Marché de la Batte
Setting up the @ellopentax account has taken a lot of time this week, so it feels like ages I haven't posted anything. Hopefully it is all for the best; we'll see...
With its 5M yearly visitors and 10k m² surface area le marché dominical de la batte is the largest open air market in Europe and one of the most important attractions of Liège. La Batte is Liègois slang for quay or river bank and refers to the place where the left river bank was fortified permitting vessels to port and making it the commercial centre of Liège. By the way: if you thought your French was any good, it only takes two minutes of talking with a citizen of Liège to humble yourself: you might as well think you're lost somewhere in China... Don't let that stop you to visit the market as it is international and chances are high that you are spoken to in your own language.
Running several kilometers along the river Meuse, it's a fuzz and buzz of people and things. There is virtually nothing that isn't being sold here: fruits and vegetables like on any market, but also clothes, shoes, electronics, animals and even weapons. According to a funny anecdote 2 guys who had eyed the same girl couldn't come to terms, took two foils of a stall on the market and fought out a duel. It is not known who took the girl home...
