That Time I Climbed a Blast Furnace

Sonndeg, 8 Mee.

Last night was Nuit de la Culture in Esch-sur-Alzette. To celebrate, the city hosted free concerts and art exhibitions all night long. The coolest event was definitely the evening visits of the hauts fourneaux in Belval.

The blast furnaces, which sit smack dab in the middle of Belval, are a striking reminder of Luxembourg's long history of steel production. They include Blast Furnace B, which was the last operational furnace in the country before it shut down in 1997. Today, both furnaces are considered national monuments and have been incorporated in plans for the former industrial site. You can visit the hauts fourneaux throughout the year, but admission hours were extended and the usual 5€ admission fee was waved on Nuit de la Culture.

As the sun set over Belval, we grabbed our cameras, strapped on our safety helmets, and headed up!

 

 

Although I'm not the biggest fan of heights, the views from the top of the blast furnaces were definitely worth the climb. (And yes, it's a climb -- not an elevator ride.) I can't believe that it's taken me eight months to check out this corner of Belval, but I am so glad that I did!

Want to read more about this year's event? Check out coverage from the Luxemburger Wort.

"We Have a Zoo?!": The Mid-Year Discovery of the Escher Déi'repark

Samschdeg, 26 Mäerz.

As you all know by now, Luxembourg is a pretty small country. Still, I would never presume to know all of its secrets after only six months. (Case in point: today's delightful discovery of Dudelange Castle!) However, my adopted city of Esch-sur-Alzette is a slightly different story. Despite being the second-largest city in the country, Esch is a pretty small town and after half a year of residency, I've come to feel like I know it pretty well. Need to know about the bus routes? The local schools and churches? The most punny hair salon? I got you. (By the way, it's called "Ryan Hair" and if that doesn't make you roll your eyes and laugh despite yourself, then I don't know what will.)

Although I've heard rumors from my housemates about the existence of a small petting zoo in the municipal park above the train station, I didn't really know what to expect. (The descriptions had pretty much been limited to: "There is a ... you know ... zoo. It has ... you know ... Bambi?") So you can imagine my surprise when, after a full six months of living here, I finally discovered the Escher Déi'repark.

The Déi'repark is somewhere between a traditional zoo and a petting zoo. The animals include typical farm animals like chickens, sheep, goats, and horses as well as slightly more diverse options like deer, Highland cows, and raccoons. In total, there are approximately 140 animals at the park. Visitors to the animal park, which is free and open year-round, can interact with the animals through the fence and even feed them!

As you can imagine, this park is a game-changer. In the words of fellow Fulbrighter, Catherine: "You mean I could have been relieving stress by petting baby animals ALL YEAR?!"

A Saturday in Gaalgebierg

Samschdeg, 26 September.

Today was a beautiful day in Luxembourg and after a welcome brunch for new international students, I decided to get outdoors and explore a new corner of my city!

The municipal park of Esch-sur-Alzette, known as the Gaalgebierg for reasons I cannot for the life of me imagine, is located just on the other side of the train tracks. Although a lot of my housemates go running there, I had yet to check it out. (I can practically hear the surprise: "What? Elisabeth hasn't gone running in Luxembourg yet?!") So this afternoon, I put on my Keds, packed my bag with the essentials -- books and stroopwafels -- and headed out to investigate.