Good bye England, hello Brussels. After my Bournemouth conference and two train rides, I ended up at Brussels Midi where bus # 27 to Archimede (end station) took me on the Rue Haute, a street in the Marolles district that abounds with antique and vintage shops. The next day, which was a Sunday, with great anticipation, I walked from our nearby airbnb, and entered Melting Pot Kilo where I found a denim jacket for 5 euros in a shop that sells by the weight.
Brussels is a city of many villages. It's also a vintage city in and of itself, as it preserves its old character, with streets still named after the trades that were practiced there hundreds of years ago. The old manual trades are still alive and well, as evidenced by the "cordonnerie" or cobbler photographed below. I was also stunned to see an old-fashioned camera shop still open for business near Place Saint-Boniface.
The chain smoking, dialect speaking locals still hang out in cafes, either settled comfortably for the day, slowly consuming coffee and beer, or working behind the counter.
near Place Saint-Boniface
This vintage shop in the same Rue Haute was a little more upscale. It puts suspenders to creative and practical use.
love the three-dimensional top.
totally retro
When we arrived, the Chaussée de la Toison d'Or was festively celebrating the inauguration of the Place Lumumba, named after the slain revolutionary leader of Zaire at the time of independence from Belgium. Matonge, the neighborhood where the square was inaugurated, is a historically Congolese neighborhood. The locals had much to celebrate! Let's see if Belgium makes it to the final of the world cup to have even more to celebrate.
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