The Muguets of May Day.

Like in many countries of Europe, Belgians have a day off on May 1st, this being recognized as a labour holiday.

But there is another annual event strongly linked to May 1st here in Belgium, and that has to do with "les muguets":

otherwise known as "Lily of the Valley" to you and I.

If you find yourself here on May 1st, you will see people all over the city with baskets or buckets of Lilies of the Valley, offering to sell you a small bouquet that includes a few sprigs and a rose (usually for around 2 Euro) or a simple sprig or two (un brin) for one Euro or less.  It is tradition here to offer Lilies of the Valley on May 1st to those in your life that you wish happiness and good luck.

This dates back to 1561, the year when King Charles the 9th decided to offer Lilies of the Valley to all the ladies of his court.  The gesture was passed among members of the court, and became an annual tradition where the flowers came to be the symbolic bringer of good spirit, good wishes, and good luck.

In French, something that embodies these sentiments is called a "porte-bonheur", (a bringer of good things.)  While we feel they are dainty and smell lovely, Nanesse does find it a little peculiar that they are seen as a "porte-bonheur" since the flowers, leaves and stems of the plant are toxic if ingested, (which would not make them a bringer of good things if given to very small children or pets!)

If you are visiting at this time of year, why not take part in this tradition and offer a "brin" (small bouquet) to a friend or family member?

The Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Do you like cycling?  Are you a fan?

We aren't.  BUT, we know that we are in the minority here in Belgium, where cycling is one of the preferred sports.  People go nuts for it here, and tomorrow is the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which is apparently one of THE BIG races of the European cycling calendar, happening every year at the end of April.

Tchantchès tells me that it is considered to be one of the last big ones before the start of the Tour de France, so people are already frothing at the mouth with speculation over the Tour, along with their regular excitement at attending a very old and established race in the world of cycling.  Today the excitement was visible and audible in Liège, with people decked out in racing jerseys on their own bikes, and accents from around the world speaking about tomorrow's race.

A world famous cycling race in my own backyard...who knew?  Not me.  But if you've arrived here because you Googled it, you probably did.

Unfortunately I can't tell you much about the race, other than to say that I (now) know that though the race is already known to be quite hilly and a true test of stamina, there is a section of the race that is known for it's difficult series of 5 hills that all fall within the same 30 kilometre stretch (close to the end of the race, to boot,) and that though one of those hills was missing last year (due to needed road-work) it has been put back in this year.  Before I make myself look like any more of a ninny, I'll direct you to Wikipedia if you want historical information about the race, and to The Tour de France organization's coverage of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which helpfully provides those wanting to check the race out with a detailed course-map and the approximate times the race ought to be passing by given locations during the race.

Le Perron

The Perron is a piece of living history in Liège, situated in the Place du Marché.  But what exactly is it?

This pillar originally served as a symbol of the prince-bishop of Liège, and its image has been found on money used in the region, dated as early as the 12th Century.  In the 15th Century the Perron was placed on Lièges coat-of-arms, and the image of it has stayed there to this day.

Coin dated to the 16th Century featuring The Perron prominently

City of Liège coat of arms

To the Liègeois, The Perron represented justice.  Liège lived under a communal charter, established under the prince-bishop, and the site of The Perron was used as a place where declarations were made to and concerning the public including judicial rulings and the dispensation of justice, along with changes or amendments to the law.  No law could be put into effect without being read aloud in front of The Perron.

In 1468 Liège was seized by Charles Le Téméraire (Charles The Bold.)  Upon seizure of the city, the new ruler had the Perron removed.  This gesture matched the imposition of harsher rule over the people of Liège.  Charles Le Téméraire wanted to destroy the Liègeois' previously held notions of justice and public liberties.  To make this perfectly clear to the people of Liège Charles left them a message.  After removing the Perron and transporting it to Bruges where it served as a trophy, words to this effect were inscribed on the base where the Perron once stood:

"Don't look anymore to the sky,
By my fall, learn that nothing lasts forever.
A symbol of courage and glory at one time
I protected a people invincible to war.
I tell you today I was mistaken, I am a cheap toy
which Charles has taken and broken!"


Fortunately for the people of Liège, Charles The Bold died 9 years later, and the person who took his place (The prince-bishop Louis de Bourbon,) had better relations with the people of Liège.  He made use of his connections in Bruges and in July of 1478 after 10 years of absence the Perron was returned to Liège to much fanfare.

Scene depicting the re-erection of The Perron, artist unknown

A new inscription (this time in Latin,) was made when The Perron was re-erected.  This time the words acknowledged the taking of the Perron and its exile:

"The Perron, seen by Liège with pride as a sacred emblem of the fatherland, was replaced on this pedestal the 10 July 1478.  Liège where the arts live, Liège the new Athens, Charles had ruined you and covered you with chains!  Far from you, exiled by his order to Bruges, where I stayed ten years overpowered with insults.  But these times of bitter servitude have passed: Here I am again against your breast, oh my mother."

This "putting right" of the wrong that was committed has only added to the historic value given by the Liègois to the Perron, a symbol representing justice and fairness, values the Liègois hold dear.

Parc de la Boverie

We've been having uncharacteristically blue skies, and sunny, warm weather here of late.  It seems that mother nature has forgotten it's April, and that this is Belgium.  Of course, we're absolutely in favour of her lapse of memory, and we've been taking full advantage of the lovely weather.

A week like this is the perfect time to introduce to you the French expression: "Profiter du soleil."  It means "Take advantage of the sunshine."  As you might imagine, in a country where the sky is often covered in grey cloud, this activity is taken quite seriously.

One place that the residents of Liège favour for soaking up a little sunshine is the Parc de la Boverie.  Located about 1km from the Guillemins train station, and about 1.5 - 2 kilometres from the centre, this park has an idillic setting at the southern tip of the island that sits in the river Meuse.  The southernmost tip of the park is easily identifiable by the jet of water and sculpture situated there.

To help with location: the bridge in the background is the Pont de Fragnée.

The park is large enough to contain the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, a rowing club, a junior-elementary school, landscaped lawns, and several ponds inhabited by a variety of geese and ducks, along with a small collection of more exotic fowl.  The prevalence of trees, winding paths, and waterfront views make the park a popular place for joggers, cyclists, those out for a stroll, or those who'd rather roll out a blanket and soak in the relaxed ambiance.  If you find yourself in Liège and the weather is favourable, we highly recommend you visit this verdant oasis in the city.  It is one of the citys quiet riches.

The Touristram - a spin through Liège.

The other day while we were out walking the Touristram rolled by, reminding me that I'd planned to make an entry about it.  Tchantches and I decided to "value test" the Touristram for you the following evening, and fortunately we were just in time to catch the last one of the day.  We each forked over 5 Euro, piled on-board, and away we went...

A few things to note about the Touristram:

---Though several interesting places in Liège can be seen while on the tram, many receive no mention in the commentary, and for those sights discussed in the commentary very little history is given.
---The tram is not a "hop on, hop off" affair.  We'd like to suggest to the City of Liège that if this were changed, it would instantly make the Touristram a better value for tourists.  This way if they found the brief descriptions offered on-board intriguing, they could always get off the tram and explore a sight.
---Announcements are not in English, only in French followed by Dutch.
---Announcements are not always well timed - you may have rolled passed the site being commented on already, or not have yet arrived at it when the announcements tell you where it is and what it is you are supposed to be seeing.
---Whenever something is "directly in front of the tram", you cannot see it, because the roof of the tram (which is mostly wood with only a tiny sunroof) blocks the view.  One realizes once inside the tram that they are not the best vehicle for sightseeing... more windows and less wood would be ideal.
---Be warned if you don't have much posterior cushioning of your own... it's a bumpy ride.

---The music played on the tram while moving between sights varies from traditional classical to booming and moody Wagner.

---Note that if the local traffic is cooperative, the ride will be a good half-hour shorter than the 1 and a quarter hours advertised as the length of the tour.  Our general sentiment at the end of the ride was "That's it?"

We did learn a thing or two about Liège that we hadn't known previously, but we'd say that at $5 a pop, you might as well get a map or guide-book, and walk or bike about visiting the sites that interest you most in Liège.  It's not that the Touristram couldn't be good (with a few changes made,) it's just that right now, it isn't a great value.

Adults = 5 Euro
65 and up = 4.5 Euro
4-12 yrs = 3.5 Euro
0-4 yrs = Free
(There is supposed to be a discounted fare for those in possession of the Liège City Pass, but when we asked the Touristram driver/ticket-vendor about this, he knew nothing of it...)

The Touristram departs from Place Saint-Lambert (pictured above) Tuesday through Sunday at:
12 noon, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm.