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The city of Liege is in the southeastern part of Belgium and only a three hour drive form Wiesbaden. I chose it for this weekend's adventure because of the Aquarium. We've been dragging the boys to Cathedrals and Christmas markets for the last month and have done little that they would enjoy. I thought this trip would be a good for all. They could enjoy the fish and the science museum before we wandered the market and dragged them into another church.
We parked our car down the street from the aquarium along the river. As soon as we got out I was surprised at how dirty the street was. Not only was there trash, but dog poop covered the grass in between street and the sidewalk. That is something I am thankful that we don't see in Germany, the cities are clean and it is a law that you must clean up after your dog. We unbuckled the boys and had to hold them while we jumped as far as we could in order to clear the piles of brown mush. As the four of us walked on the pathway there were weird statues of girls doing acrobatics and more piles of poop. Ben became a pro at pushing the boys sideways just enough to dodge the road apples, but not so much that they fell over or got upset.
Once we got in the aquarium we hit the restrooms. There was no soap and no changing table. Carson is becoming quite accustomed to being changed while standing up. We really need to potty train this kid.
The aquarium was small, but the boys enjoyed running around the dark room watching the turtles, fish, and eels. They found Nemo and Dory, then went off to find the shark who was in a big tank all by himself. Ben picked Maddox up to get a closer look. He freaked out for a few minutes thinking that shark was going to eat him, until he eventually realized that it couldn't get through the glass. After that, he couldn't get enough of that shark. Carson, man of no fear, wanted to pet the shark.
The boys started getting loud and running back and forth in the room, so we went upstairs to the science museum. Maddox tried to touch all the bones, so we couldn't take our eyes off of him, while Carson wandered aimlessly trying to follow all the other toddlers around the room. We spent a few minutes trying to put together a giant puzzle of a whale, looked at the stuffed monkeys, lions, and tigers, then headed back out to the car. As soon as we got outside Maddox started whining that he wanted to see the shark again. This whining lasted the rest of day and night. It was noon when we left and we all went to bed around 8, so that many hours of whining can really wear a parent down.
After the aquarium we found the hotel, parked in a garage that smelled like urine, ate some lunch, and wandered the Christmas market. The market had a giant toboggan run, and ice skating rink, and a huge number of food and drink stands. It was much different than the German Christmas markets in that I didn't see any gluwien and very few booths actually selling items to buy. Most of the drinks were sold in clear plastic glasses and you stayed at the booth to drink it instead of wandering around with your cup. I couldn't find any ornaments or thimbles to add to my collections, so I bought Ben 12-pack of assorted beers and some pottery for myself.
We could see St. Paul's Cathedral from our hotel, so walked over there after taking a short break in the room. It was founded in 959 and was a collegiate church until Liege's mother church, St. Lambert's, was destroyed 1794. St. Paul's was upgraded to a cathedral and inherited some of St. Lambert's treasures.
After the cathedral visit we stopped at a Brasserie and waited a good 15 minutes before any waiter came to our table. We ordered a Kriek and Duval, delicious Belgian beers. We had just about worn the boys' patience out as they were crying about coasters that they kept dropping on the floor. I pulled the wonderful LeapPads and headphones out of my bag so we could finish our drinks in peace. We would have loved to stay for another round, but didn't think it would be tolerated. Ben took the boys up to the room and I hit up a waffle stand on the street. I grabbed three Liege waffles and headed upstairs to indulge. I had always been told that Belgian beer and Belgian Waffles were good, but that is an understatement. These are the best waffles and beer you will ever have. If anyone has a recipe for authentic Liege Waffle I would be very interested!
Exhausted, and with two little boys on a sugar rush, we all turned off the lights and tried to sleep. It didn't go so well, which is why we went straight home instead of side-tripping to the Netherlands in the morning. I think we may be taking a break from "family travel" for a little while after this one.
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