Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Doing business in Belgium

A guide to doing gaffe-free business here.

Belgium country factbook

Includes geography, people, government, economy and transnational issues.

Student accommodation in Belgium

Find an affordable roof over her head.

50 years on, Asterix still holding out

Heroic Gauls celebrate their half century.

The not-so-secret recipe for Belgian frites

Kimberley uncovers the sacred rituals of Frite Almighty.

How to repatriate successfully

Tips for managing a successful relocation back home.

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Life in Lifestyle Antiques: a quaint package called ‘Little Belgie’

07/10/2008Antiques: a quaint package called ‘Little Belgie’

French antiques, Dutch paintings and Belgian prices influence the Antiques Diva’s claim that Belgium is the best place to go antique shopping in Europe.

My love affair with Belgium began after I moved to Holland from France and found myself delighted with the Dutch penchant of serving butter with their bread. 

Though Dutch bread is hearty and wholesome, I fell into deep despair amenting the loss of my daily French baguette.  Belgium was the cure for my depression when I realized she married the two cultures; serving both alongside the meal.  In my quest for both butter and baguette, I made many trips across the border and discovered that Belgium offers the best of both Holland and France tied up in one quaint package I call ‘Little Belgie’.     

antiques-diva-antwerpIn Belgium, they have the best chocolate, diamonds and fashion designers.  My love affair with Belgium might have been a fleeting, fickle moment that fled when the churn ran dry had it rested only on the laurels of bread and butter, but in this diva’s opinion, Belgium is the best place to go antique shopping in Europe.  You have French antiques, Dutch paintings and Belgian prices.  The selection of items is impressive for such a tiny country and prices are practically halved by what you might find in Paris or The Hague.

Brussels
In Brussels, I flock to the Place du Grand Sablon where weekends bring an uber-posh flea market on Saturdays from 9am-6pm and Sunday’s 9am – 2pm.  Diva’s wander the square, fine-tuning their international shopping skills as they search for ‘the perfect antique’.  Around the square, interior shops compete for attention with art and antiques galleries.  Though the flagship Flamant Interiors at Place du Grand Sablon 32 is not an antiques shop, I spend an incredible amount of time here, browsing and drinking free samples of Nespresso.  At # 39 is the Sablon Antiques Center, with 15 vendors and at least 50 items I want to take home.  

0 reactions to this article

Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.