Yesterday I went to Liège. It is a city in Eastern Belgium, close to the border of Germany and the Netherlands. Yesterday I also called my Grandparents, and my Grandpa told me that he went through Liège quite often during the war because it was on his route through Belgium! It's so interesting to hear the stories he has to tell about the places I'm in right now! It's like living in a text book (but more interesting... I was never one for reading text books...)
Yes, so I went to Liège. I didn't see much because I wasn't there for long, but I want to go back so I can go to a few museums, and maybe tour some more parts of the city. They had a winter festival that was being set up (it will open up today or tomorrow for the weekend) and one of the booths had a Canadian flag! I was SO excited. I went up to the guy and (in French) asked if he was Canadian, which he was! He asked me where I was from (in overseas situations I usually say Toronto because Hamilton isn't generally known internationally) anyway, it ended up that he knew Hamilton quite well, because he worked in St. Catherine's for years and years!
I asked what they'll be serving at his booth (they're more like little cabins actually, I'll put up pictures later) and he said he'll be serving liquors that are popular in Québec. Also, in a different part of the city they are having a Québec festival! They're celebrating everything Québec and on the sign... get ready... it said... POUTINE. I will refer you to this blog entry from Korea. Here is a little excerpt of the first time I found poutine in Korea.
Well, we found the subway station alright, and yes the New York Fries was there. I felt like it was too good to be true. Like I had just been Buddha in front of the Himalayas being urged by the God of Temptation to turn the mountains into gold... like I had just been wandering the desert for 40 days only to see a waterfall or a glorious Coca-Cola pop machine.
Ok people, you have to take me seriously, I REALLY like my poutine.
Anyway, I ordered the poutine, shakily looked in my wallet for my money (how awful would that have been?!? To come all this way and forget the simple task of taking out cash!), handed the lady my money and it was all real. I think I might have slipped into nirvana when they handed it to me. I took a picture of it, the colours, the scents... it was all a blur really.
Oh the font just changed. Oh well. Yes, that was when I found poutine in Korea. I really hope I can find it here. It would be an expensive poutine if I decided to go all the way to Liège again to eat it, because the train is expensive.
Right, so yesterday we went to the National Bank of Belgium's museum. It was really really great! So interesting! We saw the history of money! Did you know there is a Pacific Island (Island of Yap) that still uses 4 metre wide stones to pay for houses?! Amazing! We had a guided tour in English which was great too.
A while back (I mean a LONG while) I applied for a Villo card. This card allows me to rent a bike (there are bike stations situated throughout Brussels) with just a card! The service is free for this year, then next year it is not much, but I forget. Anyway, it's free for a half an hour, then 50 cents for the next half hour, then 1 Euro for the next half hour, then 2 Euros for each half hour after that. If I don't return the bike at all, I get charged 150 Euros. That is their way of making sure people return them! Well, I just received my card yesterday, so now I can go bike riding around Brussels! There is a very large somewhat circular ring trail around Brussels that goes through woods, trails and city parks. It's for bikes, or people etc. I will check that out. I would put a link to the map here, but ''given it's size, the map isn't available for download on the internet''.
That is all very exciting news. Well, pictures of Liège are to come, as well as pictures of my Villo cycling adventures! I'm sure there is something I've forgotten to mention here, as there usually is, but when I review my pictures I'll remember and update again! Ok bye now!
No comments:
Post a Comment