Liege - May 23, 2010

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Today I went to Liege, which is the capitol of the French speaking part of Belgium. Liege is located next to the Meuse River and close to the Netherland and German borders. The Liège-Guillemins train station was designed by Santiago Calatrava and is quite the architectural structure.
From the train station I first went to the Liege Cathedral, also known as St. Paul’s Cathedral. It contains St. Lambert’s tomb and is one of the original seven collegiate churches in Belgium. I then headed over to and began to climb the 400 steps stairway "Montagne de Bueren", which leads from Hors-Château to the Citadel. I didn’t end up going to the Citadel, but at the top of the stairs there is a magnificent view over the city.
After climbing and descending the 400 steps, I walked over to Saint Bartholemew’s Church, which was built in coal sandstone between the 11th and 12th centuries. St. Bartholomew's is the site of one of the most admired treasures of ecclesiastical Mosan art: a baptismal font attributed to the goldsmith Renier de Huy. Many years ago when I visited Belgium, I went to see this baptismal and I was told that this was one of the seven wonders of Belgium.
For the rest of the afternoon I walked along the River Meuse and stopped to look around an outdoor market. I was hoping to go to the folklore museum, but unfortunately it was closed on Sundays.

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