Walking Trip to Bambesch

The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

By Robert Frost, “Stopping by the woods on a Snowy Evening”

These lines came to my mind in the morning - dark clouds hovered in the sky and then there was downpour thereafter. This was going to be that last walk of the term for me and I did not want to miss it. I was already going to miss the lunch following the walk due to other commitments, so the walk was definitely a “must-do” for the day. The Weather Gods smiled and my Will supported me…so here goes:

1. Uphill walk to reach Bambesch – Even before the designated walk, the uphill pointed round about walk from the bus stop to the walking trail was a good warm up indeed!

2. Followed a set walking trail – There were several walking trails to choose from and we decided to follow the “yellow man”. It is a 5.5 km walk called “Cross Promenade”. I must admit that the walk did not seem so long at all since it had a lot of variety in the trail – rocks, twigs, stone steps, mud to name a few!

3. Rolling stones gather no moss – Am sure the stones here were not rolling! Spotted quite a few beautifully decorated stones full of velvety moss! When I was a little girl, I remember thinking that velvet grows on rocks and is made of moss just like wool grows on sheep!

3. Lovely woods – The tall green trees providing a lot of shade along the way felt as if I was walking amidst one of the locales in the Hindi movies where two lovers run away from home to start life and then dance around trees in the woods!

4. Kids ensured that Moms lost extra calories- Trudi had to jog to keep pace with her daughter and Marie had to brisk walk with her daughter who refused to sit in the buggy despite being promised buggy racing! My daughter wanted to sit on the stroller most of the time and pushing a stroller with small wheels over rough terrain ensured that I had to exert more muscles!

5. Wild berries/cherries – The red berries/cherries growing amidst the woods added color to the green.

6. Benches and exercise equipment along the way – The municipal/commune has really thought about everything! All along the path, there were wooden benches/equipment to do sit ups and other kids of exercises. They were located beautifully too!

7. The walkers – All the people in the walk contributed to great company, lovely conversation and insightful tips/traps of being an expat!

8. Put on your imagination caps – There were several sights which, when one would look at closely, would depict different things – like watching clouds! What can you see in these pictures? Post it in the comments!

Walking trip to Lake Echternach

On a beautiful bright sunny morning, Jun 30, we started off on a walking trip from the car park near Lake Echternach. I must remark that the Weather Gods have been very kind to our walking group so far!Highlights of the walk:

1. Ducks, swan and geese – Some ducks were resting under the shade of a tree while others were paddling in the water. The geese were completely comfortable getting clicked from such close proximity – it made me wonder how easily animals can adapt to humans in their surroundings. The swan made beautiful poses and formed the perfect number two - that’s how we were taught to draw a swan in art class. My daughter was not so comfortable getting clicked close to the goose, after she heard him!



2. Roman relics - We saw remnants of Roman architecture during the walk. A beautiful and colorful Roman’s statue also stood magnificently outside a museum dedicated to remains.


3. Playground – While we watched the Roman relics, the children quickly made use of the playground with slides, swings and bouncy see-saw. It is amazing how much the country thinks of kids – did you know that there are 172 playgrounds in Luxembourg?

4. Lakeside walkway – Watching a water body with the hot sun up above felt so cool! The walking path we chose always faced the lake and offered various scenic views and angles for photography.

5. Shantiniketan style teaching in action – Rabindranath Tagore, famous literary personality who has written several books, poems, songs and also the national anthem of India, believed in teaching amidst nature. He built an ashram in Shantiniketan, not far from Kolkata where students and teachers would meet and learn under the shade of trees. I saw a group of students taking instructions from a teacher in the same style here too!

6. Swimming in the lake – The lake is big, although I am not sure how deep. I spotted a lady swimming in the lake! There definitely aren't any alligators I bet! Wonder whether there are shower facilities close by in case the lake water is muddy!

7. Little froggy hopping on the road – Michelle came running back to where the kids were with her palms closed and asked “Guess what I have in here!” When she opened her palm, we saw a really tiny blackish toad who quickly tried to leap out of her hand! As it started hopping away, we picked it up and put it in the grass lest it come under someone’s feet, bicycle or push chair. We saw several along the way – it was a busy morning there.

8. Baby walking dog or dog walking baby? When Trudi’s daughter wanted to walk the dog, although she let her, we had a tough time deciding who was in control! It made a lovely picture though!


9. Scenic beauty – The care and attention to upkeep of the grass, gardens, parks and everything around Luxembourg, makes it a delight to experience. Although Mother Nature has abundantly blessed the country with greenery, flora and fauna, the people ensure that the beauty is preserved. It sure generates a lot of employment opportunities too.

10. Great company and lovely conversation – Each time I do the walk, I get to know more about the city, what is happening, events planned, which hairdresser to try and all kinds of other useful stuff! It is a great healthy way to socialize and get to know interesting things from interesting people!