We are in Brussels. It is wonderful to be here after three years (we were last here just before the pandemic, in Jan-Feb 2020) and I have been contemplating why I get so much happiness from just walking down the streets of this city. In general I find attractive store windows delightful and the architecture here is full of delightful surprises as well. In contrast to US cities, I don’t see as many empty storefronts (though there are a few)… but I was thinking yesterday about how the shops I enjoy seeing most remind me of New York in my youth: stationery stores that are full of art supplies and colored paper, so many independent clothing stores… The street scape has not been taken over by banks and real estate offices.
Such a pleasure to stroll.
