by Toma Haines

 

Perhaps I have an affinity for anything described as "little" ... when we lived in Boston, our weekends were spent in Little Rhodie's Newport - and when we moved to Holland, "Little Belgie" beckoned every chance it got. Perhaps that's because in Belgium, you get the best of France and Holland in one little package - dinner is served with both a baguette and butter making it the perfect marriage of these two cultures. In Belgium, they have the best chocolate, diamonds, prices & selection on antiques and fashion designers. As their food & wine is typically French, by virtue of association it's the best! It's also worth mentioning Belgium has among the best prices & selection on real estate in Western Europe and one of the best tax benefits for Americans wanting to retire overseas.

When my husband and I go to Belgium, we tend to go one of two places - Brussels or Antwerp. But on occasion we pop into Tongeren, Knokke, Bruge or Ghent. In Brussels, I flock to the Place du Grand Sablon where weekends bring an uber-posh flea market. Chic shops, sensational antique boutiques and art galleries line the square. A trip is not complete without a stop in Bakery Wittamer for a chocolate-sculpted Manolo Blahnik, lunch at Caf Leffe or a browse through the Sablon Antiquities Center.

I go to Antwerp for the Kloosterstraat - the main antiques shopping street. Few of the stores open before noon, so mornings are spent at the Schuttershofstraat trying on gowns at Natan, shoes at Coccodrillo or fondling the bags at Delvaux, the Belgian equivalent to Hermes. Lunch is always at the flagship Flamant Interiors store. Then, it's back to the Kloosterstraat where I start at the International Antiques Center. Exhausted from too much shopping, cocktails take place at De Foyer - a grand room located inside the Theatre Bourla. If I'm in town for a romantic weekend, the Charles Rogier XI B&B is the best place to get some beauty sleep. The Hilton also offers some surprisingly good deals for weekend stays.

The luxe living of Antwerp isn't felt in Tongeren - there are no designer stores and the hotel accommodations are merely places to sleep not linger. But this town is an antiquers dream - it has the largest Sunday flea market in Europe. Go early and I guarantee you'll come home with a life-long treasure

If luxe is necessary, go then to Knokke - a village by the sea with more villas and vices than virtually any other town in Belgium. Just recently I hit the January sales and have already set a date to return in July. I never knew they discounted Burberry and Ferragamo 80%, but in Knokke, during the sales, anything is possible. First stop, D'Aulnoy on the Zeedijk.

If you're looking for charm, go to Bruge or Gent. Bruge is the Venice of the north with winding canals and brick-lined lanes. I lunch at Caf Vlissinghe and then play boules in their garden. For dinner, there is no place better than the 3-starred De Karmeliet. For shopping, there are too many "Chocoladehuisje" to count and The Little Lace Shop is one of the only shops with a guarantee their lace is made locally. I don't got to Bruge for the antiques, but if convenient I shop the weekend market at the Dijver or Vismarkt.

Ghent has oodles in common with Bruges but with only a fraction of the tourists. If I'm seeking the charm-factor, I go to Ghent. There are not as many canals, but there is Gothic Grandeur! Dinner at the eclectic House of Eliot is a guaranteed hit while window-shopping on the quieter streets of Mageleinstraat & Koestraat's brings an oasis of mostly tourist-free calm.

Perhaps what makes Belgium one of the best places to visit (and shop) in Europe is that it is "forgotten" by the hoards of tourists you find in France or Italy - making Little Belgie "Europe's Best Kept Secret!"

Until next time,
The Antiques Diva

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