The month started out in the mid 70’s to 80’s with flowers still prolific in the parks. We always spend more time exploring in good weather and never fail to find something new. Good example is this restoration shop that we passed restores a variety of instruments with cellos, violins and other string instruments.
The Grande Braderie is on the first weekend of the month and we’ve covered it every year. There were a couple of days before the weekend that rained like all-get-out that we thought might ruin the event, but the weekend was beautiful in the high 70’s. There are always huge preparations going on from businesses, restaurants, cafés and bars to get ready for the huge crowds that will flow into town. And, of course, lines of people trying to get into restaurants and cafés.
Known as the biggest flea market in Europe, the Braderie attracts 2 to 3 million visitors in central Lille. Streets are filled with mortar-business vendors selling everything from closing-out-stock on home goods, clothing, toys, books and furniture. The second-hand vendors cover absolutely everything imaginable and we’ve seen carousel animals, car doors, vintage canvas posters, instruments vast in size and age, antique medical paraphernalia, mammoth chandeliers, canoes.
The streets are packed with people toting their finds, including the beers in plastic cups sold along the way, passing acres of tables filled with people eating the all popular mussles and fries (moules-frites). Restaurants dump mountains of the empty shells on tarps, as they compete to see who has sold the most mussels. G and I were never favorites of mussels until we sat down to eat them at our first Braderie. Now they go hand in hand like beer and bratwurst at an Octoberfest. This year we ate at Sympa, a wonderful place that has been open a year now. I had mussels in a white wine broth with onion, celery and herbs. G had mussels in an incredible chorizo broth with large tasty chunks of Spanish chorizo.
We also saw people eating a variety of other things as they walked along the crowds. The streets are also filled with bands and other musicians so it makes for a very large party atmosphere throughout town. It is crazy and never boring but as the bars are allowed to stay open until 4 am, it does make for a very long weekend.
We had hoped that they would have removed the golden monoliths from the Lille 3000 festival because they took up so much space on the sidewalks but they kept to the tradition of keeping them up for a year. As Braderie came and went, the streets were cleared and cleaned, the weather began to change, with a few more torrents of rain followed by a drop of temperatures to the low 60’s.
The Universities were back in session; there are four in Lille as well as 5 colleges. This brought out the bands that we have surmised are required to perform for a number of public concerts. Some are a little rough around the edges (after all, they ARE practicing) but some are really very good. We are lucky to have a balcony that overlooks the plaza so that we can enjoy these impromptu performances.
Then of course, after everyone has returned from their August vacations, the return to daily life, school and work, also brings the political protests. A solid part of the culture here, the protests are usually more along the lines of a community parade sans floats, usually very peaceful and short. We also got to catch up with some returning friends, Bret and Caren, who are often gone on cruises and they regaled us with their adventures. They’re the buddies that talked us into joining them next month for a trip to Kenya.
Otherwise our time was spent on doctor appointments, shopping, cleaning – all of the mechanics of life. Our friend Ana, who opened her own kiosk restaurant – Mexicanas – in March, has participated in a few festivals – a LOT of work and the food is fabulous. The video below is of everyone celebrating Mexico’s independence day on Sept 16 in front of her kiosk. Her mother was visiting for a month and we were the glad recipients of her molé poblano. We bought enough to keep a half a year’s supply in the freezer. Mexican food is not plentiful here and good is hard to find.
And these were the highlights of the month for us as we slide into Fall.
Hope all is well with you and yours !
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