Kids in a Candy Shop

Kids in a Candy Shop

By S. Buckmaster

Strolling the streets of a city that’s seen centuries of life tops my list of travel pleasures. I do it in Paris, Madrid, London, and elsewhere, but nowhere is this proposition tastier than in Brussels. Chocolate is the reason why. Small, handsomely appointed shops selling freshly crafted chocolates—some with heavy-cream fillings—are everywhere. So I walk, I window-shop, I people-watch, I nibble: white-chocolate-covered coffee-cream bonbons...hazelnut mousse enrobed in rich dark chocolate...old-favorite milk chocolate caramels. And I am not alone. I watch and smile as people young and old stop to buy little bags of personally picked little treats, then munch while in motion. We are all like kids in a candy shop, enjoying chocolates so satisfying that two or three are plenty. At least for the moment.