August 3, 2018 to August 4, 2018
Brommelen to Liege
Sizzling cycling southwards. Farewell to Netherlands at Maastricht and welcome to Belgium at Liège.
August 3 Friday and August 4 Saturday 55kms
Brommelen to Liege
Sizzling cycling southwards. Farewell to Netherlands at Maastricht and welcome to Belgium at Liège.
Friday: The shade of the treed expanse surrounding us makes packing reasonably comfortable, though we are well aware of the scorcher in store, with 35 degrees seeming a conservative estimate. We stop for a coffee at the camp restaurant on leaving and admired the owners twin grandchildren while she brews two perfect coffees. Thus fortified we head to Maastricht, a city with an illustrious past and an important Eu present. Here the Euro was agreed on and Eu citizenship rules devised.
Cycling through the centre is easy with directions very clear. The area is crowded though and after stocking up on breakfast necessaries, we find a quiet place beside the river to consume our muesli and fruit.
From Maastricht to Liège is 30 seering kilometres along the Albert Canal. Any shade at all is at a premium and the proximity of thousands of litres of cool canal water is more than a little tantalising. The heat calls for water stops every 5 kilometres and we consume litre after litre, having to resort to bars and restaurants for refills.
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Somewhere along the path we pass into Belgium but in these days of the Eu, it’s hard to tell exactly when that happens. Suddenly the number plates have ‘B’ at one end and suddenly there are hills - fortunately, distant- and suddenly, alas, there is rubbish.
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Finally Liège hoves into view and we enter along the Meuse banks, counting the bridges away until we make our crossing and find our apartment. Cool inside; we have a day off from pedaling- exploring the city, food and time to read the news!
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Saturday: A walk in the city. With the heat growing outside, we can put off our wander no longer and head out for an exploratory mission. It’s astonishing how much heat a paved footpath generates - the short answer is plenty. Liège is a stately looking city with a massive grey town hall and cobbled streets reserved for pedestrians. With fewer tourists in evidence walking about is pleasant.
The woman at the tourism information is an enthusiast for her city and points out a number of must-sees to us on our map. She kindly gives me a postcard of Georges Simenon’s statue when I profess to being a fan. Simenon and Herge are two of Belgium’s favourite sons and there is certainly plenty of evidence of Tintin’s popularity. One bookstore we visited had graphic novels of all kinds as well as statuettes of Tintin characters. We locate Simenon’s seated figure and we commune together on the same seat.
The Cathedral of St Paul is a wonderfully cool refuge from the noonday sun as well as housing some beautiful works of art. Le génie du mal - The Genius of Evil is a statue of Lucifer by Geefs. It reminds me of the character Xas in the Elizabeth Knox novel ‘The Vintner’s Luck’ though the wings looked less feathery and more batty to me, which apparently was the intention. The carved wooden retablo of the passion of Christ has amazing detail also.
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After the inevitable Carrefour visit we head back to our haven, though not before trying to help a chap who collapses in the street. The police arrived fully togged up in flak jackets and proceed to pull on plastic gloves before approaching.
Our final call on our way back is to a massive Dominican church- Romanesque in style with some gothic add-ons and a massive octagonal nave. The church is in need of some repairs but the custodian’s enthusiasm in showing us around and pointing out its special features encourages us to look beyond its state.
A relaxing day before the haul to Huy.
Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 2,837 km (1,762 miles)
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