October Highlights: Our Trip to Liège

One of the main highlights of October was visiting the Belgian city of Liège. We wanted to travel somewhere new but also fairly close by. Since we had already been to Aachen a few times, we decided to go and explore Liège.

The night before, I made a list of things I wanted to see, but at the same time, I also wanted to explore the city without too much planning. A few days prior, I had gotten back into using my big camera after a long time of it sitting tucked in my camera bag in my closet.

I’ve been wanting to get back into photography for a while now, but I just wasn’t in the right headspace. Too many other things had taken priority, but now I felt ready to return to it. To give myself a new perspective to play with, I switched out my 35mm lens, which had been my standard go-to, for my hardly used 50mm. Another huge advantage of this was that it made my kit lighter.

Aside from wanting to see the city, the other main reason for going to Liège was to give me something new to photograph.

We took the express train to Maastricht and then switched to the Aachen-Liège train. About 35 minutes later, we rolled into Liège-Guillemins station.

Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the station is a stunning example of organic contemporary architecture and engineering, incorporating steel, glass, and white concrete.

The station’s sweeping curves and minimalist aesthetic create an open, airy space, which at that moment was illuminated by the sunshine pouring in.

After admiring the station from various angles, we headed toward the city centre to St. Paul’s Cathedral to see Le Génie du Mal, the infamous statue of Lucifer by Belgian sculptor Guillaume Geefs.

It’s infamous because it was commissioned to replace another one that was deemed too beautiful and provocative and therefore too distracting for female worshippers to be set inside a church. To be honest, this one is no less distracting. The delicate details, the outline of the muscles in smooth white marble, and its pose give it a lifelike quality and emotional depth. This is a testament to the sculptor’s technical mastery, which is amazing in itself to see.

We then stopped for coffee at a café where I got to practice my nearly non-existent French. After that, we walked along the Meuse River, which flows through the city, slowly making our way toward the botanical garden.

Established in 1819, Le Jardin Botanique was originally created for the University of Liège as a space for botanical research and education. Its beautiful greenhouse features a diverse collection of plants, including native and exotic species and the garden is home to rare trees that have stood there for centuries. Adjacent to it is a lovely quiet café, which would make the perfect place to spend a couple of hours writing.

So, Liège, we will be back.

We are already planning to return for the Marché de Noël, one of the largest and oldest Christmas markets in Belgium, which features over 150 wooden chalets selling handmade goods, gifts, and delicious food, all set against the backdrop of Liège’s historic buildings. I would also like to see La Boverie – Liège’s main contemporary art museum, located in a beautiful park along the Meuse River.