Back in Brussels

Our explorations this morning took us to The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert which is a glazed shopping arcade in Brussels that preceded other famous 19th-century shopping arcades such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and The Passage in St Petersburg. It has twin regular façades with glazed arcaded shopfronts separated by pilasters and two upper floors, all in an Italianate Cinquecento style, under an arched glass-paned roof with a delicate cast-iron framework. Notice the specialty glove shop and the diamond broach caught my attention.

Coming out of the Galeries we rounded a corner and stumbled upon

The Grand Place which is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square is the most memorable landmark in Brussels and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Turn another corner and there stands the Cathedral of St Michael.
A chapel was probably built on this hill as early as the 9th century. In the 11th century it was replaced by a Romanesque church. St. Michael and St. Gudula are the patron saints of the city of Brussels.

In the thirteenth century, two round towers were added. Followed by the building of a Gothic collegiate church in 1226. The choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276. It took about 300 years to complete the entire church and was completed in 1519.