Places, shops, and ideas that work for our family

Monday, June 30, 2008

Local and charming toy shop: A VOS SOUHAITS



This little shop carries lots of wooden and charming toys...some arts and crafts stuff, and just a lot of very cute things for kids. We love to go there, even though if we all go it usually turns into a nightmare, because the shop is small and packed with exciting stuff, and it's hard to control everybody, especially a 2 year old going crazy with the BRIO trains... I like to go alone or with one kid, hunting for a special birth present or birthday present.

MOBY DICK for mussels Belgian style


A restaurant again, more conventionnal, but very friendly and easy, again just around the corner from us...and it's also our favorite place to have mussels, a Belgian specialty...we like them simply "marinière" (with white wine) and try to stay away from the creamier versions they seem to favor...too much cream for us! They also serve lobster and fish in general if you don't like mussels.

Have lunch or take away at OLIVE


This fabulous little place opened a little over a year ago and it's my favorite place to have lunch in the neighbourhood..
Just two minutes away and the food is simple and delicious...you help yourself to a buffet of fresh salads and pasta and vegetables and then they weigh your plate (it usually costs around 10/12 euros for a full plate) ....You can take away or eat there, but our kids love to go, it's a treat for them! And for me!!

Monday, June 23, 2008

A day in Brugges




We love Brugges and I wish we would go more often every time we go...we usually end up going to the beach in DE HAAN ( 15 km away) for half the day, so I'm always frustrated that we're not spending more time in Brugges! We've done the horse carriages ride (a pretty long wait though, in the sun, in the center of the Grand Place in Brugges...go early, at least you won't be standing in the blazing sun...that is of course, if the weather is nice!), and have yet to go for a canal cruise...Maxime is usually just happy to watch the boats go by from one of the little terraces on the canal while sipping some apple juice...
We are not too keen on the waffles they sell there ( very sweet and sticky), but we love to munch on the "dentelles de Brugges" very thin waffle cookies like the ones in "Juliette's cookies". It's a little treat after our picnic on the lawn of the church as you come out of the ZILVERPLATZ (there's a car park where we usually park our car, some quieter restaurants and great shops, and even a few structures for the kids to climb on) You exit the little shopping area through the little passage with the glass ceiling in the first photograph.

great little cheese and vegetable shop


This is where we like to buy our cheese and sometimes some veggies... a little expensive, but I'm usually happy with what I buy from there. Be sure to taste some "HERVE doux" with some lettuce and a bit of "Sirop de Liege"...it's Belgian, sweet and sour, and what a wonderful cheese ! Even better with a flûte aux noix de chez Pain Quotidien!
This place is 5 min away from our place, at 803 down Chaussée d'Alsemberg.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Ceramic Art café

This is a cute little place where I like to go with the kids to paint on a cup or a plate and have a drink...then they cook the ceramic and you can pick it up the following week...the owner is very lively and welcoming and her place has a homely, cosy feel to it...she does freshsly squeezed fruit juices and a chocolate cake that is very hard to resist! I also go sometimes with a girlfriend for an evening out..