The (thr)ill-inducing effects of the Schueberfouer

This time of year requires an extra attentiveness when driving. The influx of people returning to Luxembourg following their summer holiday away is one reason. A wilder white-knuckle ride, though, is driving past Place de Glacis, especially with kids in the car. The 672nd Schueberfouer is the reason why.

We held off on our annual visit until this past Sunday. The weather was nice, school was starting in two days, and we didn’t want to risk putting it off until Monday. If it rained, we’d be stuck listening to their “Schueber-Doo-WAH!” -- that incessant nagging about wanting to go – for the rest of the week.

Few things for kids are as mesmerizing as the lights and sounds and smells of the funfair. However, for many parents, few things are as off-putting. It’s like one of those indoor play areas on Saturday, only there’s no place to sit. It’s loud. It’s crowded. It stinks. That triumvirate of sensory overload sideswiped me before we hit any of the rides.

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that the older I get, the more nauseous I feel just looking at some of them. The way they whirl, spin, flip, drop, twirl, twist, jerk, jolt, and plummet. One even launches its occupants skyward on an elastic band. Luckily, our kids are too young, short, or frightened for all of those. Nonetheless, I am finding that even the two roller coasters made me queasy this year.

While my stomach was turning, my head tried to mentally calculate the financial cost of this (thr)ill-inducing afternoon. Needless to say, we left lighter than when we came, despite the cotton candy and ice-cream. As for the boys, they happily wended their way through the crowds to seek out more rides and attractions.

Amid the barkers’ lure to win a lot of flashy trash, a few of the offerings required a double take. Prizes at some booths were better suited for stores with blacked out windows and an age limit for entry. Toys such as those give a whole new meaning (or should I say, incentive) to the ring toss.

Yet, despite this quirk and the aforementioned nuances, there is something oddly magical about Schueberfouer. After all, it’s the sounds and rides and people that make a funfair fun. With 672 years of whirring buzz soon under its belt, that’s a lot of history and tradition. There was none of that at the funfair in the Zayre discount store parking lot where I grew up. In fact, the store closed down after 34 years.

Indeed, they don’t make things like they used to.