Brussels: Magritte, cartoons, monuments to the past, and a quiet corner

We spent Monday (when the museums are closed in Brussels) wandering around Bruges.


Weather turned our day into more of an interior wander than we'd hoped for... But on Tuesday, back in Brussels and cheered up after a fine dinner, we explored the Magritte museum


and enjoyed learning that there is much more to M. Magritte's imagination and technical skill than the well-known images we see everywhere. We also roamed around in the museum of ancient art, enjoying the collection of Breughel masterpieces and lesser works, and after all the monumentality and excess of scale in the museum area, felt like exploring someplace more accessible.


Just a few blocks from the Bourse, and around the corner, ww stumbled into the most charming little quartier, still under renovation and far from fully gentrified.
Did I mention that cartooning is taken very, very


seriously in Belgium?


That's a garage door, so I guess they're discussing the parking situation.

Central to the neighborhood is a restored covered marketplace, similar in style to those in many European cities, only quite small.


Apparently it only served the immediately surrounding area. It's now an exhibition and meeting space, and the upper gallery level is devoted to craftspeople. Many of the little houses are built around interior court yards


or overlooking little canals.


I couldn't find the name of this little area in guidebooks or on any signage, but maybe someone who's more familiar with Brussels will know?

Another dinner awaits!