A beautiful day of riding: Bastogne to Esch-sur-Sûre

Sat 26 Aug

Only 3 more riding days. Today we leave Belgium and pass into Luxembourg.

We were up early; breakfast was included which made a nice change and we were on our way before the tourist office opened (we had hoped to get a map), so we just had my Google maps to navigate by.

Just outside of Bastogne at Mardasson is a wonderful WWII Memorial which honours the U.S. soldiers who fought in the battle that took place here: 76,890 killed and wounded during the thwarted December 1944-January 1945 Battle of the Bulge.

Only the Americans could do this?

My Google maps had been designed to avoid any main roads and we totally lucked that the route I had plotted in fact was a RAVel route all the way to Wiltz (our first planned stop).

It was superb riding on sealed track through lovely forest and rural areas and through tunnels - well lit, cool (!): my glasses even fogged up! These are 4 tunnels. At the first of these near Schleif, we crossed the border into Luxembourg.

I couldn't resist - a yellow door and sun flowers!

At Wiltz as we exited the RAVel, a peloton of cycling lycra arrived from the other direction and I asked if the road we were eyeing off took us to Wiltz. One cyclist kindly led the way (it was uphill of course) but I had to let him go eventually as the 2 MFs were lagging behind and I couldn't afford to lose them passing through a number of intersections.

Still, it was a good start as Wiltz is incredibly difficult to navigate through. We spent 10 minutes at the next crossroads debating which route to take and then I opted to go UP which took us to the chateau and we had a coffee nearby. Wiltz was also a battleground in the Battle of the Bulge.

From here we followed my Google maps out of Wiltz avoiding the RED (N12) and going 'off-piste' to Goesdorf - beautiful riding: hilly but quiet and panoramic looking out over the valley down below towards Esch-sur-Sûre. Lunch at Goesdorf: yesterday's pastries - which were yummy - plus fruit. Church here (what ARE those boys up to?):

Then a 6 km downhill into Esch-sur-Sûre. The river bend around Esch-sur-Sûre is so tight, the picture-perfect village is almost an island. Knud recommended this place - thanks Knud.

We arrived about 2 p.m. which must be the earliest we've arrived into town so far this trip. Showers were welcome again as the day has been warm. Our hotel too is perfect.

Did some hand-washing which we hung out to dry in the sun on the balcony then headed into the village for a drink (a Diesel Panache(!!): coke and beer - this time the Diekirch which is where we are headed tomorrow) at a brasserie overlooking the Sûre River.

Lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant. David had a feed of moules again, figuring it would probably be his last!

We had a wander around the town after dinner, meandering up high into the remparts just as the lights came on. It was gorgeous.

Riding: 37 kms; climbed 325 m. Almost a rest day!!