Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
I would be more interested in shopping if all the shopping galleries looked like this one!
This is the famous shopping arcade in Brussels, Belgium!
I love Brussels - it's an incredible town full of amazing architecture. On my first couple of trips there, I was so mesmerized by their town square, Grand Place, that I am not sure I saw much else. I could literally stand there all day and just absorb the architectural awesomeness of the guildhalls that form the square. Trust me, it's awesome.
But when I returned a couple of years ago (and being interested in photographing as much as possible there, of course!), I did my research ahead of time and discovered this amazing arcade and luckily, it's just a couple of minutes on foot from Grand Place.
But on that trip, I was only able to get there during the daytime, and as such there were a lot of people milling about, which makes sense because it is a shopping arcade. People go there to shop. So I shot what I could, but I knew I wanted to return.
So late last year, I had the good fortune of returning to Brussels, and this place was very high on my list as a reshoot. I found a hotel that was a couple of blocks from Grand Place, and one morning I got up super early and got out to shoot while most of the town was still asleep.
It was still quite dark outside, and there were no people in my way, anywhere I went. It was great. I shot Grand Place and had it all to myself, and then wandered over here and grabbed the shots you see in today's post. Luckily there were some lights on in some of the shops, and they cast a great glow across the polished marble floors.
It was well worth the early rise for getting to shoot this spot. I'm a big fan of architecture, and I always enjoy it much more when I can stand somewhere that is usually packed with tourists, and shoot it without a single person walking into my shots.
The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert
I hate shopping. There, I said it. Shopping stinks, unless I am at a camera store, in which case it's great. Walking around in a shopping mall just sucks the life out of me. (Ok, mini-rant over.)
However - I do make exceptions. Take for example, The Royal Galleries of Saint Hubert in Brussels, Belgium. I'll go here anytime! Of course, I'm not there to shop - I'm there to fire brackets like a mad man.
Before I went to Brussels, I dug into the Stuck on Earth app (which is awesome BTW - and free!) to investigate spots I might want to "inspect a little closer". This one came up, and since it was right around the corner from Grand Place (their incredible town square), I figured I might as well take a look. It also happens to be a nice lead-in to the Rue de Bouchers, which I will get to another time, on another post.
Built in the mid-1800's in an Italian style and with a beautiful glass roof, the Galleries are occupied by high-end boutiques and cafes, and it's actually an excellent place to spend some time - though I can't comment on the shopping, since I didn't do any. :)