title The Christmas Markets of Brussels, Belgium - 1st January 2007 intro We head over via the Channel Tunnel to visit Jules and Pieter in Brussels for New Year's Eve. Over the few days we are there, we take a couple of trips out to visit various markets, including a continuing Christmas Market near the Grand Place in the heart of Brussels' old town, visit several bars and have a bike ride with Natan around the nearby Royal Park. imgp0444 Sophie the cat looks up imgp0450 Pieter in the kitchen imgp0458 The wine has good legs imgp0461 Jules and Isobel chat imgp9841 Nosher in the kitchen imgp0465 Natan on a bike imgp0467 A flower stall imgp0471 Kai, Jules and Isobel on the streets imgp0475 Kai looks at olives imgp0477 Nosher gets the Hairy Eyeball imgp0481 Pieter buys a red pepper imgp0484 Kai: The Baby Nosh imgp0486 A couple of fruit-and-veg sellers imgp0488 A random selection of fluffy slippers imgp0494 Uncovered tramlines imgp0497 A Brussels side street imgp0501 Kai in a push-chair imgp0508 A statue waves imgp0510 Just like Abbey Road imgp0514 A funky door imgp0515 Nosher in the garden imgp0521 Numi the kitten peers out from behind the fishtank imgp0525 A stripey kitten imgp0526 Natan plays with Numi the cat imgp0532 Cats cannot resist the power of string imgp0534 Isobel roams the garden imgp0539 An inflatable "Ice Monster" waits imgp0540 Crowds in a Brussels square imgp0543 Christmas market imgp0546 A rug seller imgp0547 An old-style carousel imgp0551 There's a scrum at a market shed imgp0558 Waffles are put out to cool imgp0560 Confusion at the saucisson stall imgp0564 Waffle batter is poured into a waffle iron imgp0566 A crowd at Vandonghen waffles imgp0567 Customers wait for warm waffles imgp0568 Jules scoffs a waffle with cream imgp0573 A busking brass band imgp0577 Jules and Isobel munch on waffles imgp0579 Restaurant "Les Crustaces" imgp0581 A Brussels organ grinder imgp0585 A dog on a bench imgp0595 Kids on a great old-fashioned merry-go-round imgp0598 Isobel and Jules walk around imgp0599 Inside a cheese deli imgp0600 Satirical poster imgp0604 People wait to cross the road imgp0607 Heaving crowds near to the Grand Place imgp0608 A bit of classical busking imgp0611 The Grand Place imgp0614 Part of the L'Hôtel De Ville in the Grand Place imgp0617 Tourists on the Grand Place imgp0625 Nosher and the Grand Place in a disco mirror-ball imgp0627 Jules and Isobel wait for Nosher imgp0629 Graffiti imgp0631 Brussels' famouse Manneken Pis statue imgp0632 Near the Manneken Pis, Santas climb the walls imgp0636 Isobel passes a flower shop imgp0638 Illuminated trees imgp0640 Nosher in a bar imgp0648 A Brussels bar imgp0649 Posters on the wall imgp0653 Stacked café chairs imgp0655 Warm light from a church window imgp0657 A grand entrance arch imgp0660 More illuminated trees imgp0664 Isobel on a tram imgp0677 Back in the kitchen imgp0678 Pieter roams around the kitchen imgp0683 Over at Dirk and Anne-Mie's for dinner imgp0684 Dirk looks around imgp0686 Dirk serves up some sort of pudding creation imgp0689 Pieter plays a bit of piano imgp0697 Dirk waves a bottle of brandy around imgp0701 The view of Jules and Pieter's pad imgp0706 Nosher helps the boys with Scalextric imgp0714 Nosher and Natan play Scalextric imgp0735 Natan at the top of a small hill in Royal Park imgp0742 A pile of rusted metal imgp0745 Pieter helps Natan learn wheelies imgp0752 Natan pushes his bike through the woods imgp0757 We find a derelict building in Royal Park imgp0758 Derelict building and graffiti imgp0759 A heavily graffiti'd garage door imgp0760 There's not much of the roof left imgp0761 Pieter peers through a hole in the wall imgp0762 Inside the derelict building imgp0763 Broken walls and a staircase to nowhere imgp0764 A message for the local constabulary imgp0766 Kai and Natan on the kitchen table imgp0774 Crowds under a blue light imgp0779 The Hôtel de Ville is all lit up imgp0780 Searchlights shine from a tower imgp0784 Pieter in a chocolate shop imgp0786 A grand building lit up in pink imgp0789 In another bar imgp0791 Isobel gets the beers in imgp0793 Isobel's ready for a sleep imgp0799 Bar life imgp0801 Isobel wakes up again imgp0809 Jaws translates badly as "Teeth of the Sea" imgp0813 Nosher makes a purple thing of Play Doh imgp0816 Natan shows off his swimming goggles imgp0819 Kai peers out of the cardboard Wendy House imgp0822 A Brussels post box imgp0828 Back on Le Shuttle under the Channel