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.

That Time I Went to the Netherlands and Played with Wild Horses

Sonndeg, 3 Abrëll.

Do you know those perfect spring afternoons? The ones with blue skies and just the right amount of clouds, with a light breeze that's both warm and cool, with the perfect amount of sunshine? The ones that make you wish that you could freeze time, never moving past that moment? Now take that wonderful feeling ... and add a baby horse.

 

Wait, what?! Let me explain.

That Time I Celebrated Thanksgiving at the Embassy

Donneschdeg, 19 November.

Last night was one of the coolest "Fulbrighter" experiences so far -- Thanksgiving at the U.S. Embassy!

Attendees at the Fulbright Thanksgiving Dinner included current American grantees in Luxembourg and former Luxembourgish grantees to the U.S.A. as well as staff members from both Fulbright and the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg. I had the opportunity to speak to several former Fulbrighters who had spent their year studying in the States, in everywhere from New York City to rural Wisconsin!

That Time I Crossed the Border to Buy Groceries

Donneschdeg, 12 November.

So ... I went grocery shopping in France today.

One of the biggest complaints of my European housemates is that buying groceries (and, heck, just about anything else) in Luxembourg is expeeeeensive. While I'm not convinced that Luxembourgish grocery stores are actually any more expensive than their American counterparts, their prices do appear to be significantly higher than in neighboring European countries.

There are less expensive supermarkets within Luxembourg, but all are quite a hike from where I live and many would be difficult to access without a car. (Looking at you, Cora...) However, there is a Lidl -- a discount German supermarket -- located just across the border in France in a tiny town called Audun-le-Tiche. A train runs between Esch-sur-Alzette and Audun-le-Tiche several times per day. The train takes five minutes to go between the two cities and there are no other stops. You don't even need a special ticket; because it's so close to the Luxembourgish border, I was able to use my national transport pass to go!

Before leaving Esch, I made a mental note to explore the station in Audun-le-Tiche so that I would know at which platform to find my train back home. Which would have been a totally logical plan, if the Audun-le-Tiche station didn't look like this...

That Time I Walked to Germany

Sonndeg, 11 Oktouber.

So ... I walked to Germany this weekend.

Before you mistake me for some kind of crazy ambitious athlete, let me clarify: this weekend, I walked across a bridge and crossed the border into Germany.

After exploring Larochette and Beaufort, Catherine and I were planning to call it a day. We were going to change buses in Echternach and head back to Luxembourg City. But even the best laid plans go awry!