Wandering About the Passages in Brussels

Like the over-the-streets enclosed walkways in Canada and the Northern
Middle States in America, the planners of Brussels long ago figured out how
to deal with getting the shoppers inside in the winter weather. Somehow I
had missed the beautiful "passages" in Brussels when I visited here in the
past. Similar to the handsome arcades in many other Northern European cities
(and, strangely, in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia), these lovely
enclosed areas with shops along either side are a very pleasant diversion on
a cold, rainy afternoon. We explored quite a few. The photos were taken at
Galeries Saint-Hubert, but there are several others worth a visit: the
Ravenstein-Galerie, the Horta-Passage (under the Gare Centrale), and the
Nord-Passage. Nice shops, good restaurants, and of course the
not-to-be-missed patisseries. Very special.