Braderie Day 2

Sunday was the final day of our first Braderie. It was great, productive, but I'm glad it's only 2.5 days because we are tired. We bought four more chairs today and two more tables. It took two trips to carry all that back to our new apartment. Then we had to pick up the desk and rug we had bought on Saturday and get that back to the new place as well. We also picked up some glassware today, so we are feeling better about the gradual move to the new place. We've already ordered a refrigerator, washing machine, television, and a vacuum that will be delivered to the new place on Clay's birthday, 18 September. Our bed and a couple other items will be coming from IKEA; we've been out to their store twice already but will do the order online this next week. 

About the Broderie:  I look forward to it next year when we don't have to look for necessary items and can focus on all the unnecessary and interesting stuff. We ate mussels for two days in a row and they were delicious. It's a huge party mostly event for people under 30. That's fine and all, but I wish the city managed it better. At any event this size in the U.S. there would have been hundreds of port-a-johns. Here there were none. Consequently, public urination was rampant, especially down our little alley, even after someone broke through the construction barrier to the park under development next door. This event has taken place for hundreds of years, I can't believe they haven't figured this out yet. If you serve beer, you need to provide a place to pee. I like to pee outside as much as the next guy, but when I took Bailey out last night we saw at least two dozen young men pissing and about half as many women as well. I was very tempted to take pictures with the flash on my camera but it would probably have started a fight. Seriously, Lille could do better. However, on the plus side, I saw and heard of no violence and no shootings. I guess some public urination isn't a bad trade off. I'll take it, but it could be avoided with some better planning by the city. I can only hope for a good hard rain in the next day or two to wash it all away. 

Below are some more pictures of the thing we brought home today, and a couple of Bailey doing "ups" on the boulders in the nearby park. 

I'm glad that the drunks broke through the construction barrier on the end of our alley in one way because it gives us access to the nearest green space without going out on the streets through the crowds. 

Bailey has missed our walked in the Citadel for the last couple of days but we'll get back to it tomorrow.

This is the Porte de Paris

And here's the new things we picked up today.

The best buy of the sale may be this rug, approximately 5'x8' for 15€

Braderie de Lille 2025

The Braderie in Lille is Europe's largest flea market. It's an annual event that dates back hundreds of years. It started as a day when the city's wealthy residents permitted their servants to sell off their old clothes. Used clothing is still the most commonly sold item. 

In its current form the Braderie is essentially a massive sidewalk sale for retailers, but it's also an opportunity for antique dealers and collectors to sell their wares, and for individuals to hold what we would call a yard sale in a designated spot in town. There are thousands of vendors and a couple million potential buyers. It is also a big party event with music and copious amounts of food and drink. 

It appears to me that the food and drink have overtaken the flea market as the primary focus of the two day event. Bars and restaurants only have to close down for two hours during the night to give the city an opportunity to clean up the trash. I am writing this Saturday evening and the sound outside is deafening. I expect things will be much quieter on Sunday. 

We were very excited that the Braderie was happening after we arrived because we have a new apartment that needs to be furnished. We made a pretty good start on that today, buying a couple of chairs, tables, and a rug, as well as a few pots and pans for the kitchen. We will go out shopping again tomorrow and hope to add to our haul. The film crew that is documenting our move to Lille were with us again for much of the day. 

Bailey is not loving this. She still isn't fond of city crowds and traffic and it's ten times worse today. Actually the traffic is better, most of the streets in the old part of the city where we are have been closed down until Monday, but crowds are off the charts. 

Here are a few pictures from the event starting Friday evening, followed by a few of the things we bought on Saturday.

These guys reminded me of the flamingos I left behind in Virginia. 

I didn't buy them though. 

These native american figures surprised me.

What are they doing in France?

This vendor had nothing but garlic and smoked garlic. 

There's a huge carnival in town also.

All the bars and restaurants are packed around the clock.

This is the view outside the kitchen window from our new apartment.

And here are some of the items we bought today.

After selling, giving away, or trashing nearly everything that we owned, it was nice to be acquiring some new things today.

A place to call home

We've had a place to stay but have been feeling like nomads for the last month because we lacked an actual address and a place that we could say was ours. Most folks saw Clay's post from a few days ago about signing a lease on a new place. On Tuesday we actually got the keys and took possession of it. 

We have a month to actually move and that's good because the new place is unfurnished and we have only what we brought over with us in luggage. Typical of unfurnished apartments in France, this one lacks even some of the necessary appliances. A refrigerator is at the top of our list to buy, along with a bed. I expect we'll acquire those things within the next week and have them delivered. Clay has already arranged electrical service and we'll get a phone/internet/television package sometime soon as well. 

We have a two bedroom flat in an old mansion house, older even than our house in Palmyra. The Petipas de Walle hotel was built in 1778. Despite the name is was never what we would call a hotel, it was the private residence of some local noble. It's a scheduled monument and has its own Wikipedia page. There are eight units, six in the main house and two more in the gate house. It has been restored, but not quite back to its original splendor, so it has a bit of the decrepit European feel to it. Our place consists of three large rooms, a small kitchen, and another small room, and just one bathroom. It is more than enough space for us and Bailey and the 12 foot ceilings make it seem cavernous, at least until we get some furniture in there to make it look and feel lived in. 

It will be an adventure.

We are the left half of the second floor (which they call the first floor here), in the main house.

View of the main house and courtyard from inside the front gate.

View from across the street.

Staircase up to the first floor.

Dome above the staircase

This is the salon or the main room.

Office, second bedroom

Master bedroom

View of the courtyard and gatehouse from our windows.

Office/second bedroom. Each room has a fireplace, none are functional now.

This is a pantry or storage room. 

Bathroom does not fit the look of the building, but it's functional.

There's a lot of detail on the front of the building that doesn't really show well in photos.

The gatehouse from inside the courtyard looking out.

I could have lived in this if had been available.

Marble floor on the entry hall.

Detail of the front gate. This is plaster work. 

Original front gates, oak and iron.