Shopping in Brussels can be fun, but tiring
too. My daughter needs a cotton white dress for the school party and paint to
dye that same dress. I accept going there today, but I need ice cream first.
Probably the best ice cream in the
capital is Comus & Gasterea. The
French guy who runs the place on his own once quit his busy job to turn to
making ice cream. Nerjis chooses
strawberry and speculoos in a cone; I go for the caramel salé and yasmin –
ginger flavour without the cone. It tastes absolutely delicious. Too bad his
place is not just around my corner…
From the Quai aux Briques we head for the
Muntplein. I insist on a short stop at ‘De Standaard Boekhandel’ and walk out
with a ‘Memo’, a magazine on history which looks promising.
At the Veritas they only sell dye for
natural fibers. And the dress we bought yesterday at the H&M is but that.
The lady at H&M makes no objection when we return the dress even with the
ticket left at home. She shows a rarely seen efficiency and speed in every move
she makes. Wow!
As Primark is just next door, Nerjis wants
to give it a try. I look at the people in the queue and am about to resist. It looks like the whole of Belgium is trying
to get in. All of a sudden the line moves at a rapid speed and we can all go
inside.
In rue Neuve sits an older man from
Moroccan origin. He is cutting empty metal cans and by folding the cut sides he
turns the re-used cans into candle holders. I admire his creativity and
ecological spirit and buy one for 1 €.
Where did time fly? My legs hurt and I need
to get away from here, far away from the busy streets of the center. I love
Brussels but half a day rue Neuve is more than I can take.