Genuine high quality Asian decoration/accessories

LYCHEE’S

This store is full of houseware, pieces of clothing, decoration goods, most of it imported from Japan. Forget the traditional Asian goodies store, these are high quality contemporary pieces. (So be prepared to do a real investment for some items…)

The shop owner is adorable and will take the time to answer any question you may have. Let yourself be surprised, there is a whole basement that you can’t see from the outside!

Lychee’s / Rue Soeurs de Hasque 8b / 4000 Liège / Tél.: (+32) 04 223 12 22 / E-mail: lychees@euphonynet.be

Tue-Sat 10:30 to 18:00

Mademoiselle B

*** NEW OPENING !!! ***

This is all very fresh, since this store is open only since October 1. After having studied and worked in several fields, owner Cecile was finally brave enough to realize her dream to open her own clothes store.

She is fond of the 50-60’s, which you can guess when looking at her very creative wall decoration. Mum even gave a helping hand and sewed some very pretty cushions Cecile wanted to create a simple yet welcoming space, and I would say that she was successful in that.

She goes almost every week to Paris to bring back the latest designer pieces. You will find such names as Princesse Paress, Sarah Wayne, Hop Hop Hop, Miss Sugar Cane, La valise à Pois or French Factory. She is selling accessories as well, such as jewellery, belts or bags.

BONUS: Prices are very fair. At last, it is possible to afford designer pieces at a reasonable price…

Also, the store is located “rue de la sirène”, which means “street of the siren”, what a nice coincidence!

Mademoiselle B / Rue de la Sirène, 20 / 4000 Liège

Russian Grocery Store – Laveu

TEPEMOK

This recently opened Russian grocery store is located in the Laveu area. You can find all sorts of Russian specialties, fresh or dry, and the store is opened on Sundays.

TEPEMOK / Rue du Laveu, 54 / 4000 Liège

Tongeren flea market

TONGEREN ANTIQUE MARKET

This flea market is one of the largest in Benelux. It benefits from an international reputation, so don’t be surprised if you hear more than five different languages in the same hour!

Half of the market consists of outdoor stands, the rest takes place in two large covered halls. Whatever the weather, you can stick to your plan. Parallel to the market, Tongeren (Tongres in French) is home to many antique shops.

Actually, the sellers offer mostly pricy antiques, but it is possible to make great deals too. Just don’t expect a garage sale, but be prepared for high quality and high value antique pieces.

I was lucky to find this very nice antique speculoos mould.

BONUS: There is an impressive number of cafes and restaurants in the area, and most of them are opened during the market. Parking can get difficult, so I advise you to arrive there around 10:00 – 10:30 AM at the latest, and stay for lunch afterwards. Also, the region is very beautiful, look out for the nice old farm buildings.

Every Sunday from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Tongeren Antiek- en Brocantemarkt / Leopoldwal en omgeving / 3700 Tongeren

Design Accessories and Furniture

SITON DESIGN

Siton Design was initially an online store,  the physical store has been opened very recently (May 2009). It is located in the Carré, right in the center of Liège.

You can still buy online through the website, but I strongly encourage you to visit this place! You will be welcomed very nicely, and it’s full of very nices decoration accessories. Most of the pieces are from French designers, but you can also find some Belgian ones.

BONUS: There is an English version to the website!

Photos by Siton Design

SITON DESIGN / Bergerue / 4000 Liège

Siton Design

Where to watch movies in English?

LES GRIGNOUX

“Les Grignoux” is the name of the asbl who manages three movies in Liège, Le Parc, Le Churchill and Le Sauvenière. Le Sauvenière has won several awards since openening in March 2008 . The latest one was the “Prix de l’Urbanisme” in June 2009. From the outside, this building may look cold, but actually, it is very nice inside. It’s very roomy, there is plenty of light, and you can also have a drink or a meal at the “Brasserie Sauvenière”,  which has a terrace on a patio. Personally, I like this place very much, I can only encourage you to visit this impressive building!

If you are going regularly to the movie, I suggest that you get the 10 show card (“Abonnement 10 séances”) for 42€. This card can be used by anyone, and valid for an illimited period!

In the calendar on the right side of the screen, simply click on the day of your choice to see the program.

Not all films are offered in the original version, look out for the “VO” version (“version originale”). Sometimes, they will have the “VF” (“version française”) in the afternoon, and the “VO” version in the evening, otherwise, the film is showed in one of the two version only.

The only drawback is that if you want to watch a movie in any other language than English, subtitles will be in French and/or Dutch, but not English. I watched “Millenium” in its original Swedish version, and if you didn’t understand Swedish, French or Dutch, you missed all of it!

The asbl is also very active organizing concerts, conferences, previews, classic movie nights, etc, check the agenda for upcoming events.

Le Sauvenière / Place Xavier-Neujean / 4000 Liège

Le Churchill / Rue du Mouton-Blanc 20 / 4000 Liège

Le Parc / Rue Paul-Joseph Carpay / 4020 Liège

Les Grignoux

Russian grocery store – Avroy

“General Grocery and Delights of the former U.S.S.R.”

Ok, you have to look hard to find this store, but you shouldn’t be disappointed once inside. Everything is authentic and colourful, up to the owner who by the way, speaks Russian, Chechen, English, French, German, Dutch and Turkish. Not too bad, eh?!

Yusup Khitanaev arrived from Grozny, Chechnya, about 10 years ago, and opened his store in February 2007. In a former life, he was an English teacher for 30 years and has studied Economics in Turkey.

The actual name of the store is “Seda”, which means “Star” in Chechen. He opened his store thinking of the many Russian residents of Liège who were nostalgic of specific products and tastes that couldn’t be found here.

You can buy canned products, meat, fish, bread, dairies, books, and of course caviar. Frozen and fresh products come mainly from Germany, the rest comes from Russia.

BONUS: The store is opened from 9am to 8pm on Sunday, and the owner is very nice and always ready to help, so don’t hesitate to visit this place!

“Alimentation générale et délices l’ancienne U.R.S.S.” / Bouleverad d’Avroy 144 / 4000 Liège

Photos by The Loonie

Where to buy books / magazines in English?

Let’s be honest, there aren’t that many places… However, there are a few, so here they are.

♦ Audivox – English & American Books / Rue du Méry 12 / 4000 Liège

It’s the only bookstore totally dedicated to books in English. It’s not big, but the choice is wide enough. You can also find non-fiction topics such as cooking books (eg: Jamie Oliver), school books and dictionnaries. The store can order a copy for you, but you have to know the exact references of the book you’re looking for.

♦ Press Shop / Rue de la Régence, between 6 & 8 / 4000 Liège

This press shop is probably the biggest one in the center of Liège, and they have one of the largest selection of newspapers and magazines in English. When I say “largest”, it doesn’t even fill a complete shelf, but it’s still the biggest one in Liège.

♦ FNAC / Rue Joffre 3 / 4000 Liège

This company doesn’t need any advertising from my part, but they have quite a large selection of books in English. (Plus other languages, such as Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian, etc) You can place an order in the store or on their website. (www.fnac.com)

Where to practice Yoga in Liège?

Photo by The Loonie

Important notice: This is just a listing of some yoga classes in Liège, I haven’t attended any of them yet. I leave it up to you to form your own opinion. However, I have been confirmed one thing: There is no Iyengar Yoga in Liège.

I will update this post if I come across additionnal places to practice. Note that some of the teachers hold classes in several of the locations listed below. I don’t know if any of these teachers speal English, but I suggest that you try to contact them anyway!

♦ Yoga Liège – Michel Colas / michel.colas@skynet.be

Yoga Liege

♦ Centre de Yoga Satyam – Marianne Chardomme / marianne_yoga@hotmail.com

Centre de Yoga Satyam

♦ L’arbre aux étoiles – Marie Altares / marie@espaceyoga.be

Espace Yoga

♦ Akasha Yoga - Jacqueline Van Steenacker / j.vanste@swing.be

Akasha asbl

♦ Mitra Yoga – Philip Rigo / mitra.yoga@gmail.com

Mitra Yoga

“La Batte” market

Being French, this is a tricky post for me… This market is not at all like what I had been used to.
Don’t expect to find plenty of local products or home made jams, it is mostly imported goods. Actually, you’ll find much more Belgian fruits and vegetables at the Delhaize or Carrefour.

So, why go to the marché de la Batte then ?
Well, you’ll still find some good fresh products, such as tasty olives or fresh eggs, as well as meat and cheese. It is also a great place to find excellent Italian products.
Also, you will enjoy the visit, because there are many live animals such as chickens, ducks, pet birds, fish, rabbits and much more. I was very surprised to find so many live animals on a market !  Children will love it.
You can also have a try at some French fries and other takeout foods, and you will also find non-edible products, such as clothes or bags.

This market is quite huge and very famous in the region, people come from Germany and the Netherlands to visit. It stretches along the Meuse river and space is scarce. You’d better park far away, leave the baby carriage at home or your bike outside the market. If the weather is sunny, expect many (many) people…

La Batte market (every Sunday from 8am to 2pm)  Starts at the Grand Poste building and stretches along the Meuse river over about 3km.