Cafe society

One thing I wish I could photograph more often is people. Living in a sleepy village in the middle of nowhere doesn't make it easy for me to do this. My kids scuttle off when they see me coming with my camera, the natives aren't wild about being photographed, I don't want to bore you with too many dog or husband shots, and the thought of doing self portraits makes me queasy. Hmm.

So I was glad to do some people watching in Brussels this morning. This was at the Place du Jeu de Balle, a square in a seedy neighbourhood not far from the posh Sablon, and a few steps away from the Palais de Justice. The Place du Jeu de Balle is famous for its large flea market every day of the year. I go there every chance I get because I can watch people for hours.

There's no end of elegant and trendy cafes all over the city, but I prefer real Belgian cafes like these. They serve excellent beer (not Stella Artois or Jupiler by any means) and good coffee, Croque Monsieur sandwiches, hearty soups and sometimes crepes or waffles. They're packed with locals, a smattering of tourists and some really wonderful eccentrics. Have a closer look.


Thank you SO much for all your kind comments and stars on my 200th blip. I'm still a bit dizzy from reading all of them and will catch up with commenting soon.

Onwards!