Back on the bikes at last

3 May 2018

After another lazy start to the day (it’s still pretty cold first thing, so it’s easy to lie in the tent all snuggled up in the warmth, especially when Cornelia has joined us and fallen back to sleep), we were up for a quick breakfast, before heading off on our bikes, determined to find Luxembourg City!  It is a well signposted route, until the route is diverted, and then the signs seem to disappear.  Nonetheless, we followed our noses (Ian’s nose, in fact), past the old ruins, and ended up struggling up a steep, cobbled hill which brought us into the heart of Luxembourg Haute.  Very aptly named…!  The cobbles and busy streets became too awkward to cycle, so we dismounted and tried to find somewhere to lock up our bikes.  So, that’s something Luxembourg may want to think about!  There were no bike racks to be found anywhere, so we locked them up to a lamppost, then chose a cafe opposite so we could keep our eyes on them.  It would be nice to lose that suspicion, but it’s not easy!

Lunch was average to disappointing, but we weren’t there for the food on this occasion!  We decided to trust the locals with our bikes, and following Trip Advisor’s advice, went in search of the Pirate Park, via Luxembourg Cathedral (which is quite a modern building, with impressive stained glass, but not much else).

The Pirate Park was an epic find.  Completely free to everyone, it is a giant wooden pirate ship, filled with tunnels, slides, rope bridges, ladders etc.  Surrounding it are water pumps, Archimedes Screws, swings and woods.  The sun was out, Cornelia was in her vest top, and Ian was in charge.  I had planned on lying on one of the sunloungers for a while, but it just looked like too much fun, so I caught up with them for games of hide & seek, and water play.  Despite having had a meltdown earlier for not being able to go on a merry-go-round (for not eating her lunch nicely – I know, I know, it’s hard being Mel’s daughter!), Cornelia managed to drag herself away from the park without any sulking, and we all cycled home, having cautiously made our way down the ridiculously steep cobbled hill.

Tea was a quick spaghetti affair, with a visiting silk worm, that we all watched with weird fascination, before Bugsy and I went off for a shower, and to get her ready for bed.  We’d bought a French book (Maude, the Mole) the day before, so we did our best to translate it to her, before she read herself the whole of “Paddington and the Tutti Frutti Sundae”.   We managed to get her into bed a bit earlier than previous nights, and she went straight to sleep.  As I type this, I’m polishing off her Easter Egg, and Ian’s having a much-needed and well-deserved hot shower.   So far, so good.  Life on the road is brilliant.