Chocolate has been a tradition in the Galler family since as early as 1930. In 1995 the business was even appointed a purveyor to the Belgian court. It was Jean Galler who, in cooperation with the well-known comic-strip artist Philippe Geluck, created a very special Belgian souvenir by combining chocolate and comics with each other: The knobbly cat's tongues are now considered classics in the assortment - likewise the popular little chocolate bars, which are available in 23 varieties.
Known as the chocolate capital of the world, Brussels is filled with sweet confection shops. Mary's Chocolatier lives up to its city's standards and has some of the best chocolate creations around. Established in 1919 by Mary Delluc along the Rue Royal on the route to the palace, this legendary shop was beloved by the king himself as well as nobels and other royals. Today people travel far and wide for Mary's famous confections. Delicious hand-painted chocolates, caramels, truffles, bars, and more can be found. Grab yourself one of their beloved boxes in order to sample Mary's sweet treats.
Waterstone's was the first English-only bookstore in Brussels. It sells a large selection of magazines and newspapers from the United States and United Kingdom. The first floor is filled with cookbooks, novels, maps and a very extensive selection of travel and tourism books representing many different places throughout the world. They also have a book called Hints for Living in Belgium by the North American Woman's Club.
La Boîte à Musique is situated near the Palace of Fine Arts, with good reason. The presence of culture cannot be denied here, but the definition of culture is rather restrictive: you will only find classical music. This shop is run by the de Wouters d'Oplinter family, son Bertrand is in charge of the small record label Pavane, specializing in classical music. The shop's collection is very large and prices are very reasonable.