Herring Street.  Why do brick walls fascinate me so?These brick façades remind me of certain buildings in Lower Manhattan.

Here’s La Grande Place, the most beautiful square in Europe, according to UNESCO.I returned to this 19th-century shopping arcade that I liked so much. (For a larger selection of photos of this gorgeous gallery and the above square, please see my Brussels January 2013 post):Love these Camper sandals. 160 euros:Stopped to fuel up with my 4th espresso of the day:Waffles at the table next to me, another specialty of Belgium; they’re called gaufres.

As I said, on my January post there are much better photos.  I didn’t have enough time to thoroughly explore the city and, like last time, left with the feeling that there was lots more to see: the striking Art Nouveau buildings, for example; the museums, the area called Ixelles, etc. Here are a few recommended addresses for anyone planning to visit Brussels:

http://www.urbanrooms.be

http://www.vintagehotel.be/en/home/

http://www.pantonehotel.com

http://www.mary.be (Belgian chocolates!)

http://www.lesbrassins.com (one of the better Belgian brasseries located on the street where Audrey Hepburn was born)

I’ve just learned that the “white cathedral” I referred to in the preceding post is named Notre Dame de la Chapelle and is the burial place of Pieter Bruegel the Elder.  Had I not been so busy stuffing my face with fries and guzzling beer, I might have noticed this relevant piece of information and gone inside.  Because I love the work of this important 16th-century Flemish painter.