Belgium Thursday and Friday

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On Thursday, after a pastry breakfast provided by Henri, we set off with Noemi to explore downtown Liege. Although it was chilly and windy, it was not as cold as Brugge. We walked a short way to the bus stop where we took the bus into town. Noemi gave us a tour of area shops and cafes.

We had lunch at a cafe,The Danish. Dorothy was able to walk over from her school to join us for lunch. After lunch, Henri met us and he took us on a grand walking tour of Liege. Since he grew up here and also delivered mail for a few years, he was a great tour guide who knows every part of the city. I suggested to him that he should take up a new profession and give walking tours of Liege. Noemi could give tours of all the shopping places and the hot spots for evening fun! We did visit St. Paul's church and it is another beautiful old church with amazing art and stained glass windows.

After a bit of walking, we stopped to get something to drink at one of Noemi's favorite places, Maison du Peket. We tried some interesting drinks and Noemi showed us their specialty, a flaming drink. After a bit more walking, we picked up Dorothy from school and headed out of town to Esneux. This is a very quaint little town with a large church and a castle on the hill above. It is rumored that the castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom castle.

We went into a special ice cream shop and ordered some of their specials. (Hopefully I can attach some pics.) It was fun sampling everyone's dish, but there certainly were no leftovers. This was some great stuff!

We decided to try to get a better look at the castle, so we drove up a winding road. Henri was fearless as he led us on a path just below the private castle. However, we did get a closer look and make our way back to the car safely.

Today, Henri drove us to a little mall which contained a grocery store. We did a little shopping there and had a quick bite as well. He dropped us off downtown with Noemi and we strolled around before walking to Dorothy's school. I loved watching the little students in the hall. We were standing in the hall when the students were dismissed. One asked Dorothy who we were. She told him Bobby was Santa on vacation. The students are able to stay at school as late as 6:00 pm before parents pick them up.

With Dorothy leading the way, we decided we had to do a comparison of the best city ice cream store with the one in Esneux. Bobby had dark chocolate on warm waffles, Dorothy and Noemi had crepes. I thought I had ordered a chocolate dish from the French menu, but when it arrived it was vanilla and stawberry ice cream topped with a pear. Also on the place were cantaloupe slices, strawberries, green apples and whipped cream. It was a really delicious mistake. It seems this blog has moved from sights to food. It was bound to happen.

Tomorrow we are going to travel by train to Brussels where we will take in some sights before catching our plane Sunday morning. My computer will be packed tonight so this will probably be my last blog for this trip. Dorothy, Henri, and Noemi have been wonderful hosts and we hope we can return the favor in July. Regardless, we are family and that's what we do. We have had a great time here in Liege.

Bobby and I took this trip to celebrate our 40th anniversary (June 10) and it has been an amazing trip. We will miss Italy and Belgium, but can't wait to see the grands!

Frances and Bobby

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