Aunt Anna's hidden jewels in Brussels

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Guest writer: Anna Nilsson Spets

Yep, I live here, not in Brussels but about an hour away. Fourteen years ago I followed my heart and left everything and Sweden, that was on 1 April, that says it all. 

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There are many hidden jewels in Brussels, places that are not frequented by the usual tourist who prefers to watch the Peeing Boy or the Grand Place. 

My favourite is Marollen, the city's oldest district, which lies between the majestic Palace of Justice and the sleepy Station South.  

The Marolles have an interesting history dating back to the Middle Ages when monasteries were built here and the Order of Friars worked to help the poor in the area.  

Shortly before the Second World War many emigrants arrived in the area; Spaniards and Polish Jews. Since then, there has always been a mixture of different nationalities and they actually have their own dialect. It is a mixture of the Brabant dialect and Walloon, with elements of Spanish and Yiddish. Otherwise, it is mostly French you hear. 

Most of Marollen revolves around Vossenplein/Place du jeu de Balle; the square. Under the square itself is a large WWII shelter, fully equipped with toilets, washing facilities and beds. The shelter is now a protected cultural heritage site. 

At the beginning of the 20th century there was a public shower facility here, which was moved to another building in 1949. 

Vossenplein is home to the flea market, which has been running since 1873. 

The flea market is open every day between 9-14, weekends until 15.00. 

This is where the 17-year-old Tintin bought the model of the Unicorn ship at the beginning of the comic book The Secret of the Unicorn. Tintin is big here, a national hero who has even been in court. The court case concerned the book Tintin in the Congo and its colonial elements. The Belgian advance in the Congo is still an open wound. 

You can probably call the flea market an optimal folk festival, around 300 vendors and you can find just about EVERYTHING. Prices are quite high. 

In the square, anything can happen, Roma playing happy music and inviting people to dance I sing along. 

However, I wish I could have bumped into the world-famous jazz musician Toots Thielemans, who was born here and stayed true to his Marollen.  

Eating, well a typical market dish is the caracol, a sea whale horn shell cooked in a spicy broth.  

Or why not our almost-national dish, mussels with frittjes and a mountain of mayonnaise. The Belgians can't live without their mayo. This stew, however, is homemade. We eat mussels as often as Swedes eat meatballs, every household has its own recipe. Mine too. 

Around the flea market there are many cafés, a café in Belgium is not a coffee shop with a lot of good cakes and buns, think pub instead. It is part of everyday life here, that you take a pintje, a beer and we have plenty of that. 

The story goes that just after the Second World War, hardship was severe and it is said that café owners let people sleep in their cafés. They would hang a cable over the table where the night patrons could put their arms over and have a night of suspended rest.  

Do you like murals and graffiti? There are plenty of them. 

Marollen is a multi-ethnic stew, its streets lined with shops selling food from all corners of the world. Hip antique shops and galleries are mixed with even more cafés. It's shabby, worn and no high-income earners live here, but there's no lack of pulse. 

If you are an early riser on a Sunday, there is a big market at Station Zuid/Station Syd, the market is called Zuidmarkt and runs between 7-14.  

An extremely large market with food from the Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean countries.  

Of course, our local products are also sold.  

Clothes, household items and plants by the minute, fruits that you don't even know the name of. 

It's a messy market and the basic rule among sellers seems to be "shout the loudest and sell the most". 

Brussels is big, the Marolles is just one of the many exciting places to visit. 

Goodbye! (See you!) 

Getting to the Marolles and Zuidmarkt in Brussels

• Car: Preferably not, very difficult to find parking.
• Subway or bus: About 11 minutes from the centre.
• On foot: Walking from the centre takes about 20 minutes.
• Hop on hop off buses: Stops at Marollen.

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Anna Nilsson Spets

60+ year old lady with a lifelong love for Africa. Emigrated to Flanders in Belgium and works with plants on a daily basis. Writes, takes photos and tries to inspire others to budget travel on their own. Blogs on "Anna's mix" about travelling, work, plants, writing and much more.

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