Crowded, disorganised and dirty! We visited this flea market…read moreon a Sunday morning and it was incredibly crowded and hard to move around. There were queues everywhere, it was grimy and there lots of stall selling low quality merchandise. Quite disappointing!!

This place is amazing. Well for me at least. It had everything. It had clothes that were cheap but…read morestill looked like it was new or still in good condition. You can find stuff from your head to toe like hats, shirts, sweaters, jackets, jogging pants, pants, boots and shoes, sneakers, some traditional clothing, even underwear and socks; they had it all. Aside from the clothing, I also loved the food section. They were selling fresh produce like vegetables and different kinds of olives. There were also some fruits like berries and bananas. But wait, they didn't stop there. They also had cooked food like rotisserie chicken (they're so yummy and not too expensive), some thai food, chinese food, cooked rice, ribs, oh my gosh I just want to buy all their food. It's definitely a place to check out.

It's the main market square in front of the Cloth Hall in Ieper (Ypres). The square itself may not…read morebe that impressive at first glance. It's the architecture of the buildings around it that make it appealing. You'll also see memorials such as the ones that commemorate French & Polish soldiers that died defending Ieper in WWI. You may even spot a bronze "Lost Key" embedded in a cobblestone while walking around the square. It's part of a public art installation memorializing civilians who lost their lives during the bombing. Our visit was on a Saturday. That's when the parking lot is turned into a farmer's market. This market has been a weekly tradition that dates back to medieval times. There were many people coming and going throughout our time there. Do be careful when walking across the streets near the square. The traffic flows freely around it. There were no pedestrian crosswalks while we there in May 2026. We did see cars and bikes whipping around blind corners without slowing down. Just something to be aware of as a pedestrian. We had lunch at the Dépot after our visit to the "In Flanders Fields" Museum. It was such a great meal. There were so many great food options to choose from when exploring the area. The Peter de Groote Chocolatier was a great last minute stop for chocolate before heading back to Zeebrugge. It was our first time visiting the Flemish side of Belgium. It turned out to be a very memorable experience. I totally recommend it to anyone interested in WWI history and Flemish culture.

Okay, this may be another of the many market squares found scattered across Europe, however the…read morething that caught my attention when I was here at least was that they had a very festival atmosphere with rides and food stalls. In fact I wasn't sure whether this was a short term festival or whether this was something that was going on, at least for the summer. Come night the entire place filled with people and in fact it was pretty difficult trying to find a seat after grabbing something to eat. It was definitely an experience, though I didn't go as far as going on one of the rides.

My first marché in France!…read more It's small but it's literally up the escalators from the metro station, which is super convenient as you don't have to carry heavy things for too long. I had bought a kilo of potatoes from some old man who was clearly on his period and wasn't too enthusiastic selling me his stuff. I found one English-speaking vendor and I bought all my fruits and veggies from him, who was directly in front of "grumpy man". The face on grumpy man after he saw how much I bought was priceless! I then saw these beautiful plant vendors and as I learned quickly, French people love their plants! A couple of brothers were nice and sweet enough to recommend me a plant for my room. They suggested I'd buy lavender so my small room can smell great. Boy were they right! 2 months later, my plants are doing well and I love them so much!