Namur: Stairs & Icicles

This weekend, we decided it was time to see a little more of Belgium, and thus randomly picked a city to visit. The choice? Namur! Capital of Wallonia, the French-speaking half of Belgium, and also home to a really impressive Citadelle (the main reason I wanted to go). One of my favorite things about Europe is how easy the public transportation is- to get to Namur, all we had to do was walk to Gare du Nord, buy our passes (50€ for 10 trips, not a bad deal) and off we went, an American, two Quebecois and a Dutch guy.

As has been the usual for the past two weeks, it was freezing, so when we got off the train roughly an hour later and were shivering in the train station- hot drinks sounded like an incredible idea. We stopped at a little café inside the station, all four of us buying a drink. Mine? Deliciously rich and creamy, topped with fresh, thick crème Chantilly: hot chocolate. Now I've had my fair share of hot chocolate, but let me tell you, this was incredible. 10 points for Belgium.

After a quick stop in the tourist center for a map, we found ourselves strolling along Rue de Fer, the central street leading to the Citadelle. Out of nowhere, we discovered a market in full swing; clothing, food and candy vendors everywhere displaying their colorful wares. Just past the market stalls were loads of little shops selling everything you could think of. Big clothing brands like Zara to specialty shoe stores, and of course, patisseries and chocolatiers (this is Belgium we're talking about). After a quick stop in a tea store with every flavor of tea you can imagine (and some you can't), we reached the bridge to get to the Citadelle!

Rue de Fer- lined with shops and market stalls!

Typical Belgian chocolate 'fruits de mer'

Patisserie! Extremely beautiful, and extremely expensive

Some of the really cool architecture in Namur

Stairs. That's probably the most distinctive feature of the fortress- its hundreds of stairs. The Citadelle of Namur has been used as a defensive fortress for hundreds of years, going back to the 15th century, up through World War II, and was only demilitarized in 1977. Needless to say, this fortress has seen a lot of action due to its exceedingly strategic position on the Meuse and Sambre Rivers, and position on top of a hill. Note the hill, which equals a whole lot of stairs. Despite our burning legs and lungs, getting to the top of the Citadelle was well worth the climb- the view was fantastic!

The Citadelle! The river was full of ice

River-side houses and shops

View of Namur from the top!

And the other direction

Unfortunately, due to the cold, we couldn't go on the sub-terrain tour of the network of chambers beneath the Citadelle. It was even colder down there than it was up on top, and all the water had frozen, making the paths too dangerous. (We're all starting to get pretty impatient for spring when everything will both warm up and open up) The snow made everything really beautiful though, and I found my first château! I have a bit of an obsession with castles, and was pretty excited to find my first one in Belgium even though it had been converted into a hotel, it was gorgeous.

The Château

Traipsing back down the hill into the old part of the city, we happened to find a fantastic little Italian restaurant for lunch, run by one older man. It was delicious- I'm not sure whether the man was Italian himself or not, but he sure knew how to make a pizza! When we ordered drinks, I was surprised that they all came in the old-fashioned glass bottles, but a personalized label glass to pour you soda in. I loved it. In fact, now that I've picked up on it again, I realize that's just typical Europe- nearly all soft drinks and water are served that way.

Also, this orange Fanta is way better than the stuff in the US. Paler, and somehow more natural

After a bit more exploring of old churches, theaters and the Musée d'Arts Anciens (which turned out to only contain religious artwork and relics), we headed back up to the Citadelle for a wine tasting event. It was something unique for winemakers around the Namur area (Namurois if you will), and fourteen different vineyards were represented. It was really interesting to go just for the atmosphere, only costing one euro and allowing us to sample quite a few different wines. I personally don't know much about wine, so I felt a bit like a fake, but it was still really cool to hear about how they had mixed different varieties to create the perfect blend. It was also extremely intimidating: having to approach people in French to ask to try the wine, knowing your French isn't up to par and also being some of the youngest people there... An interesting cultural experience nonetheless!

Dinner was rather random, because the place we meant to go was too expensive. Instead, we somehow ended up in a tea room/ dessert house, eating quiche Lorraine and salad (on my part) and crêpes!

Cathédrale St-Aubain

My delicious dessert crêpes

All in all, a really fun day trip out into the Belgian countryside! I can't wait to explore this country some more, especially as the weather warms up and more outdoor activities are possible (kayaking or spelunking anyone?).