Belgium Adventures Day 6: Spa

Last year we had a trip that fell off course, we righted it by visiting hot springs.  It worked and turned out to be one of my favorite days. When I Googled hot springs in Belgium I was reminded that the town of Spa is the first place where hot springs were discovered. It is in the same part of Belgium as Liege (Wallonia), and is a relatively easy train trip away (well, two trains). 

It sounded like the perfect way to spend a day relaxing.

As Don said later, nothing will ever be as magical as that day in Melbourne. That day we spent hours bouncing from one hot spring to another -- different temperatures, a variety of experiences, all outside with birds chirping and a gentle breeze.

Les Thermes de Spa is basically two giant pools -- one indoors and one outside. Plus some rooms including two saunas (one clothed, one not), a room with heat lamps, a space that evoked nature, and a silent room. They also have additional services.

The day started off just right. I caught the train with moments to spare -- amazing since I was not aiming for a particular train. The next one was two hours later. I bought a round trip ticket from a kiosk.

Directions said Les Thermes was a 1.8 km walk from the train station. I was doing great until I saw the mountain to climb (later the receptionist at Les Thermes laughed at my definition of a mountain, to her it is a hill). There was a funicular, but that was not in my directions.

I took a path that ran along the bottom of the hill, hoping it would lead me to a set of manmade stairs instead of unpaved trails. It did lead to some stairs, but they were only a shortcut to the trail. I did see this monument to the person who created the walkway. Nice statue!

 

After buying a ticket and getting a wrist band, I was directed to the locker rooms. The facility prides themselves on being device-free (probably more because people dropped their phones in the water than any other reason). I opted for the outdoor pool first. I went through the plastic opening and emerged outside in water up to my neck. Really glad I left the phone behind.

It was a giant pool with a variety of waterfalls. There were some calm spots that became turbulent. I couldn't tell if it was on a timer or motion sensor. All of a sudden waterfalls would start and stop. The same was true on the indoor pool. Fortunately the weather was nice enough to be in either.

As I was leaving, I noticed there were signups for session in a small pool. I saw people in a singing bowl therapy class. While that is not something I would normally seek out, I wish I had noticed the sign up sheet earlier and participated. Always good to try something new. 

I noticed just about everyone was white. It stood out when I saw two black women with their white friend. Seemed like it was mostly couples. I didn't notice any other solo attendees. Most women wore bikinis and tankinis, I wore a bikini.

After I was tired of soaking, I headed to the lounge chairs under the heat lamps. They are on a 15 minute timer. 

I paid 32 euros for the three hour session. Additional hours were three euros, up to 45 euros (a day pass). I realized later, the hot springs helped my unhappy knee feel strong again. 

Afterwards I walked around the town of Spa. In 2021 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a cute town. It is most famous for racing -- cars and motorbikes. Then the city explodes.

I noticed a Tintin Museum that unfortunately is closed on Mondays. I also noticed the Museum on the History of Laundry was open the other days of the week. I thought about returning later in the week, but then faced a problem when I tried to return: there were no trains.

In honor of the city of Spa I bought a bottle of Spa Natural Water to have with my grocery store sandwich. My timing was off for the day. The restaurants were closed after I was done with the hot springs. 

I enjoyed the public art statues.

I decided I was ready to return to Liege so I headed to the train station. And waited. And waited. My first clue that something was off should have been the closed train station. The next clue should have been the message in French. As no one else was moving after the announcements, I did not take them seriously. After realizing no train went by for an hour (in either direction), I realized they were not running. The message said there would be a bus in front of the train station to make up for the train not running. However, they were repaving the area in front of the train station. People just did not know what was happening. One by one the kids waiting for trains were picked up by their parents. Someone asked me if I had anyone I could call for a ride. With a sad face, I said "no." Felt rather lonely in that moment.

I learned the difference between Google Maps app and the local SNCB app. The latter is updated. The SNCB app gave me directions using bus routes. After a trip to the Verviers train station, I was on my way. The ticket was honored. Or maybe it was not even asked for, and I returned to Liege tired. All of the benefits of the spa erased.

Dinner for the win: Salad Liegeouse ... the first Belgian dish I fell in love with as an exchange student, and one I have replicated at home.