Hi Folks, I'll be in Brussells for the weekend 3/4/5 may

any good leica shops, any sights I shouldn't miss, how safe to walk about with an M6 round my neck?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

John

-- John Tobias (johntobias@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002

Answers

In my experience, very safe, but quite dull. There's a statue of a boy weeing which is supposed to be very funny... The trams are cool and you don't (seem to ) have to pay. Brilliant Irish pub called "The Bank" behind Avenue Louise. Didn't see any Leica shops. Great chocolate... weird capuccino... careful crossing roads...

-- Steve Jones (stephenjjones@btopenworld.com), April 21, 2002.

John: You will enjoy the national art museum which has an excellent collection. Photographically, the nicest thing is the "Grande Place" in the center of town. It is photographically quite challenging and you need a wide angle (21mm or so) to do it justice. Best time to photograph is sunset and sundowm... If you have time, try to spend a full day in Bruges with its beautiful canals... Ghent can be seen on the way (the Van Eyk alterpiece is key and takes 10-15minutes.) Have fun...

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), April 21, 2002.

THE leica place to be is Maison Campion (Place Boniface, near Porte de Namur and Chausé d'Ixelles) Great 2nd hand selection (but a bit pricey)and an absolute stunning overstock offer. If you have just one more day left, take the train to Cologne...this IS Leica heaven !!! and don't believe S.Jones... Brussels is a great place. check out the cartoon museum (housed in one Victor Horta's classic Jugendstill mansions), the scientific museum, the grand Place and so on. Build a decent appetite; aspargus, moules et frites, Beer (grand Cru, Triple Westmalle, Geuze,...) and take home as much chocolate as you can. Watch out for muggers in railway stations, tubeway and the Grand Place Believe me, Brussels is THE best thing next to Berlin or Florence

-- eric ubben (eric.ubben@pandora.be), April 21, 2002.

Here's a shop near the Grande Place, taken with the M6/Summicron-35 on Delta 100 film:

-- Mitch Alland (malland@mac.com), April 21, 2002.

...and, yes, for fish and seafood try Schemmelte, near the Grande Place.

-- Mitch Alland (malland@mac.com), April 21, 2002.

Photo Alpha, 5 av. de Celtes, 1040 Bruxelles may be worth a visit too. And be sure to taste those delicious french fries. Salut.

-- H. Gurung (hgurung@libertysurf.fr), April 21, 2002.

I don't know about Leica shops, but a side visit to Brugge is well worth the time. It appears to have been taken from a time capsule. Very photogenic town. Although it is not in the French-speaking part of Belgium, language is usually not a problem.

-- Dennis Couvillion (couvilaw@aol.com), April 21, 2002.

Albert K. is right- Grande Place is fantastic- shoot the Guild halls with a wide angle and also do some architectural details with a 50 or a 90. The museums are fantastic- of course lots of Flemish masters paintings- do go to Ghent- and up to the North Sea coast line- in credible scenery. As I recall, there are some great shots to be made in the red light ditrict as well, which can be a real trip to walk around.

Lastly, don't forget that Belgium brews the best beer in the world- sorry to the Brits and Germans here. All in all, Brussels si one of my favorite spots in Europe. Enjoy it John, and say hello for me!

-- drew (swordfisher@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

Campion, Alpha (addresses above) and PCH on rue du Midi (near Place Rouppe) for nice Leica, new and 2nd hand.

Brussels goes way beyond the clichés, and takes time to discover. Do not waste your time taking pictures of Grand Place and other tourist hotspots: buy postcards instead. Great source of great Brussels images is Plaizier, just of Place St Jean, downtown.

Get out of those tourist trails if you want to bring back interesting images.

Do not assume Brussels is dull or safe: it is neither. Keep your camera under your jacket, and do not dress up in branded sportswear, if you really want to explore. Avoid the so-called red light district: it is sad, derilict and violent, and taking pictures of those heavily exploited Albanian or West African women is not an innocuous activity, unless you want to testify of man's bestiality. It is not comparable to the touristy Amsterdam quarter.

Night life in Brussels is however fun and full of surprises: buy Le Guide du Routard's latest edition to get the right addresses. Well worth carrying a 35 'lux or Nocti...

-- Jacques (jacquesbalthazar@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

Lived in Briussels for 9 years. Its the capital of Europe for eating (french in Lyons may disagree!). For Leica go to Place Campion as recommended above. Derek

-- derek stringer (whimhowe@classicfm.net), April 25, 2002.