The trip started off like any other, Barry being late. While we waited outside of the scout den, we awaited the arrival of reliable old Barry. At 4:30am we finally set off on what was going to be an unforgettable trip.
The flight to Krakow left at 7:00am. While others tried to grab a quick forty winks and failed, good old Owen tilted the head, opened the mouth and fell asleep, unaware that Carrie was taking his picture. Hannah was her next victim!
Once we touched down in Krakow, we eventually managed to drag our tired bodies off the plane. We jumped onto a bus, which was very overcrowded expecting a long drive to the front, we were wrong. After driving 50 metres we were dropped off at the door! You would think our travelling was over, but then we remembered we’re in Venture Scouts, it’s never over! No quicker were we out of the airport, we were onto a 3 hour bus drive, and then to top it off, an hour hike to our hostel.
We rested there for most of the day, around 10pm we went to brush out teeth but noticed that some of the locals were playing music. A light bulb appeared over Jim’s head. He grabbed his tin whistle and a session commenced. Shane joined in with a guitar and Hannah sang a beautiful rendition of Halleluiah. We played the night away and we finished it off with our National Anthem and headed to bed.
We started off the next day bright and early and went for a small hike around a lake, Morskie Oko. Barry being his usual self jumped to the front of the group and led the way. When we reached the lake we all wondered who would go in first. Fortunately in that time Jim had stripped off the jumped in. He emerged from the water in what only can be described as a slow motion Baywatch scene. Soon everyone followed suit. After that refreshing dip we continued our hike and in no time we were back at the hostel. That evening we had the semi-final of “Ventures Got Talent!” These included myself, Liam, Niall and Barry, otherwise known as “The Best Act”, Stephen the Poet, Cathal, Hannah, Siobhan and Christopher as individual acts, Niall Woods as “Shades” and the girls group which included Aisling, Laura, Carrie and Kellie and a group named gym which included Jim, Shane and David and a magic act called M&S featuring Seamus and Mark. The leaders were our judges. After a hard initial round, Shades, Hannah, Gym Stephen the Poet, M&S and the Leaders, who all got “wildcards” qualified. This was going to be a good final.
After last night’s fun and games it was only fair that we had to climb the highest mountain in Poland! We fell in at 6:00am, although we were tired we started off at a brisk pace and by the time we reached the lake we were 15 minutes ahead of schedule. But then the tiredness kicked in and soon enough we were taking more and more breaks. Not even Jim’s singing could inspire us but after seven hours, and a lot of litres of water we reached the peak. Not all of us reached it but at least everyone got over 2000 metres. The view from the top and breathtaking, not just because the air was thinner but because it was like something you would see in a postcard. We moved a lot quicker on the way down Daire’s exuberance was clear to be seen, while Owen did what Owen does best, wonder aimlessly. Our conversations ranged from importing ducks to women. Siobhan’s views on women in the workplace were very liberating! After 13 gruelling hours we had returned to the cabin. We took a well earned rest but when the shoes were taken off and the smell of the feet was released, the 13 hour walk seemed much fresher. That night everyone fell asleep the moment their head hit the pillow.
The next day we enjoyed a nice day off but this was also the “Ventures Got Talent” final day. Unfortunately my group didn’t get through but I got the honour of being a judge alongside Barry, Caoimhe and Siobhan. The competition was fierce. Gym wrote their own song to the tune of Journeys “Don’t Stop Believing”. Hannah sang a Whitney Houston song. M&S did their magic tricks, shades sang a song about Jim to the tune of “You’ve got the Love”, Stephen recreated Romeo and Juliet, to make it Jim and Suesiette and finally the leaders wrote song to the tune of “Galway Girl”
All of the acts were good but I saw this as an opportunity to showcase my judging skills. My talent was coming up with corny lines. My personal favourite was for shades – “I think I need shades now because that was a ray of sunshine”. Sham thought I was related to Cilla Black. After a three way tie with Gym, Hannah and Shades, the audience got to choose and Shades was the well deserved winner.
The next few days were more relaxing ones. We left for a one night stay in Zakopane. Our hostel was located just above a head shop as if we weren’t high enough when we reached the top of Rysy. Siobhan thought it was a pottery shop! That night we walked around the town and grabbed a bite to eat. At the hostel there was a chess set and everyone started to get hooked to the game apart from Hannah who wanted to spend her time on facebook.
Our last stop was in Krakow, where we spent out last four days. Over these days we went shopping, visited Auschwitz, the Salt Mines and many churches. Ironically it was the boys who spent the most on shopping and presents. Rumours were spreading about a romance blossoming between Seamus and Kellie but this was short-lived, when we realised Kellie only had eyes for Jim. David and Shane provided entertainment while Jim and Liam played their newly bought harmonicas. Liam looked very content when he bought his ninja death stars. So much so he bought three.
Our visit to Auschwitz was very sobering. You could sense the sadness and you couldn’t not feel sorry for the pain and suffering the innocent Jews went through. After this eye opening but very sad tour the leaders decided to make up a treasure hunt which was great fun.
Our last main sightseeing trip was to the salt mines, where we all suddenly began to get cravings for crisps. These were also interesting but the tour was made even better by our guide, George. And so on our final day we were awarded prizes for various competitions. Stephen won best stone, Shades collected his talent show prize, Barry and Mark won the longest handshake, Jim got a prize for getting a job (busking). Carrie won best newcomer and the prestigious Venture of the Year deservedly went to David. This was our final night which was capped off brilliantly.
The next morning we rose and packed out bags. The sun was splitting the stones but everyone seemed sad because they knew the trip was ending. We boarded our plane at 12:00 noon and were on our way home to Ireland. We landed in Ireland at 3pm and was back at Carrick at 4:10pm. We took one final picture and said out goodbyes. This was the final Venture Scout trip for Siobhan, Niall, Stephen and Cathal and they will be missed. I would like to thank all the Leaders and everyone who went on the trip. This was a brilliant 9 days and unforgettable too. As Venture Scouts, we may do it the hard way but we also do it the best way!
Events 
