lodge.  A second plan gave us the option to get parents to drive up and help us break camp on Saturday night.  The third option was to go to a local Holiday Inn Express and get a few rooms!  The chairperson tried to calm me down with assurance that the weather would be fine, the girls were tougher than I thought, and by the way, my group didn't pay the extra to get comfy space in the lodge.  A little put off, I took a deep breath and went back to the forecast which said "Partly Sunny."  As the rain outside my window blurred my vision and blocked out the stars, I tried to be positive.

Friday, I spent the day preparing:  grocery shopping with other leaders, last minute laundry, trips to the hardware store and packing backpacks.  I also practiced the mantra that all would be better than I thought.  Really, how bad could it be?  Don't worry, the morning would come and I would know soon enough.

Saturday morning Katie and I had our gear in the car by 6:15 to be at the school by 6:45.  We had on our raincoats and waterproof pants, ready for the weather as it was raining already.  The bus ride up to the campground was wet.  The water streamed down the windows, but all of the girls laughed and focused on the adventure and not the weather.  Upon arrival, we lead the girls up to the camping area.  As we walked through puddles and noticed standing water in fields around us, my co-leader and I were nervous about finding a good area to set camp.  We did agree on an area right outside the front of the lodge where our other troops were bunking, finding that not only was there was no standing water, but it also had a very close proximity for a quick getaway and warm bathrooms.

Through a light drizzle, the girls managed to set up three tents and one gazebo in an hour.  Impressed with their accomplishment, we relaxed with a morning snack.  We encouraged the girls not yet in full raingear to get prepared before heading off to our first activity of the day.

Now it was time for Climbing.  The campground had a wall stucture outside of the main activity lodge.  The girls were set to climb and belay.  They did a great job all trying to get to the top.  A few made it up and not half made it even half way.  With Wellies and raw, numb fingers, the obstacles were fierce.  They were ready after an hour and a half out in the rain to have some lunch.

Back at the camp, we were in for a surprise!  We had put the lunches in the back of one of the parent's car; however, one lunch had been left behind.  It had been found by a crow!  The bag with a few clementines was left behind.  I guess the bird didn't like fruit anymore than my kids.  The scout who lost her lunch was devastated and it took much encouraging to get her to eat something else or to take food from her friends.  What a lesson for a first campout!

Our next activity was indoors in the Activity lodge.  The girls were so relieved to finally get out of the rain.  By this time it was 1:30pm and we had been outside since 8:30am.  An added bonus was that the latrine block by the activity center had WARM water in the sinks and HOT AIR DRYERS!  You wonder at my expressiveness, but if you had felt the ice cold water in the latrine block by our campsite and found there were no towels or dryers in that latrine, you would realize that these things are actually LUXURIES!  We had all the girls stop before we were off to our next activity.

Katie on the Ladder Climb

Our last activity for the day was Aeroball.  This was a very fun activity involving trampolines and throwing a ball into a hoop on the opponents side.  Each jumper could only spend 5 minutes at a time on the trampoline to avoid injuries.  With an hour and a half at the activity, the girls became quite worn out.  You can get quite tired jumping on a trampoline even off an on every 5 minutes for that long of a time.  Exhausted, we made our way back to camp to make dinner.

A snack revived us first before dinner prep started.  At this time, 5:00pm, we were still certain we would spend the night outside.  With a group to start building the fire and most of the girls on food prep duty, we started on our dinner.  Now opinions started to shift.  A few girls weren't feeling well and were taking turns resting in the lobby of the lodge to warm up and dry out.  The rain was continuing to fall and what was a drizzle before lunch had become a steady patter throughout the afternoon.  The fire was proving to be a challenge.  The swirling, blowing wind and rain suffocated any small flame we could muster.  Finally, a briquette from a fellow troop of campers got us started.  As much as we had prepared, we were not ready for camping in such extreme weather and we happy to have help from the older group of Girl Scouts.

We made Crecent Rolls over the fire by wrapping them on the end of sticks.  Then each girl made her own Foil Packet Dinner with a selection of veggies from those they had chopped and marinated chicken or cut up hot dog (I didn't set the menu!).  After the crecent rolls, the packets went on the campfire.  Morale was waning and the rain was increasing.  All of the girls at this time went into the lobby of the lodge with their mess kits, water bottles, and bag of SWAPS to trade with the other girl scout toops.  They set themselves up and we agreed to eat dinner inside to warm up.  Relief spread across all face.  Realizing that there was a group of girls who was losing all interest in this camping adventure, I put it to the group to decide if we would raise the white flag and sleep in the lodge.  If the vote was 7 or more for the lodge, we would all sleep inside for the night.  If there was another split in the votes, my co-leader and I would agree to consider splitting the group so some could campout.  I left the group to work it out.

As I returned with cooked dinners, the vote was announced.  8:1 to sleep inside.  The one scout was crying.  My heart went out to her, but my cold, wet feet were rejoicing.  This scout has a brother in Cub Scouts, and I believe she didn't want to be seen as weaker or a quitter.  I tried to assure her that her parents (particulary her scout leader father) would be thrilled that she was inside and safe and not risking health and safety in the cold, windy rain.  When she went to sleep later last night on her mat on the floor of the great room of the lodge, I am certain she was still sad to miss out on being in a tent and being able to tell her father all about it.

The girls tucked into their foil dinners and some were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't terrible.  Opinions ranged from awesome to "aaah, okay, sort of," but it was something new for all of them which was fun too.

After dinner, all of the scouts came together in the great room for evening activities together.  The older scouts led them in songs and then each troop performed skits for the group.  Our troop did a great job performing skits that they wrote showing scenarios of Bullying and how they would work to eliminate it.  This completed their work on a Girl Scout Journey and earned them a much deserved Badge! 

By 9:30, their mats were rolled out and sleeping bags set.  With clean teeth and warm night clothes they tucked in for the night.  Some were quicker to fall asleep and a few needed to be reminded, "Mrs. deWaard will be really cranky if she isn't in bed by 11pm and will be even crankier in the morning and will have to tell their parents about it."  Ten minutes later they were all asleep and I was happing curled up on a matress of a bunkbed open in one of the leader bedrooms.  Aaah, no floor for me!  Bonus!  (Really, that was the only bonus of the weekend...more despair to come...keep reading.)

In the meantime, some of the leaders from the other two troop who were camping outside appeared at the lodge with an official from the campgrounds.  Weather warnings we calling for severe rain and winds to come through at 1:00am that night.  Secure in the knowledge that our troop of girls was set and safe indoors, provisions were made to move the other two troops into another lodge nearby for safety.  My co-leader and I looked at each other and sighed with relief.  If we had not already made that decision earlier, we would now be rallying nine girls in the dark and the pouring rain to pack up gear and get to shelter.  I would be sure to tell the disappointed scout the news in the morning so she could assure her brother that the rangers forced us to go inside for the night.

Camp mattresses not being quite those of the local Travelodge, let alone the one I longed for at the Marriott around the corner from the campground, I was out of bed just after 6am and found that all the girls were up when I went into their room at 6:30.  A quick look outside and I was aghast to find that I couldn't see our tents.  A glance around the area and I noticed one up against the wall of a neighboring lodge and another was collapsed where it had been staked.  The third was hard to see because it was not in the area at all! 

While the girls and I packed up their gear to get the room ready for breakfast, my co-leader went to investigate.  After her first pass she came in to report should could not find it anywhere.  Her second trip out was more successful as she went off in the opposite direction and found it stuck in the trees at the far end of the parking area, over 50 yards away.  I worked with the girls making pancakes conveniently over a stove in the kitchen.  With no wind to contend with, breakfast at least was a success. 

As a group, the girls were positive about the whole experience.  Many want to go camping again so they can actually sleep in the tent.  I guess that means I am going to have to do this again...unless someone wants to take my place.  I am more than happy to share the joy!!!!