Belgium Adventures Day 5: Walking to the Curtius Museum

La Batte, Belgium's biggest and oldest public market, takes place in Liege every Sunday from 8 am to 2:30 pm. Think of a giant flea market that stretches about a mile alongside a river. La Batte is so important to the culture of the city that when the tram was designed it created a special Sunday morning route rather than disturb the institution. 

I bought a small change purse for two euros so I could stop carrying my euros in a ziploc bag.

La Batte has everything from household goods to clothing to electronics to food -- prepared and food to make. I did not notice any dead birds with feathers on them, though they would not have been out of place. The one thing it does not seem to carry are souvenirs. Liege is not quite there, yet.

As it was a Sunday, I walked through the route on my way to the Grand Curtius, Liege's most famous museum. I kept getting distracted along the way.

First I stopped into the Visitor's Center -- something I don't recall existing during my student days. They were about to close so I grabbed a magazine that talked about events taking place during the month. Unfortunately nothing fit in my schedule that was of interest and that I would be able to understand enough to enjoy. 

Yes, a tall order.

The first Sunday of each month St. Bartholomew's Church has a carillon concert. It is conveniently located across the tram tracks from the Grand Curtius. I paused to listen for about a half an hour. It kept on going. I noticed a couple of other people taking pictures, but only two couples sitting on benches actually listening, and they did not stay the entire time. Reminded me of listening to the carillon at the Lawrenceville School during the pandemic, as well as Sunday concerts at the chapel on the campus of the Princeton Graduate College.

Opened in 2009, the Grand Curtius is located inside a mansion owned by Jean de Corte, known as Curtius. He had an extensive weapons collection. His palace is the red brick part built in the Mosen art style of the late 16th/early 17th century. Today it houses collections of weapons, glass (closed since 2021), religious art, decorative art, and archaeology. Sort of like five (four) museums in one. 

I will always remember it for the temporary exhibit of cartoons by Pierre Kroll spoofing the actual art. I laughed my way through what could have been a dry museum.

The museum is worth visiting, but I couldn't help but think how much more fun museums would be if they all poked a little fun at themselves.

Dinner that night was at the same restaurant with one of Liege's other specialties: chicken croquets.

Another beautiful day in a city not known for beautiful days.