Liege

We just can't stay away from Belgium. We took a day trip to Liege, the third largest city in Belgium, and the closest big city to Köln. We arrived around noon, and walked around the old and new centers of the city, enjoying the beautiful weather. Liege is also the town where the Dardenne brothers (directors of fine films like Rosetta, The Son and L'Enfant) are from. Imagine our surprise, when sitting by the Cathedral (which seems nice and all, but pales in comparison to the Dom in Köln) eating lunch, we see Luc Dardenne crossing the plaza. Rather I should say Chris saw him and, to let me know of the spotting, he kicked me. Chris refrained from approaching him, though I think he regretted that later.

This great store front has led us to quite a debate. Is this pineapple-print swimsuit "classic" or "sexy"?

So, who are we kidding, one of the real reasons to take a trip to Belgium was to indulge in some fine Belgian beer. Armed as usual with some suggestions from our fine Eurpoean beer guide, we were very sad to find that the two closest to the center and the train station were closed due to renovations or had changed ownership. The other two suggestions were outside the center, so we hadn't planned on visiting them. But that all changed, as Chris impressed me with his French and figured out how to take a bus across the river, to find La Vaudrée. Turns out it was also close to another Liege train station, where we could board our train back to Köln later that night. Sitting outside in the sun, we started in on the binders listing 1080 different Belgian beers! However, we did manage to stump our waiter, and my first two attempts to order were not in stock.