WICKED' is not a word I would associate with Brussels. Brussels is fashion-conscious but friendly . . . a bit like France without the Gallic arrogance. 'Wicked', though? Never. But then, I am not an 11-yearold girl standing in the Grand Place watching a four-tiered chocolate fountain pumping away.

Belgium is a great place for a family weekend. As in most countries on mainland Europe, the locals seem to actually like children and not to mind, too much, if they run around the traffic-free Grand Place like hyperactive hyenas. My wife and I had stopped for a beer outside Victor Hugo's house. It seemed a perfect way to take in draughts of culture and alcohol in equal measure and admire the unbroken roofline of the baroque guildhouses lining the square. Time to sit down, get out the guidebook and let the two kids off the leash. It wasn't long before they were back.

Right next to Hugo's house they'd found one of Brussels' many chocolate boutiques.

This one belongs to Neuhaus, which has been seducing the world with its wares since 1857. Livvie and John had already barged in, been asked not to stick their fingers in the fountain, and gazed through the glass floor at a display of highlypolished, 19th-century chocolate-making machinery. Now they were on their way to Godiva, where a very beautiful young woman named Sophie was dipping strawberries with infinite grace into thick dark chocolate.

"Are those free samples?" asked the everhopeful Liv. I ushered my offspring out, laughing with phoney heartiness, and gave them both a lecture. "We have not come here to buy chocolate." But we did, of course. With all the major Belgian chocolatiers around the Grand Place, it's hard to leave without a pile of giftboxes.

Then it was on to the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. 'Find out how cocoa is grown and watch a demonstration by a master chocolate-maker, ' said the guidebook. And from there to the Planete Chocolat Tea Room . . . 'price includes hot chocolate and praline tasting!'

Delicious. . .

Belgian Tourist Office: www. belgiumtheplaceto. be

OTHER CHOCOLATE DESTINATIONS. . .

Visit the Musee du Chocolat (www. lemuseeduchocolat.com) in Biarritz in the French Basque country for an educational (and sinful) chocolate experience. Lots of exhibits about the history of chocolate-making plus nibbles at the end. In nearby Bayonne, the city's Jewish chocolatiers keep up the their tradition.

Check out Daranatz and Cazenave, under the arcades of the Hotel de Ville.

Florian's on St Mark's Square in Venice has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the best cafes in the world.

Inside this 18th century gem, complete with frescoed walls and red velvet upholstery, sit back and enjoy the view while sipping a cup of their special signature hot chocolate . . .

about �?�9 a throw . . . and traditionally served with cream piled thick on top of the dark liquid nectar.

For a breakfast or midmorning snack throughout Spain, but particularly in the cities, try the calorie-laden churros, long pieces of fried dough, dipped, if your digestion can take it, into a cup of hot chocolate. As James Michener wrote . . . "any nation that can eat churros and chocolate for breakfast is not required to demonstrate its courage in other ways"!

Roslyn Dee