Easy hikes and walks in Bois De La Porallée

An oval hollow in a quarter-mile boulder. According to legend, the horse Beiaard, carrying the four sons of Aymon on his back, planted his hoof here to leap across the Amblève valley in a mighty leap.

To the hiker/walker lingering at this small sacred monument, I would like to offer a short excerpt from Christiane Völkel as a meditative reflection, in which she explains to us—or perhaps better put: especially—in the face of the cross, “that our perspective is heaven”: “We Christians have experienced that God follows his promises with deeds. Just as he sent Jesus [whom we encounter on this crucifix, nailed to the wood of the cross] into the world to bring us the ‘Good News’ [this is the translation of the word ‘Gospel’] of his love and salvation, to work in miracles and signs… so too has he made it known to us through him that our perspective is heaven, here on earth and after our death in a glorified, yet real way in its divine perfection.” (Christiane Völkel)

This wooden cross with a bronze statue of Christ is located in the Pansire Nature Reserve. What's striking is the head of Christ... When the figure of Christ rests his head on his left shoulder instead of his right, it's called a false God. So this is a Wrong, Dear God, a rarity. Once, a traveler got lost in the snow and had a cross erected to serve as a beacon for others who, like him, might get lost in these desolate plains. The last wooden cross was destroyed in a fire in this part of the moor in 1927. On the Feast of Christ the King on October 28, 1928, a concrete cross was dedicated (see photo). There's talk that the cross was damaged during forestry work a few years before 2016... In 2013, lightning struck a beech tree next to the cross, and a thick branch knocked the cross over. Only the statue of Christ remained unharmed. A new cross made of larch wood, 3 m high, was made by a local woodworker.

Louis XVth-style castle. A fortified farm was first built on the site in 1614. In 1920, a country house was built next to it. The De Maret family owned it for a long time. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it changed hands until it became the property of the Province of Liège. Today, it is a training institute for graduates in Agricultural Sciences.

This cross commemorates the deaths of four residents who died in 1675. The four victims mentioned could be a tragic episode in this small war over the use of the forest, which also served as a pasture. Inscription: "Occurred here on 20 MV (?) 1675, Hubert Godardu du Rouge Thier, Jeanfils Lambert, Jean Toss d'Adseu and Gille Cambesy de Lowegne."

Beautiful resting place on La Vèquée at this memorial cross. Parking is available nearby for a limited number of vehicles.

Beautiful walk, highly recommended.

Beautiful walk, highly recommended.