Albert Camus called autumn “a second spring when every leaf is a flower”, and Luxembourg forests usually burst into bouquets of fiery red, bright oranges and yellows as the air grows decidedly chillier and the nights creep home earlier and earlier.

Also brightening this time of year is a bumper harvest of seasonal activities. Take a horse-drawn carriage to the Discovery Centre at the Burfelt forest on the weekend of 15 and 16 October, try out your woodworking skills and watch craftsmen turn branches into art and walking sticks. You can also learn about the forest, take a canoe ride, discover nature and grab lunch!

Also hard to “beet” is the annual Trauliichtwochen at the Robbesscheier Tourist Centre, where kids can carve their own lanterns out of beets from 22 October to 4 November in this regional take on the jack-o-lantern. There will be other activities around this theme, like lantern parades and a big bonfire to burn away the spirits of summer and winter alike, or at least warm up cold hands and faces.

Fill a few baskets more at the huge St. Hubert’s Day market, art and craft show in Berdorf on 5 and 6 November. 

Kids can also carve beet lanterns at the Rural Museum in Peppange from 2 to 5 p.m. on 29 October, and these better do their job of keeping baddies at bay because that evening, there’s a spooky night hike from 7 to 10 p.m.

If it’s pumpkins you prefer, head to the Nature Museum to chisel triangular eyes and jagged teeth into a Kürbis and cook up a delicious soup from them too, at an afternoon workshop on 25 October. 

This article was first published in the October 2016 issue of Delano magazine. Be the first to read Delano articles on paper before they’re posted online, plus read exclusive features and interviews that only appear in the print edition, by subscribing online.