Markets and Mass in Belgium

Put on your list to consider the "famous" Friday market in Antwerp, in front of the UNESCO WHS Plantin-Moretus museum. Honestly, I was underwhelmed, seeing a lot of imported junk. But I don't think others there shared my opinion. There is a different very large and attractive weekly market in Antwerp, over near the hideous newer Stadschouburg (NOT the lovely old Bourla theater ...) But there was some Chinese clothing there .... I don't remember the day of the week. And it's an advantage to be IN Antwerp any day of the week! I think Saturday is the market day in Mechelen, which is a nice visit when some of the museums are open-I just have a lot of bad luck in finding them open! That market seemed to have more local meat, cheese, and produce vendors, and less Easter-European and Chinese clothing for sale. So I rate it highly. Mechelen has mostly a sort of "ghost" of their Beguinage, but a nice medieval square. We were lucky enough to be in Leuven one Summer on what seemed to be a special international market day, with dozens of French cheese and charcuterie vendors. There was also a free, open-air nouvelle cirque event nearby. This was just beside the University. Leuven is a smaller city, but very attractive and walkable. Superb Beguinage. Don't miss Santiago Calatrava's railroad station if you go to Liege. I otherwise haven't seen that city. I tried to watch "Lorna's Silence", a recent gritty drug-immigrant-crime film (fiction) that takes place in Liege, but I couldn't get through it.

I've never been to the market in Liege, but quite frankly, the city is kind of a depressing dump. I would rate it as the second ugliest city in Belgium (Charleroi taking the title). Much closer to Brussels, the university city of Leuven has a nice Sunday market. Actually, it's not in Leuven, but just to the south of the ring road in Heverlee, right by the old train station. The cathedral in town would be a good place for Mass. The city of Hasselt also has a pretty good market, but they usually hold it on Friday.

I wouldn't share the opinion that Liege is a dump. That is a personal observation by one person. We enjoyed four days there two years ago. It was our base for visiting American cemetaries in the region.

"That is a personal observation by one person." It's not just me. In fact, in Belgian comedy routines (particularly Flemish), Liege as a less-than-glittering city is a recurring trope, kind of like the reputation that northern New Jersey has in the US. The films of the Dardenne brothers approach Liege from a more sympathetic angle, but they don't attempt to hide the rough edges of the city.

"I tried to watch "Lorna's Silence", a recent gritty drug-immigrant-crime film (fiction) that takes place in Liege, but I couldn't get through it." Yes, by the same Dardenne brothers that I referenced. Not exactly a happy movie, and it's no coincidence that the movie is set in Liege, and not Brussels, Brugge or Ghent!

C'mon, I thought it was clear that I mentioned the movie "ironically"! But I didn't want to be cruel to a city that I've never seen. I mentioned the railroad station because it is a monument of modern architecture. It's of particular interest to us in the NYC area, because Calatrava's upcoming financial-district transportation hub had some similar concepts. But it has been value-engineered down to a (literal) skeleton of the original design. Bill should be ready to improvise on his church visits. I often found major maintenance being done in Belgian churches. And I once went to a service simply to get into a church that for unexplained reasons cancelled its open hours for the week! You also need to be clear about whether the paintings done for the church might have been removed, either by the Napoleon or the Holy Roman Emperor, or by the local museum for climate control reasons. For example, the AMUZ concert hall in Antwerp is a lovely deconsecrated church, but the big Rubens is a replica. And the superb Jesuit church in Antwerp (a nicer place for a service than the huge Cathedral) used to have four big paintings on counterweighted sliders, for variety. But they're all gone today. It's no help to Bill (July trip ...), but I want to get on the record that Open Monument Day in early September and Heritage Day in late April are unusual opportunities to see special sights in Belgium. They are worth moving a vacation that would have been near those dates anyway.

Thank you all for the input. Tim you are absolutely correct about improvising for church. Sunday is the only day I haven't worked out yet on the itinerary so i'm making sure wherever we go, we will be able to attend Mass. Leuven is starting to look real good as well.

Not just one person. Including me it is at least two. Liege, in my very personal opinion, is pretty much yukk, and doesn't hold a candle to the other to cities in the triangle, Aachen and Maastricht. We love the area but Liege has never caught my interest.

Hi Bill, You might try www.masstimes.org to locate Catholic churches and mass schedules. Most show the church's web site address as well. I have used this site for years. If I can't decide which location is most convenient, etc I email one and usually get a reply telling me what I need to know. Happy Travels, Jean

Bill, if you're in Leuven on Sunday, consider the Sunday-only, limited-size tour (booked at the TI) of the interior of the Town Hall. The exterior, to my mind, is better than the interior, but it's interesting, and some older sculptures have been removed to the attic for safekeeping. Some lower-priced student restaurants are closed on Sunday, but there are hundreds of restaurants in Leuven. The Antwerp town hall is also only visitable on Sunday. The medium-sized, nearly new art museum in Leuven is very worth a visit. The big church in the square is an important landmark, but I don't know about other ones in the town. When I was last there the square itself was torn up to build underground parking (... much more "vision" than many US cities ... ) Be sure to read up on the history of the Library at the University of Leuven.

, "but there are hundreds of restaurants in Leuven". Check out Muntstraat, which leads out from the Oude Markt (the center of student drinking life). Comparable to Rue des Bouchers in Brussels, but better quality restaurants.

Thank you all for the input. Jean, thanks for the heads up on the mass times website. That is going to be extremely helpful. When we were in Europe last, we attended Mass in Salzburg, but really didn't know what churches were where, so we just made sure we were able to go(which I suppose, as a Catholic, is the important thing, right:) We hope this time to find a church that is beautiful and has a beautiful liturgy. Please keep the suggestions coming. Am very grateful for the help.