Day 4: Luxembourg: Souvenirs, Mines, and an Unusual Passenger

Another fun-filled day in lovely Luxembourg! Today, at least, we didn't walk quite as far. Mom's p.o.v and digressions here: Day 4

 We began our day by going to the local cupcake place that opened just a month or two ago. We met Mike, another American living in Luxembourg. He has a pretty popular Facebook page, where he posts videos and pictures detailing stuff he sees and hears around the country. He wrote a song about learning Luxembourgish, which hit viral status here and he ended up going on several news programs too. My mom messaged him, and he agreed to come meet us. We even brought him chunky peanut butter, which, we are in agreement, is pretty much the best thing ever.

 After an hour or so of lively chatter, we hit the streets for some souvenir shopping. It seems that everyone and their sister in Iowa will get something with the word Luxembourg on it somewhere :) We only made it to a couple of stores before needing to return home for our next planned adventure.

We headed towards the south of the country, to see a mining museum. We stopped first at the restaurant of the museum, where both my mom and I ordered the seafood salad. We didn't really anticipate getting a couple of full shrimps, too. I mean, head, guts, legs, everything. We managed somehow, though perhaps as midwesterners, it's a bit new to us to see something like that. Even for me, and I've lived in Europe for nearly two years!

We had to wait around a bit for a guided tour of the mine, but at around 2:45 we joined a group of mainly Luxembourgers and Dutch. The guide was an old Luxembourger, one whose family worked in the mines during the time they operated. The tour was in German, but we had audio guides in English to listen to. Also, Charel translated as much as he could for Mom and Dick. I ended up not even using mine, since I somewhat understood what the guide was saying, and listening to Charel just reinforced it.

The mine was cold, so cold we could see our breath down there. It was a nice change from the very warm weather Luxembourg seems to be having since Monday. Our trip commenced with a train ride, at first outside, then inside, of the mines. We got off of the train and started our tour.

Back when the mines first opened, the workers would have to drill by hand into the rock in teams of two. It took one hour to drill the hole deep enough to use the explosives. The miners were not paid for the time they spent drilling. They were only paid for the material that they removed from the mine. They also had to buy their own equipment, including lamps, hats, clothes, drills, and tools. They had no time off, and many of them died from accidents, collapses, and even complications from breathing the iron-laden dust.

The working conditions improved a little after workers from Poland brought their system of reinforcing the tunnels to Luxembourg. After a strike for better working conditions and pay, things began to improve gradually for the miners and their families. Machinery, technology and techniques advanced throughout the 1800's and 1900's. The mines were eventually closed, and the museum was opened in 1973.

At the beginning of the tour, we saw Dick shaking out his pant leg, as if something was inside of it. Turns out it was a butterfly that had been inside the train. This butterfly decided to tag along with me for the entirety of the tour. I imagine since it was so chilly in there, it got a little bit sluggish, and it was content to sit on the edge of my pocket until we got onto the train again.


I figured it would fly away when it warmed up a little, but even after I got outside, it just sat in my hand. I had to physically put it on a rock outside of the museum building. Of course, I took a picture. Most anyone who has been around me long enough will know that I love taking pictures of butterflies and dragonflies. So my little passenger really made my day, even if other people thought it was a bit silly.

I even found this particular species after doing a bit of searching. It's called a Common Brimstone, and as you can see, it looks a lot like a leaf :)

After a short drive around Esch to see the old steel milling plants, we returned home to supper and sitting. We had Mom and Dick try several types of cheese at dinner, including Kach Kéis (cooked cheese, the pretty-much national cheese of Luxembourg) and Camembert (which is stinky cheese from France). Mom seemed to like the Kach Kéis but neither Mom nor Dick liked the Camembert. Which makes 3 out of 3 Americans currently in this house who don't.

Tomorrow, Germany! Specifically, Trier. Bis dann!