Parc Spillplaatz Schèiwisschen et Parc Monterey

After being stuck inside watching movies pretty much ALL day yesterday due to rain (we went to a park for like an hour when it stopped for a bit in the evening), Boo and I were pretty antsy today. So, after a quick groceries run, we packed a picnic lunch and decided that today was the day to check out two other parks nearby.

And, wow. Just, wow are they amazing. 

First stop: Parc Spillplaatz Schèiwisschen, aka Castle Park. The details and carved wood were stunning. Unfortunately, some jerkwad tagged a bunch of structures. Side note: Parc Merl (the one with the zip line) got hit with graffiti. Someone painted in huge purple letters: "Trust No Bitches" at the very top of the slide. I sure wish they'd use their athletic prowess for good. :/

But back to Castle Park. I met an Irish father, Garreth, and his birthday boy (3 today), Ulian (no idea on spelling of either). Garreth and his brother own a few bars here, and his girlfriend has a five-year old daughter! And after talking, we realized we live across the street from each other. Awesome. We plan to meet up soon.

See that trash on the ground out front? A woman came while we were there, texted a picture to the City, received a phone call immediately, and within FIVE MINUTES a crew came out to empty the trashes. Amazing.

Obviously, this park was so cool. I took pictures when we first got there and we were alone, but a ton of kids came pretty soon after. Check out some of the details:

After about 90 minutes here, we went to check out the other park. Parc Monterey, aka Parc Municipal, aka Pirate Ship Park did not disappoint. We took our first bus ride to the park, but it is not terribly far (maybe 20 minutes walk, tops):

By the time I set my picnic blanket down, I look up to see Boo scaling the crows' nest. Fearless. 

I missed a few spots for pictures, but in addition to the large pirate ship playground, there were water features that let the children pump water and play with different dams to let water build up and spill down different channels. It was SO COOL. 

That drill-looking thing spun around and the water below would have probably been up to Boo's shoulders (I didn't let her go in).

Boo is pulling on some plug apparatus. The seal near the little boy spat water into the pool area, which would fill up. You could then drain the pool, which caused water to run through the structure to some streams below. 

We were having a great time. Then, I got a text from John that said he was almost home. We weren't expecting him until tomorrow night, but apparently some plant in Poland had a fire and they had to cut the week short. No one was hurt,

so it was a great surprise. He stayed in a CASTLE last night, and we will be tagging along next time. He is also going to France in a few weeks, so we probably are as well. 

John and I have decided to make some calls and see about enrolling Boo in a crèche (daycare/preschool) 2 days a week so she can play with some kids. I feel bad that she's basically stuck with me all day, and many of the schools teach English, so she will be able to communicate AND hopefully stop being stubborn and absorb some more French. Yeah, like I can talk. I really need to update my game in the language department.