THE MIDI MARKET IN BRUSSELS

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, food, parfums, beauty things, household items, flowers and clothes etc. of all varieties and prices. The market takes place all around the Brussels'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 I could do a walk over there, I hadn't been at the midi market since at least 25 years ! And then only because 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 3.80 € (!) for a return ticket, without having any parking problems. In the parkhouses I would have payed more than the double as they are quite expensive.


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The first stand when you come out of the station sells thermos, coffee machines and other household appliences.

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All kind of spices from the whole world you can find here and many Chinese, Japonese, Indians, Arabs etc. come here to buy the spices of their country.

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You also have DVDs of all musics of the world, Arabic and Japonese, Indian and English etc.

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A lot of Moroccans live 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.

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The traditional pot to make Couscous

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Fruits vegetables, fish, meat everything you wish !

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Potatoes

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Jeans, trousers, dresses, cardigans, T-shirts whatever you want. I bought Jeans for 5 € (a little more than 5 $) ! And they are very comfortable, I wear them every day !

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Fashion jewlery, but also silver and watches

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"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 !

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I am not in Morocco, I am at the Midi Station in Brussels !

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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.

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Cheap, cheaper, the cheapest !

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You 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.

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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 !

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Back to the Station you can take a box of Belgian "Godiva" pralines with you !