We stayed for several weeks in Middelburg. Initially we were there while William was here for the holidays. We had such a great visit! While he was here we visited Bruges and Gent. And had lots of fun hanging out. We hated yonder him go back to the states.

After taking him to the airport we moved locations in Middelburg to be ready for Noël’s cataract surgery. Middelburg is a lovely gem of a city in The Netherlands. Noel’s surgery went well but the healing is taking longer than he wants. He is definitely ready to see better.

We returned to a favorite accommodation in Bassavelde this last week. It is in Belgium.

And today we loaded up the car and are taking four days to drive through Belgium, France and Spain to house and pet sit for a friend who has a house on the northern coast of Spain. We will take long walks on the beach and explore the area.

Stay tuned.

Driving out of Liege showed us another pretty part of Liege. My biggest struggle with Liege is that it is so crowded. We had a nice time there, though. Some of that is we live in the present. Most of it is we enjoy each other, as well as new and different experiences, and life!! Really enjoy life. 

Our travels today took us to Middelkerke where we will stay for two days. Middelkerke is on the coast, with Dunkirk not too far away and Dover just across the Channel. 

We are staying in a cute loft that looks out to the North Sea. And when I say little that’s what I mean. It has stovetop, fridge, shower, toilet though it took me a minute to find it and a sofa bed. A tiny house is bigger. But it is super comfy. Nothing to complain about. 

We checked in and then put the car on the charger and did errands. After that we walked around town a bit. Most everything in this coastal town is closed for winter. It’s fine. 

Tomorrow is Noël’s birthday so flood his Facebook or instagram with well wishes. 

A nice day finished with a nice soup dinner. See you tomorrow!!

Today was all about exploring the old town of Liege. Starting out was not improving our impression of Liege. It was trash day in the neighborhood and there was plenty of trash along the sidewalks. The trash collectors were efficient though. 

We left town up a steep hill to a muddy trail that was strewn with trash. It was as if people walked here simply to dump their junk. This path took us to a church and a retirement community attached. The church looked like it was being restored so we weren’t able to go in. 

We crisscrossed our way through another part of town. Suddenly we were noticing older buildings that looked to be more medieval. A friend recommended that we go to Montagne des Bueren. It is a flight of steps, 374 to be exact. So we adjusted our walk to include the steps. And yes we climbed to the top and back down. 

That climb and walk were rewarded with a nice lunch at the same brasserie. It did not disappoint. We finished our walk with errands and packing up for our next adventure. 

First thing after waking we went for a short stroll to get rid of accumulated glass. The morning weather was still cloudy but a bit warmer than the previous days. 

We drove into Liege trying to find parking. The first place we found we realized that the rooftop carrier would not fit. There was a car behind us so we had to maneuver to get out. We found another parking right by our place to stay. Convenient. 

It was too early to check in so lunch it was. We hadn’t eaten breakfast so we were ready for a good lunch. As we walked across the bridge over the Meuse River we commented on how busy Liege is, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, cars, trucks. Lots of traffic. We came across nice little brasserie and stopped. The first thing that happened was the server dropped off a small white cup with something warm in it. My first thought was gluhwein but it was a savory soup I’m thinking onion. But have no idea! It was YUM. 

Our lunch was equally delicious. Afterwards we did some errands and checked in to our accommodation. It is nice. Not quite as nice as some other places but reasonably priced and comfy. After getting settled we headed out for a walk to get our bearings. Tomorrow we will take a walk around the old town. First impressions: Liege is overcrowded and a bit dirty. Hoping tomorrow shows us another side.