Camp Journal
Yellow Group: Rock Climbing & Montreux Jazz
6th July 2021
What an amazing day that the Yellow Group had today! The day started off with a 2-hour climbing session in Villeneuve, where many campers overcame their fear of climbing and scaled the 15-meter wall.
Some of them were at first reluctant to participate, however after light encouragement from the Group Leaders, they went on to scale the wall! Climbing is such an inclusive sport that everyone can participate in, so it was amazing to see every single child getting harnessed up today.
Next, the campers hopped on the coach to Montreux, where they enjoyed the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival. The atmosphere there was electric and they had plenty of free time to explore the lakeside town, with supervision from our experienced group leaders of course! They ventured into the shops, stalls, the local shopping centre and took in the scenic views of the gorgeous Lake Geneva. Many campers bought food, crepes and souvenirs at the festival and an amazing day was had by all!
– Cian, Group Leader
Red & Blue Groups: Language Learning and Team-building
A brilliant breeze mixed in with splendid sunshine awaited the adventurous linguistic superstars that are the Reds and Blues, as they bounced out of bed ready to embark on their journey of linguistic discovery and exploration with the first day of their language course!
A cracking continental breakfast was a welcome sight for the campers, before splitting off into their respective language classes.
Cali and Julien started their Spanish lessons with the joyous Joan, who has bundles of enthusiasm and natural talent.
Over in the English classroom, Paolo and Cesar came up with a smashing story for a theatrical masterpiece, which will be featured in the Camp Suisse talent show, taking place later in the Session. Meanwhile, Elena, Mia and Lola channelled their competitive side as they swooped to victory in the conversational snakes and ladders competition. Royce, Camille and Paul sang fabulous phonics and wondrous week days with such enthusiasm.
In the French lesson, Jimena, Olivia, Julieta, Carla and Oliver put Old Mac Donald to shame with their amazing animal impressions “e aye e aye o”!
The German class saw Ivi, Claire and Elena put the ‘guten’ in ‘tag’ with their great German skills and beaming smiles.
We really were walking on sunshine in Torgon as we enjoyed perfect panini at lunch, as the sun shone down on Camp.
This afternoon brought teamwork, resilience and cooperation together as the campers worked to smash teamwork games out the park! Jimena really shone on Lava River, whilst Cesar would have made David Attenborough proud, with his brilliant bird impressions and Royce smashed capture the flag. Penelope and Louse showed tremendous teamwork skills as they cooperated with their fellow campers.
Another dazzling day with the fabulous Reds and Blues in Torgon, as they once again showed us what absolute legends they are!
– Beatrice Palmer, Group Leader
The Green Group make a splash in Villeneuve!
Today the green group descended to the valley for a lovely day on the shores of Lake Geneva; swimming in Villeneuve pool. After following the windy road down from Torgon they wasted no time, plunging straight into the pool. There were a couple of scattered showers throughout the afternoon, but that didn’t stop them! Reah, Noah and Matteo loved diving into the pool, and everyone enjoyed some fantastic pool-based games. The sun even began to shine at some points and we were able to enjoy the heat of the afternoon! Pablo, Miguel and Theodore also really enjoyed an intense table tennis tournament!
During the sunny intervals we had the opportunity to take some paddle boards out onto the Lake. Pietro particularly enjoyed this, managing to stand up straight away with ease!
Finally, we also enjoyed diving into the Lake from the diving platforms; 3m and 10m! Greta, Simon and Jeremy were particularly brave, jumping off the high platform!
– Hannah Parry, Group Leader
Green & Yellow Groups – Language Learning and Mountain Adventure
5th July 2021
The campers were greeted with a beautiful, bright and sunny morning here in Torgon as they made their way from the chalets to the centre for breakfast at 8:00 am. It was noticeable that the campers have been coming out of their shells at mealtimes; talking amongst themselves in the language that is understood by all at the table; being overall helpful to one another and taking on the role as team members. After breakfast, they displayed more skills of independence and responsibility at their morning meeting with their Group Leaders and when packing their backpacks with all the necessary materials for the exciting day ahead!
The first activity of the day were the language lessons from 9:00 am – 12:15 pm. In these classes, to which each student has been carefully allocated by our teachers based on language level, they were given the opportunity to mingle with new faces and cultures in the lesson’s target language. In the advanced English class, Pablo was off to a flying start, winning the round robin of naming the greatest number of countries in the class. Elena brought many wonderful song suggestions to the class for the Karaoke performance, which will take place later in the Session. Overall, our language teachers were thrilled by the campers’ enthusiasm and interest in the different tasks.
The afternoon was filled with activities such as fire building, ultimate frisbee, shelter building and team building games. The campers enjoyed the very best of the day’s weather at the football pitch, followed by the wonderful atmosphere in the woods. It seems there is no better way to spend the day than being at one with the beautiful nature that surrounds us here in Switzerland.
– Aisling, Group Leader
Red & Blue Groups to Labyrinth Adventure!
The soaring sun was shining in the midst of the marvellous mountains today as the brilliant Blues and Reds sprung out of bed eager and ready for another fun filled day at Camp! Breakfast was eaten excitedly as the campers awaited the tremendous trip to the legendary Labyrinth Adventure Park.
With full stomachs and lots of enthusiasm, the Reds and Blues embarked on their journey with faces full of joy and excitement.
As we pulled smoothly into Labyrinth Adventure the campers excited the coach as quietly as international super-spies on their best behaviour ready to enter Labyrinth Adventure. Royce absolutely smashed the crazy golf course (potential future olympian!) whilst Cali and Jimena took the rubber ring slide by storm, sliding down with elegance, speed and beaming smiles. I think we might have some future zip-wire world champions in Penelope and Louise as they zoomed through the air as fast as Santa and his elves on Christmas eve!
A fun-filled morning brought our hungry campers ready to feast on brilliant baguettes, fabulous fruit and scrumptious speed bars at lunch which was followed by a spine tingling water drinking competition, which had the group leaders on the edge of their seats as Juliette and Cali rose to victory.
After lunch, the fun continued as Oliver and Julien proved to be the next Lewis Hamiltons on the car machines and Ivi, Claire, Elena and Carla were ‘Rolling on a River’ on the inflatable hamster wheels. Meanwhile, Ricardo and Paolo made Tigger look bad at bouncing on the brilliant bouncy Castle.
As always every single camper smashed it today and demonstrated to us their shining manners and personalities. A great day was had by all. Very proud of all our campers today!!!!
– Beatrice Palmer, Group Leader
Red & Blue Groups – Football and Climbing
4th July 2021
It was a fantastic start to Camp today; we had football and climbing for the reds and blues. With encouragement from the others, Oliver and Carla made it to the very top of the climbing wall and rung the bell! On the football pitch, Clemente and Paolo were in goals and stopped some great shots, making for a nail-biting match.
We’ll have some games this evening and then it’s off to bed, ready for another amazing day in the Alps tomorrow. The kids are all sorted into their language groups and ready to start learning!
– Hugh Duffy, Group Leader
Green & Yellow Group – Swinging through the trees at Parc Aventure
Today the Greens and Yellows went to Parc Aventure; an exciting high-wire, treetop experience. There was something for everyone, from fun but challenging green courses to the tough but rewarding red course! One activity that proved to be a favourite among campers was the 250m zipline! This gave panoramic views of the mountains, as well as great speed while dashing through the forest below. After that, there was the Leap Of Faith, where campers mustered their courage to jump off the tallest tower while clipped into the harness. We had many campers face their fears and try both exhilarating experiences, and a fantastic day was had by all!
– Sam Kelly, Group Leader
Hello, Bonjour, Hola – Session One!
What a day it has been! The campers said their goodbyes to their families and joined the Camp Suisse family for Session One. They are now all super excited about all the activities they are going to do! Today we played lots of games, like ping-pong, Jenga and parachute so that the campers could get to know each other and their Group Leaders.
Not only that, everybody got a tour of the Camp Suisse site, found their roommates and made new friends! For dinner we ate pasta bolognese followed by pear upside down cake which was super yummy, before playing games before going to bed. We are all looking forward to the upcoming weeks and can’t wait to see what adventures await!
Suuz, Blue Group Leader
One Last Adventure for the Greens and Yellows!
17th August 2020
Today was our last full day of activities at Camp Suisse and what an action packed last day it was! We began our day with a trip to the chocolate factory Maison Cailler. After a tour through history from the Aztec Empire to how chocolate became famously associated with Switzerland, we got to go to the tasting room. Here, everyone got some samples of the kinds of chocolate made at Cailler. Most were good, except perhaps one which was some sort of treacle jelly concoction. I wish you could have seen India’s face as it turned from curiosity to disgust and confusion after biting into it. Her favourite is the white chocolate.
Next we went the the town of Gruyère which is famous for the cheese by the same name. Zach wondered why the town smelled strange and was told it was due to the volume of cheese being made and consumed there! After lunch we all got to wander around the town looking at the souvenir shops and picking up presents for our friends and family. Some of the girls even got Swiss friendship bracelets to remember their time at Camp Suisse.
Back to camp we went to pack our bags and get ready for prom which will be held in the picnic area in the forest, how exciting! We arrived up on the bus and made our way to our seats. The place was decorated beautifully with bunting and natural materials. We devoured our food and then danced the night away. All that time on Tiktok payed off as our dance moves were just perfect.
The Final Prom!
Whoosh! Another day at camp has flown in. A bright day awaited the campers who woke up to their final day in the mountains. After a filling breakfast, campers were whisked away on the coach for the picturesque journey to Cailler. Tap tap tap went Indy’s foot as she got more and more excited on the journey to the chocolate factory. The first activity of the day was a thrilling tour of the factory, learning all about the history of the Cailler brand. Bjorn was really engaged in the history of chocolate in Switzerland and Alexis dived into the real life tales of the farmers who grow the cocoa beans. The highlight for all was the selection of free samples given at the end of the tour, with everyone indulging themselves! Click click click went the cinema reel as the children settled in to watch a short movie about the tradition of chocolate. After a whirlwind tour of the gift shop, we hopped on the bus for the short drive to Gruyères. Greeting the campers was a typical Swiss village filled with more cheese than Megan could ever have imagined. A chilled lunch in the park was followed by an exploration of souvenir shops. A trip to the fountain to cool down meant that the campers, especially Gleb, had fun soaking the group leaders- splash! The bus left Gruyères with a loud ‘beep beep’ as the campers settled in for the journey home, with excitement for the evening ahead building. The highly anticipated ‘Enchated Forest’ prom will welcome the campers this evening with a delicious dinner in the forest. It will be followed by a night of dancing to celebrate new friends, amazing memories and an unforgettable week at Camp Suisse!
