More of being tourists in Brussels...

After our treasure hunt at the Jeu de Balle flea market we headed up past the Palais de Justice to the giant Ferris wheel known as "The View" which gives great views over the city.

Back down on terra firma we headed over to Mont des Arts / Kunstberg,  to let Dennis and Angela view one of our favourite collection of facades which include the fabulous Musical Instrument Museum, it is housed in the former Old England department store, a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture

We made our way to the top of Mont des Arts and were rewarded with this magnificent view across the city.

The Carillon du Mont des Arts is a really nice surprise if you happen to be in the area when it is in action and we were! It is a huge star-faced clock you pass under as you make your way down to the old part of the city.  

We ended the day relaxing with a beer before heading back to Anne & Denis', well I had another idea...more on this tomorrow.

Shop windows in brussels...

 

As we walked our way around brussels we spotted some interesting shopfronts,like the one above which currently houses the Grasshopper Toys shop. Its elegant, classic storefront with signage remnants or architectural features evoke its past as a grand magasin.

This window caught our eye, never expected a frites museum. We did not visit but reading the reviews we maybe should have, apparently you can have a good couple of hours finding out about the history of the potato plus you get some frites at the end of your visit.

This shop was also a who knew? moment a duck store! Must have been really busy on the 13th of January which is National Rubber Ducky Day but the rest of the year?

Sunday in Brussels - treasure hunt.

On Sunday we all headed over to the Place du Jeu de Balle flea market in the city's Marolles district. it is one of the city's most iconic and atmospheric spots, especially on a Sunday morning when it's at its liveliest.,with the biggest crowds, the most sellers and that wonderful chaotic energy.

The square itself dates back to 1853–1854, originally built as a playing field for jeu de balle (a traditional Belgian handball-like game similar to early tennis). In 1873, Brussels authorities moved the city's old "junk market" (originally for second-hand clothes and rags) here from Place Anneessens to clean up the new central boulevards. The market has been running daily ever since (officially since 1919 in its current form), making it one of the oldest continuous flea markets in Europe and supposedly the only antique/flea market open 365 days a year.

On Sundays, the cobblestone square fills from dawn with 200–300+ stalls (plus blankets on the ground) selling everything imaginable. It's a real rummage paradise, dig through boxes, lift blankets and don't be afraid to haggle (it's expected and part of the fun). One thing I noticed was how modernity has lessened the ability to haggle, I was interested in a print and the stall holder snapped a photo of it and found the price it sells on line for. It was much more than he was asking but I still felt it was a bit expensive (that'll be the Scots in me), this does take a bit of fun out of it. Little chance of finding a rare Picasso (legend has it was found here) now.

More from our weekend in Brussels...

After our visit to the delightful 'Hôtel Solvay' on the Saturday of our visit we continued the afternoon as tourist with Denis again doing the guiding.

Some benches from Brussels