Police using water cannons and tear gas on students at Place de la Bourse

Anyone knows what’s going on - I just saw big group of very young boys and girls running across Grand Place followed by police in riot gear. There’s a bunch of police on all sides of the square

During my European road trip in August, I spent some time wandering through Brussels with my camera.

What I enjoyed most was the city's mix of beautiful historic architecture and everyday street life. From the colorful decorations hanging above narrow streets to the impressive buildings around Grand-Place, there was always something interesting to photograph.

I also loved the smaller details along the way — the warm glow of a chocolate shop, the symmetry of the covered galleries, and the contrast between old and modern architecture.

Here are seven of my favorite frames from Brussels.

Camera: Fujifilm GFX 50S II
Lens: Fujinon GF 32–64mm f/4 R LM WR
Edited in: Adobe Lightroom

For those who live in Brussels, which lesser-known streets or neighborhoods would you recommend exploring with a camera?

Is there any shop where I can try on and buy a pair of Clarks here?

-> or if you know any good quality and comfortable pair of small heel shoes, I’d appreciate the lead.

Just want to be able to try them on before buying

Hello! We’re interested in buying an apartment in the area to be our home. We are a family of 4 with 2 kids ages 4 and 6. We walked around the neighbourhood and loved how quiet it seems to be! Also loved the park nearby.

For those living / have lived in Transvaal in Auderghem, how was your experience? How is the neighbourhood in terms of safety? How is the commute to town and the walk from the tram/metro at night? How are the schools around for the kids? :)

Received this email today. I am a former member of JIMS. The email wants me to click on a link. I think our data is leaked and they are trying to scam people. Be careful if you received the same

My family and I had an uncomfortable encounter in Saint-Gilles this evening, and I’m curious how others would have handled it.

We’re a Black American family with two young children. We’d been hanging out in a public square for a couple of hours while the kids played in the water feature. We were getting ready to leave when a woman sat right next to us and started smoking.

My partner made a comment to the friend we were with about the smoke, and before she could approach the smoking woman, the woman turned toward us and started shouting that she was free to smoke wherever she wanted because it was a public space.

My partner explained that she’d only wanted to ask if the woman could avoid smoking so close to our child.

Things escalated quickly. The woman started yelling that we weren’t in America anymore, shouted something in French, and my partner responded in French.

Then things took a turn. The woman made comments about Black people being aggressive, started claiming she was being attacked as a “white woman alone,” and accused us of racism against white people.

At that point, I stepped in and asked why she was making racist comments and then claiming to be the victim. I also tried to get my partner to walk away, but emotions were running high, and the verbal exchange continued.

What bothered me most was that our young children were frightened by the angry voices, while the smoking woman’s own older children seemed uncomfortable or embarrassed when she called them over to witness how she was supposedly being mistreated. She also started appealing to people nearby to support her version of events, even though they’d heard the exchange.

I understand that smoking is allowed in many outdoor public spaces, and nobody is necessarily obligated to move just because someone asks. But we hadn’t even gotten to the point of asking before she started shouting. And I genuinely don’t understand how a potential request about smoking near a child turned into comments about Black people being aggressive and accusations of racism against a, in her words, “white woman alone.”

I’m also aware that neither side handled the escalation as well as we could have. I wish we’d been able to walk away sooner, especially with our children there.

How would you handle something like this? Do you just walk away when someone starts making racial comments, or is there a point where you feel it’s important to challenge them or defend yourself? How do parents navigate these situations here in Brussels?

Hello, do you know of any security guard companies in Brussels, Dilbeek and the surrounding area that train their own agents, and where only French and English are required?
(Except Securitas)
Thanks in advance!

Does anyone have any idea why was there a lot of smoke in Rue Haute near place de la Chapelle today? I heard some people talking about a fire and heard a lot of fire trucks as well.

People who love pumpkin spiced latte, where do you go get yours in Brussels? And why do you think it is the best?

Hello people! 😅
It’s my second time in Brussels! The first time I only stayed for two days, but this time I’ll be here for a whole week because of work meetings.
Any recommendations for places to shop, especially outlet malls or shopping centres with good prices? 👀
Thank you all! 🙌

Hello! Do you have any recommendations for a place that cleans suede shoes like UGGs?

Thank you!

Hi! I couldn’t find any info about possible y2k second hand shops in Brussels, any recommendations? It does not have to be spesific curated y2k collections, just trift store which has also clothes/bags from that era and not only recent or much older vintage clothes and purses.

hey,

i’m wondering where i could find a vegan (piece) of carrot cake in Brussels?

thank you!

With all those coffee bars everywhere, are there any tea houses or at least bars with a decent tea selection where us tea drinkers can go to?

Hi everyone,

I am planning to relocate to Leuven soon with my family and wanted to reach out to this community for some guidance.

My wife has around 4 years of experience in Software QA Automation. As we plan the move, we’re trying to get a sense of the local job market:

How is the current demand for QA Automation engineers in and around Leuven/Brussels?

Are English-speaking roles common in tech, especially while she picks up conversational Dutch/French?

Which job boards, local tech communities, or recruitment agencies would you recommend for software testing roles?

Any insights, tips, or experiences you can share would be immensely helpful! Feel free to drop a comment or DM me.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Due to a family emergency me and my wife will not be able to attend the Odyssey 70mm Imax Screening in the Kinepolis Brussels. want to gift them away. Its early in the morning at 9:45 on Sunday 18.10 Write me a DM and I will send it to you. First come first serve!

Edit : Reserved for 12hours until I get an answer

Edit2: I gifted them away thanks for keeping this up Have fun at the screening

As the title says, police helicopters (maybe just the same one), are trolling around Evere for the past few hours mostly ciring in the same area. Anyone know what's going on? Wtf are they looking for?

I currently have hair extensions both tape and bonded keratin and need to do a refill soon (lift the extensions up). Any affordable, professional places in Brussels?? How much should i expect to pay? Thank you 🙏🏼

I’m pregnant with my first child. I’ve been offered a spot in an ONE creche. But the place isn’t until September, and I go back to work in May so it’s not ideal. But I’m worried I won’t get anything else. If I say yes to this will I then be off the list for all other ONE creches? I can’t afford private.

Hello😊would you have any suggestions for a restaurant in Brussels to celebrate my 30th birthday? I can also go outside Brussels if really worth it . Thank you !

Which route would you suggest for this year? It is a nice event but tough to make the right choices as i always ended up waiting in the cold dor hours then not getting into the ones i picked cause it was too late
Thanks!!

Dear all,

I’m not sure whether this is the right sub for this question, I’m also not sure how to properly describe this situation.

I’m looking for advice regarding my current living situation. I’m 23 years old, I work at 80% capacity (70% as of next month) while pursuing an MSc in evening classes. I live with my father, but our home situation is becoming too unsafe.

To keep it short, my dad is psychologically very abusive, and has been so my entire life. Lately, his behaviour has been getting out of control, and our fights are now physical. I’m looking to move out asap, which feels impossible because housing prices in Brussels are incredibly high.

Because I’m a studying, I qualify for student housing. However, I have two cats, which my father has been threatening me with (i.e. he threatens to throw them out). To my knowledge, dorms generally do not allow any pets.

I make around 2.1k net today at 80% capacity and because I do not have a drivers license, it would be better for me to remain in Brussels.

I’m not looking for any monetary support, just genuine advice on what to do next.

My question for you is the following:
1) what are my options right now? What can I do in the event that my dad does actually throw my cats out?
2) with a net income of 2.1k, how much rent can I actually afford in Brussels without burning through my savings or living paycheck to paycheck ?
3) are there any cohousing/dorms that do actually allow for pets?

Thank you all in advance for your support. I’m happy to give some extra context or answer any questions.