Entry No. 12: Braderie de Lille // French + Belgian Coast
I am back, relaxed and rested from a whirlwind weekend that was Braderie de Lille in northern France. I really wish I would have taken more photos to share but we were so engrossed with shopping that I sadly neglected my little Nikon for most of the weekend. I snapped the shot above because I was toying with the idea of buying that old window casing from a French building ... I would have loved to have turned it into a mirror or a chalkboard - wouldn't that be fun? It would be beautiful holding a Menu sign at a wedding or any event, non? For some very stupid reason, I didn't even inquire about it and am now having a case of minor regret.
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the glorious food ... I shared a freshly-steamed pot of mussels at every single meal and was in heaven with a Stella on the side. Perfection! It was the first time I had ever tried mussels and I can honestly say I am now happily addicted! The photo above is from a little seaside cafe we discovered on our way out of town in De Panne, Belgium ... the mussels were cooked in a curry sauce and omg, best.meal.ever! The Sangria was a fantastic touch, too. ;o) Warmed us right up from the coastal chill!
We heard that all the restaurants in Lille compete for the highest stack of mussel shells during the weekend festivities ... We probably added a pound of shells to that stack pictured above!
We were so close to the coast, we couldn't resist a trip to Dunkerque, France and De Panne, Belgium ... just to say we've visited the North Sea if nothing else. It was refreshing to see the sea again ... I've missed it. And that sweet little lamb greeted us on the way out of town. We were stopping at a local grocery to load up on yummy Belgian beers and he came over to greet us with a song of 'Bleeehs' ... I wanted to take him home with me! Look at that sweet face!
Okay, so you're probably wondering what treasures I ended up getting at Lille? Unfortunately, I didn't buy all that much as I just didn't see what I was looking for. I did buy two awesome bottles {one dreamy aqua-coloured seltzer bottle and an old Sirop bottle from Paris} ... a few vintage candy tins ... a pair of Paris-stamped opera glasses .. an Italian alabaster lamp {which I've been looking for forever!} ... and my favorite piece ... what I *think* is the footboard to an antique twin bed:
You may be wondering why on Earth would I buy such a random piece? Well, I have big plans! I want to hang this beauty above our antique cast-iron bed {like a pediment} and drape some gorgeous material underneath to create a canopy effect. I think when I'm done, it will look fabulous!
And I just had to share this amazing French street sign I picked up a few weeks ago at another French flea market ... and my favorite part? It's from Paris ... I finally have an 'authentic' souvenir from the streets of Paris ... literally!! ;o) I love the rust, too ...
What is your favorite flea market find so far? Do share!!
Braderie de Lille Ratings
Size ............................................ A+
The fair is said to boast almost 9,000 vendors and around 100km of stalls.
Not too shabby. Definitely enough turf to fill a weekend of shopping.
It certainly did for us!
Selection of antiques ...................... B
98% of what we saw certainly wouldn't be found in a museum or castle ...
which doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad selection but having been to a handful
of French flea markets, this one was and is my least favorite.
Fairness of pricing ....................... C
I really think the Braderie de Lille has become such a huge event
that it has succumbed to being a tourist trap ... which unfortuntely means
ridiculous prices. I actually had a hard time not scoffing and/or laughing
when I heard some of the prices {and I flea market almost every weekend in
Europe so I'm definitely in the know on the going rates}.
Friendliness of vendors ................ B
Like all flea markets, there was a mixture of moods and dispositions.
There were a few snooty vendors but there were also some very sweet vendors
we enjoyed buying from and even joked around a bit ... the laughter and smiles
outshined the negative.
Entertainment value ...................... A++
One of our favorite things to do at Lille was enjoy a bucket of mussels and Stella
while watching all the goings-on ... people watching was premium
here. So many different styles and backgrounds coming together.
Images by moi.
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EUROPEAN {HONEYMOON} TRAVEL
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