Liege - Blogabond

Liege, Belgium

James here....
Ok current status of things. We have internet, it's wireless, but I can only use it in the lobby. Soooo as usual I or Amanda will do a much better update later. However I gotta share how things have gone since this morning. We had to get up at the butt crack of dawn. 3:20 AM which wasn't a big deal since there was so much party time happening at the hostel sleep wasn't really happening for me anyways. We get our gear and start walking to the bus stop and realize we don't have any of our travel info, boarding passes and instructions on how to get to Liege, Belgium. We forgot them at the internet cafe yesterday and have no way to get that info at this time of the morning. Luckily we at least remembered what airline we were on and that crisis was overted. BTW none of these things are being taken as a real issue, we're just grinning and going on with it. :) So, flights go well enough we make it to Brussels and find out that english is in no way shape or form a standard language here. I can't understand anyone and most everything is written in something other than english. No worries we'll get through it. So made it to baggage claim... and waited and waited and then it stopped turning and no bags. Yeah to our bags as of this moment are MIA. They don't know where they are and if all goes well we should have them back in 2-3 up to 5 days. Funny cause we'll be in Spain in 3 days... So unsure what we're going to do about this just yet but no worries. We have our ATM card and can get some spare cloths. The airlines gave us both an overnight toiletries bag so we can wash our butts. Included in said kits are XX large tshirts. Not so bad for me, but it's like a tent for Amanda to wear. So we used them as towels instead!!! Ok next plan is to get to Liege from Brussels... which is a challenge and if not for my friend Steph who I am going to meet tomorrow, we'd be lost in Belgium somewhere. This is due to the fact the train splits apart on the way to Liege. And being as we can't read or speak the language here, we wouldn't have known that part and clearly not been in the right train car for it. This was a challenge though since we had left those printouts back at the cafe in Scotland. Luckily there was an internet cafe at the airport to print new ones.
So ok we finally make it to the Hostel after a VERY high speed cab ride. Again no one speaks the english so that was fun... Hostel, room... which is just the 2 of us. YAH alone time at last. We get brave, go find local food and yeah I can't read anything of it. But luckily the guy there spoke some english and helped us order a great meal. Get back to that on a later blog. After going back and napping a bit we must find ATM for some money. After a short adventure we find the local ATM wont take our card and can't find another one anywhere near by. So broke, foreign and unab le to understand most ppl we used our last bits of change to enjoy a really strong irish coffee in the town centre and laughed about our wonderful day. Eat your hearts out!!!!

Love you all!!!

James

written by

Slade's Elucidation on July 6, 2008 from Liege, Belgium

from the travel blog: Slade's Elucidation

tagged Funny, Belgium and Liege

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Brussels, Belgium

Baggage has been found! It will hopefully arrive at our hotel tonight, so yeah minor crisis averted.

Yesterday we spent walking around Liege, Belgium with the bestest tour guide evar. The whole reason we went to Liege was to pick up a ring Steph had made for James. He saw it online and sent her an e-mail asking about it...a few months and few thousand miles later he has a new ring and we have a new friend.

The coolest part about walking around with Steph yesterday was the conversation, talking about world politics, the history of the region, religion, you name it we covered it.

Though, i have to admit, I think there's a little sadist hiding inside her because she suggested we go up these stairs...and then we did.

I kid, we went up those stairs for this view :)

So James and I have been taking note of the graffiti we encountered on this trip and so far our analysis is this....

Ireland blows, Scotland had none to speak of, and Belgium takes the gold.

In Ireland the graffiti was just single line name scribbles, no talent whatsoever. Here, its just stunning. I have a love hate relationship with graffiti too, it makes me sick when people deface beautiful or historically significant buildings. Ugly blank city walls on the other hand..spray away.

So this counts more as a mural...but seems like a fitting testament to the caliber of street art here.

Art in general seems huge here. Walking in Liege and even today here in Brussels its just gallery after gallery, and world class stuff too. Everything from modern to ancient art is on display here. And oooh man the ancient art....Steph suggested we go into this 'antique' store. I think that word has a whole different connotation here then it does back home. If i had a i million dollars I'd still be walking out of there with a lot less then i wanted to.

Egyptian idols, fertility statues from god knows where, classic red and black roman vases, swords from the roman legion, old oil lamps, and masks to name of a minute part of this guys collection. I'd have brought some masks home for ya Neal but yeah I'm missing that aristocratic heir to some foreign throne in my family tree.

So next up for us is Spain. This wasn't a planned thing but we were blowing through money way to fast in Europe and honestly we don't feel like we were getting what we wanted outa of this trip hopping around tourist areas so much. It's time to dig in a bit and really get to experience a different culture. And start collecting recipes...I haven't done nearly enough of that yet on this trip but i think i need to compile a little cookbook when we get home of foods from around the world shrug

YAAAAAAY our luggage just found us....damn i have to lug that heavy pack around again.

Ok been babbling long enough...next update will be from Spain!!

Keep up the comments...we check for them often and giggle over them all missing you less with every word /cheeseoff

Love and hugs and kisses and all that fun stuff!

written by

Slade's Elucidation on July 8, 2008 from Brussels, Belgium

from the travel blog: Slade's Elucidation

tagged LostBags, Brussels, Belgium and Liege

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Belgium.... Brussels and down to Liege!!!

Liege, Belgium

Belgium

Brussels, Belgium

Heading South?