3/589: Neupré

Our third ChocolateMoose trip started off with a small delay. Andy’s digestive system wasn’t up for a trip to Neupré and started protesting as soon as we got to Liege (thank God for gps systems and toilets in fast food restaurants). After this shitty start (pun intented), we managed to make things worse by getting lost in Strivay (the hiking path suddenly disappeared) so let’s just say it was… not according to plan.
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The first stop we made was at the American military cemetery. This second World War memorial cemetery was more impressive than we could have guessed: the many crosses and stars, the silence of the open field, the white monument towering over the graves… Even inside the monument we were somewhat stunned by the impressiveness of the giant carved maps on the walls explaining the American invasion during WW II.
So no jokes here, it was more than worth a visit! Ok…well…just one small anecdote: when we entered the “visitors” house near the parking, we were asked by a staff member whether we were Americans. When we answered the kind gentlemen that we were Belgians, it was followed by… complete silence. After having enjoyed the wonderful feeling of awkwardness we quickly decided to leave. So our tip: only enter if you’re American and if you’re not…pretend you are! ;)

After our visit to the cemetery we went to 'Rue des deux églises'. It sounds very romantic and poetic (what doesn’t in French?) and as the name suggests, the street contains two churches, but all is said with that. No romance nor poetry whatsoever, just a regular street with two churches. The oldest church is a library now apparently (here you go, your fact of the day :)). So, nothing shocking or impressive and quite anti-climactic after the cemetery, but pretty enough to take a picture of.

Next, we headed off to the castle of Strivay. Yes, there is an actual castle there, but don’t start imagining knights, kings or princesses. The only princess you might encounter there would be the outdoor Christmas decorator. The castle looks like a common white villa and has been stripped of all the tough medieval characteristics you’d think of when hearing the word ‘castle’. But it did have pretty Christmas decorations (glad to see we’re not the only ones who are too lazy to remove them).
We thought we’d end the day by walking to Neupré’s top attraction: La Roche aux Faucons. A very manageable hike of 8 km…no problem for two stallions like ourselves. Until we encountered a hollow path with mud after 100 m and were afraid of getting wet feet.
So, we decided to take a small detour which of course is always a bad idea (you’d think we have watched horror movies before). After another 100 m the hiking trail just disappeared and we were stuck in a meadow like two plain cows (might be insulting for the cows). At this point we gave up, went back to the car and drove to roche aux faucons (not feeling like fierce stallions anymore).

La Roche aux Faucons offered a very nice view of the river Ourthe and the neighbouring town Esneux. Unlike the parking lot there, it showed a wide and spacious valley. 

Despite getting off at the wrong foot, it turned out to be a lovely day at Neupré. It’s definitely worth visiting: culture, history and a lot of nature.
 
We’re staying in the spirit of war this weekend as we’ll be visiting Brasschaat tomorrow, known for its fort and much more. You can follow our proceedings on Instagram as we’ll try to post some highlights along the way.