1.4.07

CYBER CRUISE - MIDI MARKET IN BRUSSELS

Sir Arthur and Lady Pookie my cruise companions are ready to go with you to the market ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

And off we go to the Midi Market in Brussels. Keep your handbag safe, there are pickpockets ! No other dangers.

The Midi market is reputed to be the biggest in Europe behind Ventimiglia on the Italian Riviera! On average 450 stand holders (mostly Morrocans) sell here their wares, mainly foodstuffs and clothes of all varieties and prices. The market takes place all around the Midi train station. It is very easy to reach by public transport (underground, train, tram, bus), but also for car drivers to get to, due to the new immense (paying) car park that has been opened in this area . So many office blocks have grown like mushrooms around here! Each sunday the market opens at dawn and closes around 2 pm.

As the weather was so sunny I thought we could do a walk over there, I hadn't been at the midi market since at least 25 years ! And then only when we had visitors from abroad.

I took the train at Waterloo station (not in London, but here in Belgium) and went to the "Gare du Midi" which means "South Station" . This is the most important station of Brussels where all international trains arrive. It only takes 20 min with the train from Waterloo to Brussels and on sundays there are special prices so I only payed 3.50 € (!) for a return ticket, without having any parking problems. In the parkhouses I would have payed more then the double as they are quite expensive. Usually during the week you would pay for a train ticket 5 € and 7 € with return.

The market is really around the station. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

click on the pictures to make them bigger Image Hosted by ImageShack.us The first stand when we come out of the station, thermos, coffee machines and other household machines and instruments Image Hosted by ImageShack.us All kind of spices from the whole world you can find her and you will see many Chinese, Japonese, Indians, Arabs etc. here to buy the spices of their country. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us You also have DVDs of all musics of the world, Arabic and Japonese, Indian and English etc. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us There are a lot of Moroccans here in Brussels, about 400 000, which in total has around 2,090,000 inhabitants. Certainly 80 % of the stands are helt by Moroccans or Turks. There is also a Turkish community in Belgium.

When I walked through the market I thought that I see here more women with scarfs then I had seen in Morocco or Turkey. These are Moroccinian teapots. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us The traditional pot to make Couscous Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Fruits vegetables, fish, meat everything you wish ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Potatoes Image Hosted by ImageShack.us a Moroccinian dad with his son Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Jeans, trousers, dresses, cardigans, T-shirts whatever you want. I bought Jeans (stretch) for 5 € (a little more then 5 $) ! And they are very comfortable, I wear them every day ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Fashion jewlery, but also silver and watches Image Hosted by ImageShack.us "Italian" leather shoes for sometimes less then 10 € ! A friend of mine bought some real leather shoes for 4 € and they are really nice.

Sometimes I wonder if these things haven't "fallen" off a truck ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us I am not in Morocco, I am at the Midi Station in Brussels ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us I am sure you all know Tintin with his dog Milou, which has been translated into "Snowy" for the English speaking people.

Tintin was "born" in Brussels and here you see the office building where all decisions are taken. Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Cheap, cheaper, the cheapest !

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Now we can rest a little and have one of the Brussel's hot waffels. They taste phantastic and are often sold in these kind of cars.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us This woman tried to haggle as it is the use in her country, but here is nothing to do, she had to pay the price !
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us We are now back to the Station and if you wish you can take a box of belgian "Godiva" pralines with you !

I hope you enjoyed your walk through the crowd ! Sometimes you really can get squeezed ! Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Our M/S Lifecruiser Cyber cruise continues, my hat parade too, schedule here

16 comments:

Raggedy said...

Thank you for taking us to market with you.
The pictures are fabulous!
Have a wonderful day!
*^_^
(=':'=) hugs
(")_ (")Š from
the Cool Raggedy one

Anonymous said...

rebonjour Gattina! thanks for your visit on my space this morning! I love the big markets! The Lifecruiser adventure continues here in Brussel at the market! Houahhhhh the biggest market of Europe! I knew this one of Vintimiglia in Italia and not yours in Brussel! I 've many euros with me cause i must buy new clothes for the spring! My cabin will be to small with my shopping!

Anonymous said...

I must say my errand before I go out on the market:

Congratulations to being the winner of the hat parade :-D

Send me your address in an email and you'll receive the crazy real prize!

Don't miss the new port tomorrow - Iceland - or the new event on Wednesday - 1 photo from somewhere you've been and have strong memories from - beautiful or whatever.

Irish Church Lady :) said...

Hey Congratulations on winning the crazy hat parade contetst! I haven't even been to Capn LC's yet! You were my first Cyber Cruiser stop today.

I bought some lovely things at the market including a Coucous maker (I couldn't resist), some jeans also (thanks for the tip), and of course some fresh veggies!

BTW I see pookie borrowed my RASTA hat and she looks marvelous!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday Gattina. I'm off to see if Racquel has her mountains up yet!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a BIG market indeed! My poor feet! And back! And arms - from all the bags I'm carrying around now!

Most of them is FULL of food stuff you know. After all it was lunch time and I can't go shopping in the lunch time because I'm too hungry and always pick up too much delicious things then!

Hootin Anni said...

Oh lordy, lordy Gattina!!!
I never had so much fun...

I just hope customs will let me bring some of that all back to the ship!

What a wonderful, fabulous market....I foundered on everything.

Those waffles? Can't be beat. Terr-r-r-r-r-ific!!!

*picture Hootin' Anni waddling back on deck now....she gained weight, to be sure*

Hootin Anni said...

PS ---congratualtions on the hat parade win....very deserving. I can't wait to see the prize Captain L has conjured up for you.

RennyBA said...

First of all congrats as the winner of the hat parade - you deserve it!

You know I'm often in Brussels, but walking around with was much more fun, educating, exciting and even less expensive LoL I forgot to buy Italian leather shoos when I was in Rome last week, so thanks for the tip!
Good to take us to the Godiva kiosk too - it's always nice to bring some nice home to my sweetheart:-)

TorAa said...

I bought 5 bags full of every kind of stoff. Very cheap. And two dizens of Godiva boxes.
But what was cheap on the market, cost me a fortune on the airport. ¤o kg overweight.;)))

Thanks for your wonderful guidance!

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness that we had a local to show us where the bargains were! £5 for jeans!!!??

Rachelle said...

Cool beans!
My mother and father in law lived in Turkey for years. I love their copper stuff! And I love the rug my hubby got.
Take care and visit soon!
Slainte~
Rachelle

Jenny McB said...

What great pictures! I really want to go in real life someday!

Melli said...

Ohhhhh my goodness! I can totally understand why you haven't been there in 25 years! I'm sURe there are fabulous deals -- but oh, those crowds! I can not stand to be shopping in crowds like that! I avoid them like the plague! I would like one of those warm belgian waffles though..... maybe you will cook one for me! (ooooo... maybe I mean Mr. Gattino will!) *G* Thank YOU Gattina for showing this MOST interesting tour! By the way... WHERE is the hat stand?

Anonymous said...

Lovely Market. No dead rabbits like the one I visited in london the other day. Although I imagine the Cats would like that.

Unknown said...

Congratulaffffns on winning ffffe crafffy hat parade - well befferffed!(Ooooops, sorry!I can hardly talk with a dozen of Godiva´s in my mouth!!! *yum*)

Next try: Congratulations on winning the crazy hat parade - well deserved ;)

I´m thankful for Cyber Banks - to get Cyber money. I shopped till I dropped! Thanks for the great fun-tour!

Es tut mir leid, dass ich so spät dran bin. Unser DSL spielt verrückt... ich konnte gestern Nacht noch posten, aber die Verbindung ist "in Australien" zusammengebrochen - bis grade eben.

Ich finde es super, wie günstig die Zugfahrten in Belgien sind. Wir sind mal von Mol nach Antwerpen zum Zoo gefahren. Alle zusammen für einen Zehner. Wahnsinn. Ich zahle 7,70 für ein paar Kilometer =(

Das Wetter hier ist auch superschön. Heute Nachmittag waren wir auf einem Mittelalterlichen Stadtfest... und haben ein Picknick in der Sonne gemacht. Eigentlich finde ich schade, dass wir keinen Garten haben - nur nicht, wenn´s ums Rasen mähen geht ;-)

Danke nochmal für die schöne Tour! Hat viel Spass gemacht!

Vlado&Toni said...

Hi Gattina, thanks for this nice post, I want to go to Midi Market too and get some real bargains! The first time we went to Brussels by car we got lost and found ourselves somewhere where it didn't look like western Europe, that was really surreal, like in the twilight zone,up to now we still don't know where that was, husband drove as fast as possible to get away from it.. (the next couple of times we went there, we still got lost but not this in part anymore). Which part is that actually, would you happen to know? There were many orientals or all of it. I am not so sure.