Grand Sablon-Grote Zavel, Brussels (IV)

This is one of my favorite places in Brussels, the Grand Sablon. This is where the weekend flea market appears and is also home to my favorite chocolatiers/patisserie, Wittamer's. Good reasons, huh.

Here are some of the many antique stalls selling their wares. In the background is the Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon (Church of Our Lady of Sablon), built between the 15th and 16th centuries.

Raphi was the only one brave enough to walk through the maze of stalls with me.

I loved this small box of old crosses, probably removed from crucifixes.

The others sat and waited at Wittamer's while we perused the stalls. I didn't find anything. I don't much like antiques that don't have a price on them and you have to ask how much. Especially in French.

People watching. I love it!

How wonderful this is while sipping a cup of coffee and having a little savory treat from the patisserie.

I love how each shop brings little extras with a cup. I think I still have these chocolates stashed somewhere.

Inside the patisserie is an overload to the senses. I wanted one of each.

But I saved my gut for the chocolates next door. The tiny shop was full of delightful chocolate pieces.

There were chocolate hats everywhere! I wish we were heading home, I would have purchased one. But, alas, this was still the very beginning of our travels. I stuck with the creme fraiche chocolates, for everybody! A delightful treat, indeed.

And then there were these Chinese soldiers. Yep, let's carry one of them home on the plane!

I loved the chocolate wedding cakes--perhaps more of a groom's cake with the looks of the bride chasing her man.

And this topper. Too cute.

Next door to Wittamer's is one of my all-time favorite shops, Comptoir de Famille. I stocked up on a few goodies, while again, the fam waited at the cafe.

The last time we were here, the same alley had the same "guard." Or so I thought.

Raphi and I went back and reviewed the 2006 pictures and decided, it is a different dog. Aw. How precious is this though? The new dog had more brown on his ears than the old one.

We stopped for frits and a hamburger. Don't ask. It was a disaster. Kookie Americans and French. The hub was the only one who warned us against it. lol

Back to the metro heading "home," I was delighted to find this cherry stand. Yum!

I liked this version of the Mannekin Pis at one of the cafes. Too cute.

Raphael explained what these little "holes" were by the front doors of many houses. Back in the day before paved streets and sidewalks, these were to enable people to scrape the mood off their boots before entering the house. How brilliant!

And then that bloody walk up all those stairs after we had been touring on foot all day. Ooooooof. Only three more flights to go peeps! Shoot me now.