Wilderness Hiking

Friday evening sketching session at Villa Vauban. Every friday Villa Vauban is free between 6-9pm. To benefit from this we willl have a monthly sketch & sip session (in that order :)) using a specific room/painting in the museum. Agenda: 6pm (early arrivals) - meeting at the reception and move to a room by 6:10 7pm - for those of us that cannot leave work earlier, I will post where to find us in whatsapp. Sketching until 8 8pm - share our sketches 8-9pm sip your favorite wine, beer etc in a bar/restaurant in the city centre. Fee: To ensure a more clear picture on the participation, there is a fee of 5 EUR per event and 3 EUR for early confirmations. The RSVPs will be closed 4 or 5 days prior to ensure bookings for the drinks can be finalized. Join the whatsapp group to keep informed and share your work: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CDtDO1GurPrA4ceFPePeQb

Join us for an amazing evening with great company, good vibes and under a warm golden hour ☀️ * **Date:** Friday, May 22 * **Time:** From 7:00 PM onwards * **Location:** Kinnekswiss Park **What to Bring:** * **Food to share:** Bring your favorite snacks or a dish to add to our collective picnic spread. * **Drinks:** Bring whatever drinks you'd like * **Comfort:** Don't forget a beach towel or a blanket for yourself to sit on. Once it gets colder, we can go to the rooftop bar at SixSeven to keep the evening going. (7 mins walk) **Location:** Royal Hamilius, 49 Bd Royal, 2449 Luxembourg Looking forward to seeing everyone there! 🚀

Ready for a different kind of afterwork? Want to get buzzed with inspiration? **Join our Meaningful Afterwork!** A relaxed and uplifting space for meaningful conversations inspired by the Bahá’í Writings. Together, we explore deep questions about life, purpose, and the world around us, connecting spiritual insights with the realities of everyday living and the challenges of society. An open, co-created, and collaborative space for reflection, discussion, and consultation, where everyone is welcome to be a protagonist, share, listen, and think together. And because meaningful connection also happens around the table, this is also a potluck-style gathering: feel free to bring something to share! Food for the soul… and for the body ;) Come as you are. Bring your openness and curiosity, meet new people and recharge your spirit! The Details: * 📅 **Date:** Friday, 22nd May * ⏰ **Time:** 6:30pm * 📍 **Location:** 17, Allée Léopold Goebel, Luxembourg City In case you have further questions, feel free to contact us via email ([meaningfulafterwork@gmail.com](https://meaningfulafterwork@gmail.com "https://meaningfulafterwork@gmail.com")). Warmly, Your Meaningful Afterwork Team P.S.: As spaces for the upcoming Meaningful Afterwork will be limited, please sign up via the link below to let us know if you’re coming, if you’re bringing a colleague, and what treats you might be bringing for the potluck: 🔗 [https://forms.gle/9LxXX4PmwA62vhZM7](https://forms.gle/9LxXX4PmwA62vhZM7)

Join us for an intimate Sofar evening somewhere in Luxembourg. Expect stripped-back live performances, a warm spring atmosphere and a night built around music, connection and discovery. Three unique sets. One secret space. A room full of people there to truly listen ✨ Tickets here: https://www.sofarsounds.com/events/65368

A nice cocktail bar with a terrace (weather permitting). Please RSVP as soon as possible so I can book accordingly. See you Friday for a magical evening (pun intended) 😉✨

Join for an amateur pilates session in a park 🧘‍♀️ Bring your own mat 🫶 *Meeting for women only

Let's go bowling again together, this time at Strike in Howald! Bowling is great fun because none of us are very good at it, but it's a fun time especially as we chat around drinks and nibbles :) Strike does have other games available on-site, though for now I have only reserved the bowling. If you would like to play pool, darts, or shuffleboard while there, you can book it separately or we can inquire about availability when we get there. I've booked two lanes for two hours, and we can be up to 6 people per lane. I have already paid for the booking and shoe rentals, which comes out to 20€ per person. I can only know that you are 100% coming if you pre-pay, so please reach out to me privately for Payconiq, bank transfer, or Revolut details! Thanks!

Outdoor calisthenics workouts are a fantastic way to build strength, improve fitness, and enjoy the great outdoors 😁🦾 Calisthenics is a form of strength training that uses the resistance of your body and gravity to help strengthen your muscles and improve your coordination, endurance, and mobility. It’s a workout that relies on body weight with little or no equipment. In fact, almost all common bodyweight exercises are considered calisthenics exercises. Some examples include: - airsquats - pushups - pullups - frogstand -handstand -musclup -backlever aso 😁 Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced athlete, calisthenics provides a holistic approach to fitness. 🏋️‍♂️💪

Hey everyone! The weather’s finally turning nice, so let’s go grab a cup of coffee at Florence Coffee Belair and then head to the nearby Park Merl to make the most of it with a chill picnic on Sunday! 🌳☀️ Bring along: blankets, snacks, drinks, games, and whatever else you’d like to share or enjoy. Meeting point: Florence Coffee Belair. When we head to the park, I will share the precise location. If you enjoy the event, a voluntary donation is appreciated to help cover organisation costs - BE06967188175922. Looking forward to seeing you all there! Kate

Experience an evening of music, stillness, and inner peace at the Concert-Meditation event at Le Royal Hotel Luxembourg.  Sunday, May 24, 2026 Location: Le Royal Hotel Luxembourg  Fewer than 50 tickets remain.  Tickets: €10–€20 Reserve your place here: [https://tinyurl.com/4m7chuvh](https://tinyurl.com/4m7chuvh?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExY3VUYmlpYUU2cFhOZE5uaXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6vHQqzB1R95cNPq77A61eTe0DsnXaavWa6bwu35oSMRNtGkyBBTt6oaMCgpw_aem_T3LuqThWogRAO-ieyoSF7Q)

We are happy to extend our invitation to one and all to join the Luxembourg Shivyog Forum events every Sunday from 9.00 am to 11.15 am. Shivyog Forum is a platform of positive and like-minded people, interested in spiritual growth, self-healing and self-awareness. Every week, through virtual videos, Avdhoot Baba Shivanand ji blesses and shares the Divine sacred secrets and knowledge through discourses, guided sacred meditations, chanting of Mantras and Bhajans for overall life transformation. This helps the Forum members to progress in their spiritual journey, in establishing deeper connection with one’s inner being, in ability to forgive and love others, in improved emotional and physical health, mental peace, healthy relationship leading to the awakening and purification of the body mind and soul. If you wish to get connected with the Avdhoota and practice deep healing meditations, kriyas and bhajans that can change your life, you are warmly welcome to become a member and join us! Yearly membership fee is a nominal US$ 50 to be paid directly to India to the Shivyog Ashram but your are welcome to attend the first Forum event free.

**History** The history of [Blendon Woods Metro Park](https://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/blendon-woods/) began long before its 1951 opening, rooted in a landscape of rugged ridges and deep ravines that made the land unsuitable for traditional farming. In 1945, a report proposing a metropolitan park system for Franklin County specifically highlighted these cliffs of Bedford Shale as some of the "wildest land in the vicinity". Following this recommendation, the recently formed park district purchased the first 229 acres in early 1949. Because the terrain was so uneven, developers had to cut a mile-and-a-half-long roadway through dense woods just to bring in heavy equipment. This initial preservation effort ensured that the mature second-growth hardwood forests remained largely untouched by the urban expansion spreading toward Westerville. Opening day arrived on Labor Day, September 3, 1951, marking Blendon Woods as the second park in the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks system. The final push to open was a frantic race; the State Highway Department only finished the primary gravel access road four days before the gates opened. Early staff members, consisting of just four full-time employees, had to hand-dig pit toilets and learn construction skills on the fly to build the first picnic shelters. Despite the dusty conditions and limited facilities, the park was an immediate success, drawing massive crowds from across Central Ohio. By the end of the 1950s, annual visitation had already climbed to over 190,000 people. As the surrounding suburbs grew in the 1960s, the park faced severe overcrowding that threatened its natural habitats. In response, Franklin County voters passed the first Metro Parks levy in 1960, providing the funds necessary for a decade of steady expansion. During this era, the park nearly doubled in size, growing from 264 acres to over 570 acres by 1968. Planners also addressed a critical water shortage by collaborating with the U.S. Soil and Conservation Service to build a lake in 1964. This body of water originally served as a temporary reservoir before its role shifted toward conservation and wildlife support. The 1970s marked a transition toward the specialized wildlife and educational focus for which the park is known today. In 1971, the Walden Waterfowl Refuge was established around the 11-acre Thoreau Lake, creating a sanctuary that remains restricted to provide a quiet habitat for migratory birds. A formal nature center was also developed during this period, expanding on the guided Sunday walks that had been a park staple since the early 1950s. The park’s famous "Monarch Mansion" also became a prominent fixture, starting a long tradition of raising and releasing thousands of monarch butterflies each September. These initiatives cemented the park’s reputation as a premier destination for birders and nature enthusiasts. In more recent decades, Blendon Woods has continued to modernize while maintaining its wilderness character. The 10-acre Natural Play Area was added in 2017, encouraging kids to explore the ravines and woods off-trail. This was followed by the opening of a $1.5 million inclusive playground in April 2025, designed to accommodate children of all physical abilities. The nature center also underwent major renovations to include immersive, three-dimensional exhibits and a new butterfly house. Today, the park encompasses 653 acres, preserving a unique geologic and biological corridor amidst the bustling Westerville and Northeast Columbus area. **Map of the Park** Here is a map of [Blendon Woods](https://www.metroparks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BLN_map_Inclusive-Playground-and-Butterfly-Trail_May-2025_1980px.png). **Summary** For this event, we will hike the Lake View, Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook, Brookside, and Sugarbush Trails. This sounds like a lot, but it will really be only a little over five miles. Blendon Woods has a few hills here and there, but it's not one of the more strenuous metro parks. **Where We'll Meet** We'll meet just in front of the Nature Center. This is about a mile into the park from the main entrance. You have to go past the Ranger Station and the Shadblow Reservable Area to get to it, so don't stop too early at the Ranger Station and get it confused with the Nature Center. **After the Hike** Afterward, we will head over to [Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/) at Easton for [drinks](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/#dinner-menu) and [food](https://forbiddenroot.com/wp-content/uploads/Cbus-Food.pdf). We should be there by 5 if you can't make the hike and just want to join us for drinks. The brewery's actual address is [4080 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219](https://www.google.com/maps/place/4080+Worth+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43219/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88388a86d10b6619:0x4d42b470a5cf11d3?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111); however, I recommend pointing your GPS to the [Worth Garage](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Worth+Garage/@40.0542293,-82.9137962,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88388b4df6082825:0x17582f0eccd9dda1!8m2!3d40.0542293!4d-82.9137962!16s%2Fg%2F11rzfvvv8b?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) across the street. Parking in this garage is free as long as you're not on the first floor, and it is literally right next to the brewery.

This is a small but pretty park with a 1.7-mile loop. We will walk it 2 times. It goes along a ridge and has moderate elevation changes.

Hi ladies. We will meet in front of the Nature Center and head to the two Observation decks. We will then hike Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook and Sugarbush trails to get approximately four miles total distance. We will walk approximately a 18 minute mile pace. Please wear appropriate hiking shoes.

Hi ladies. Let's hike the edward thomas trail, lake trail , spring creek and a short walk on the multi purpose trail. This is one large loop . Wear your shoe of choice. Meet in the Maple Grove Picnic area. 4.2 miles in length .

Hi ladies. Let's hike the Edward Thomas, Spring Creek, and a little multi-purpose trail - approximately 4 miles so please wear your shoe of choice. Please bring a water bottle as needed and appropriate shoes. Meet in the Maple Grove Picnic area.

June 17, 2026: Worthington Library. Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage. Jim McCormac. Worthington, Ohio. 7 pm.