The Linux Beer Hike in Luxembourg

Tux Deluxe

Article from Issue 180/2015

Author(s): Heike Jurzik

Wiltz is located in the heart of the Ardennes Forest. The small city turned out to be an ideal location for the LBW. It offered a good hall with plenty of room for workshops and talks, the National Museum of the Art of Brewing, and plenty of hiking trails.

From August 16 to 23, 2015, about 40 Linux enthusiasts, families, friends, and dogs from various countries all over the world met up in Wiltz, Luxembourg, for the 17th annual Linux Beer Hike (aka Linux Bier Wanderung, or LBW [1]). Although one of the organizers gave us a fair warning in advance ("Seriously, Luxembourg? It's all uphill!"), a small group decided to cycle there: some via Germany on mountain bikes and others via Belgium on small folding bikes. The weather gods obviously decided to make our lives difficult and dumped quite a bit of rain the first evening – on us, the luggage, and the tents – something that can only be cured by a warm welcome party.

After we set up the hall and got the Internet connection and the beer tap running, it was time for the famous "welcome hike." Although the countryside was beautiful and the company good, as always, the hike itself was a bit disappointing – no first-aid kits, duct tape, or strange vehicles to rescue stranded geeks were involved this year.