Just adding this in case any one reads or hears about Liege on the news in NZ and wonders if I am okay. I am. The same cannot be said for 4 others - two of them teenagers who were killed today. I was at home as I am surplus to requirements at school this week (the students have exams this week in the morning and everyone goes home afterwards). Granny returned unexpectedly. She had been in the city about to go to her university course (today's was on Gaugin) but was unable to get a bus. Students told her that many of the buses weren't running and that something had happened in the centre of the city.
Granny managed to get a bus home about 1.30 and when she told me something had happened, we went on the internet. There was quite a bit of info on the internet including some short video taken on cellphones. Some of the info was contradictory but eventually it transpired that a 32 year old man who was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison in 2008 had thrown 3 grenades at a bus shelter where people were waiting for the bus in the middle of the city - Place St Lambert. The man let off a few rounds into the with a kalashnikov (sp?) and later killed himself. Four people are dead and the latest report put the injured at 75.
St Lambert is very busy at this time of the year and especially at lunchtime: it is the place of the Christmas market and also has the mall: Galleries St Lambert as well as the Palais de Justice. I often go there myself. In fact it was about the only place Jo got to see of Liege city when she was here.
Guy-Michel was there when the attack happened but thankfully he is alright physically. He called Chantal to come and collect him because his car was stuck in the parking building in St Lambert but when Chantal arrived, there were more shots and they had to take refuge for an hour in a nearby picture theatre until the police said that it was safe to come out. Fanny, their daughter, had been at St Lambert 15 minutes beforehand and was locked in at her college which is near St Lambert. A friend of hers has been injured.
I feel very shocked and I wasn't even there. I've always felt so safe here (although I always have a good hold of my bag). I suppose it is the randomness of the violence which is so scary. A 15 year old, a 17 year old and a 75 year old are already dead and all they were doing was waiting at a bus stop. What a mad world we live in. If you want to read more, here's a link to the Guardian News (Yes I know it's British but it is in English http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/blog/2011/dec/13/belgium-attack-grenades-thrown-at-bus-stop-in-liege-live-updates If you want to read about it in French: http://www.lesoir.be/regions/liege/2011-12-13/liege-deux-adolescents-et-une-femme-tues-l-auteur-de-la-fusillade-s-est-suicide-883451.php
Granny managed to get a bus home about 1.30 and when she told me something had happened, we went on the internet. There was quite a bit of info on the internet including some short video taken on cellphones. Some of the info was contradictory but eventually it transpired that a 32 year old man who was sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison in 2008 had thrown 3 grenades at a bus shelter where people were waiting for the bus in the middle of the city - Place St Lambert. The man let off a few rounds into the with a kalashnikov (sp?) and later killed himself. Four people are dead and the latest report put the injured at 75.
St Lambert is very busy at this time of the year and especially at lunchtime: it is the place of the Christmas market and also has the mall: Galleries St Lambert as well as the Palais de Justice. I often go there myself. In fact it was about the only place Jo got to see of Liege city when she was here.
Guy-Michel was there when the attack happened but thankfully he is alright physically. He called Chantal to come and collect him because his car was stuck in the parking building in St Lambert but when Chantal arrived, there were more shots and they had to take refuge for an hour in a nearby picture theatre until the police said that it was safe to come out. Fanny, their daughter, had been at St Lambert 15 minutes beforehand and was locked in at her college which is near St Lambert. A friend of hers has been injured.
I feel very shocked and I wasn't even there. I've always felt so safe here (although I always have a good hold of my bag). I suppose it is the randomness of the violence which is so scary. A 15 year old, a 17 year old and a 75 year old are already dead and all they were doing was waiting at a bus stop. What a mad world we live in. If you want to read more, here's a link to the Guardian News (Yes I know it's British but it is in English http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/blog/2011/dec/13/belgium-attack-grenades-thrown-at-bus-stop-in-liege-live-updates If you want to read about it in French: http://www.lesoir.be/regions/liege/2011-12-13/liege-deux-adolescents-et-une-femme-tues-l-auteur-de-la-fusillade-s-est-suicide-883451.php
