Bakker Bugle Blog

Writing up the July-August blog post, I cannot comprehend where the last nine weeks went. The heat of summer has left Luxembourg and we are heading quickly into fall. Before I turn around it will be November, I just know it.

July started off quietly. During the first weekend, I talked Will into a nice Sunday ride with our friend Vikki. We did an out and back towards Junglinster, where we tackled the infamous Bourglinster cobbled climb. This was the second time we have forced Vikki up this hill and everyone enjoyed it more the second time. It is always more fun to cycle with friends and we are lucky to have a great group in Lux who enjoys going out with us. On the way home, we stopped in the park to enjoy the temporary swings. Will looks fabulous in his cycling gear, doesn’t he?

As a change, we decided to take a week of holiday in July. We went to Portugal in 2008 and I wanted to go back for a second look. We departed on the 11th for three days in Lisbon, two days in Sintra, and two days in Porto. While we went to Lisbon and Sintra in 2008, Porto was a new stop for us. Both Will and I had a terrific time, although the heat was a bit much for us at different points. We kept our daily schedule very light, with plenty of time for walking around and relaxing.

The day after we arrived home, a local cycling organization had a special day of riding. They closed a beautiful road between Mamer and Mersch to cars, allowing cyclists to own the road. After a week of walking around Portugal, it felt great to get back on our bikes and see a different part of Luxembourg. The road that was closed is a beautiful stretch, but very hard to cycle when there is traffic so we’ve never been there before. Plus, since this was a proper Luxembourg event, there was crémant and sausages at the end. We were able to enjoy a snack before we headed home.

July had beautiful weather, so on the last weekend I was able to do a long ride with Amanda on Saturday, followed by another ride with Will on Sunday. I haven’t been able to do as many 100 km weekends as I had hoped when I planned my cycling summer, but I was able to accomplish it that weekend. Plus, I saw the cutest playground when Amanda and I were out. It was adorable!

And with that, July was over. Unfortunately, so was the perfect summer weather. August was not nearly as nice, as we had a lot more rain and then the cooler temperatures came through. It became more difficult to get out on our bikes, but we did our best.

In early August, it was time to trade cars as our lease was only for four years. The new car came with a hitch and a trailer bike rack. We love it. While the first time we put the trailer on was challenging, the subsequent times have been much easier. It is now easy for us to throw the trailer and our bikes on the back of the car and drive a bit away from town. This allows us to see some new sites and to cycle more easily with Rachel. In fact, one weekend I grabbed Amanda and we went to Rachel’s for a girls’ cycling day.

In the middle of the month we had to say “Until we meet again!” to some of our first Luxembourg friends. A great opportunity in a new country took them away from Luxembourg. They were the first out of our core group to leave Lux and we already miss them. The good news for us is their new country is also a place where we like to vacation…. I think they may be seeing us again sooner rather than later!

August was new glasses month. Both Will and I were in desperate need for new spectacles and we finally managed to drag ourselves to the shop to pick out frames. While it may not seem like much, new glasses are a treat for the vision impaired. We are both very pleased with our new glasses, even though not a single person has noticed that we made a change. Clearly, we kept the same look as our old frames.

Hana the dog came for two visits! In the three-plus years since we started watching her, Hana has grown from a frisky puppy to a loving and well-behaved dog. She was fun for both Will and I, especially since she doesn’t eat the patio plants anymore!

In between Hana’s visits, Cooper arrived to stay. Cooper is new to our “kennel” and he is by far the tiniest dog we have ever watched. It was sweet to see him “get set” to jump up on the couch with us, or hear his tiny little paws on the floor. We hope you had a good time, Cooper!

Schueberfouer is here! We already went once with friends and we’ll surely be back a few more times before it is over.

And then suddenly, August was over. I still wish there were more hours in the day for cycling, baking, organizing, and reading but I’m happy to have the time that I have with Will and with our friends.

Some photos from the phone

Pies have been on the menu this summer. Now, if I could find a source of sour-cherries for the ultimate test…

Saturday trips to the Market are my favorite. It is even better when friends have time to join!