|
British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
|
Home Copyright
© |
La
Grande Braderie Last year we went by Eurostar to Lille for la Grande Braderie, a city-wide flea market which runs every year in the first weekend in September. It dates back to the early middle ages when, one weekend of the year, servants were allowed to sell articles and clothes unwanted by their masters. Today it covers several miles of pavement in the city centre. On the Friday we took the 08.39 Eurostar from Waterloo, arriving in Lille at 11.29 local time. We booked in at the Hotel Carlton not far from the Grande Place, a bit pricier than we normally use, but we had left booking up rather late. From the hotel across the road for the traditional mussels and chips (or should I be PC and call them French fries?) The wine was a bit of a con. It only became obvious when the bottle was empty that the bottom of it was over an inch thick. There was already much activity in the streets preparing for the Braderie which was not due to start until 3 o’clock the next afternoon. Posters reserving stalls were already in place. Sightseeing for the day over, we went to the Ecume de Mer, specializing in seafood and fish. It was not very prepossessing from the outside, but quite pleasant inside and good value for money. The next morning the hotel provided an excellent buffet breakfast: a wide spread of breads, croissants, cereals, cooked meats, cheeses (real and processed) fruit juice and coffee, as much as one wanted. Although it was still early, we were able to watch from the window as some of the stalls were already being set up. Out again for another walkabout. Although it was still early in the day, stalls were springing up everywhere, gradually easing out the traffic. They covered the whole range from out and out junk sold by enthusiastic amateurs to some very professional looking clothes and food stalls. Everything except Lille itself seemed to be on sale: toys, books and records, antiques, carpets and bric a brac, clothes old and new to swords, bayonets and even some old shotguns, I might have been tempted by the latter, but I doubt if I could have got them back into the UK. I suspect that some of them would not have stood up to modern cartridges. There was no way I wanted to find out the hard way. I stopped off on the way back for a couple of beers and to watch the world go by. The day was warm and sunny, which made crowd watching a pleasant pastime. One sign of the evening and night to come; the beer glasses had become plastic beakers overnight. We went out early that evening for a meal. By this time the streets were packed solid, making it difficult both to stay together and to make any progress. We finally made it to the Compostelle, a pleasant restaurant moderately priced but with good food. A couple of hours later the streets were still packed solid. At one point we were only able to make any progress by tagging along behind an emergency which was making its way through the crowd at a snail’s pace. The crowds started thinning out slowly after midnight, but the streets were still fairly busy. By 6.30 they were almost empty. After another good breakfast and vacating our room we spent a last morning sightseeing and shopping. The streets, which still bore the stains of the night before, soon filled again with hundreds of people going nowhere slowly. The Eurostar station was busy, many people carrying their loot from the Braderie. Proof, if any was needed, that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure For those
with a taste for such events the Braderie is well worth a visit. Lille
can be reached by Eurostar or, alternatively, is about a two hour drive
from the Eurotunnel terminal. As the Braderie is a popular event, hotels
should be booked well in advance. (Some regular visitors will book up
for the following year before they leave Lille.) First published in VISA issue 62 (Aug 2005) |