As cold and dirty it can look, Liege will always be in my mind.
When I was a child, my father used to bring me to the “Palais de Justice” at the beginning of December. At this time, he was a lawyer, and we were going to the bar together. I’ll always remember that, because at this time, I was going to Liege very barely.
Then, I became teenager and took the bus alone from my school in Jupille, and slowly I got to know the town better.
I remember the time my father took a flat in town. I was spending my days there to study during my exams. Or we were going to the pita snack “Touch and Go” with my friends at the end of our exams.
Then I went to Berlitz and spent most of my time in town, shopping with my friends, going to bars with my teachers.
I cannot forget all the times we went to restaurants and bistros. The most pleasant time is at this time of the year, despite the temperature. There is the Christmas Markt and you feel “cosy” under the lights everywhere.
This year, they’ve prepared it well. Some days ago, I was waiting for the bus at Leopold Square and watched the lights on the buildings around, changing color every 10 seconds. I’ve remembered the moments I’ve spent here.
When I’m abroad and I miss my father, I think about these moments, these colors, this cold…running hands in my pockets, trying to follow his big steps when we were looking for a restaurant to spend the evening. I close my eyes and think about that… and smile. Maybe he does the same, in his office, between 2 cases.
The problem in Liege is you run, run, run and never think about sitting a moment and watching the atmosphere it gives you.
So I sat, and took pleasure.