When I go to one of the two open air markets within a quarter hour of our house,
it is not to do my regular shopping, which I do at the supermarket. The outdoor market is a treat. There I am sure to get at least a whiff of something that is really French.
Our home is on the border between two regions. On Thursdays, there is an open air market in the small town of Condé sur Noireau in the Department of Calvados, the birthplace of the explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville. Born in 1790, he traveled the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, where he found and named the Adelie penguin (after his wife).
The town of Flers, a historic a textile and iron ore mining town in the Department of Orne has its market on Wednesday and Saturday which takes place in a grand Market Hall and spills out onto the town square in front of the church.
The Insight Guides’ section on Flers reads, “On the days when the country people bring in their produce, (the square) is crammed with stalls and the sort of relaxed, joking basket-carrying crowd of purchasers that you never seem to see in a supermarket.”
It takes time to build up the confidence to wade through the loosely defined lines at the market stalls.
1. la pêche
“Elle a la pêche.” One who “has the peach” can be said to be energetic, full of joy, kindness, humor, and love of life. This is certainly true of my friend Helen, pictured here with the glory of summer nectarines and flat, donut shaped peaches that originally come from South America but are now grown in the Rhône valley as well.
2. St. Jacques
“Coquille de Saint Jacques.”Open-air markets are part of the fabric of French life, and not only in the countryside. On a recent trip to Paris, for example, a banner spanning the Montmartre neighborhood’s famous Rue des Abbesses heralded “la Fête de la Coquille de Saint Jacques” coming that weekend (in English, the much less appetizing sounding “scallop festival”).
3. fennel
“The produce stalls in Normandy country towns seem to extend right across the spectrum, from large farms and co-operatives down to smallholders and even families who seem to be selling the small surplus of a cottage garden. Sometimes families actually operate without a stall, simply occupying a few feet of pavement, sitting on cane stools and upturned boxes in front of a few kilos of potatoes....” from the Insight Guide to France
4. Charlie & Bree
Young tourists from New York City bring a dash of urban chic to the market stalls at Condé sur Noireau where they are offered a sampling of olives.
5. Garçon
Meeting for a drink at the market square. About the only place one will see the word “Garçon” in use is on the label of this lemonade bottle at a local café. Traditionally the word was used to call one’s waiter, but current dining etiquette forbids it, unless of course you want a bowl of hot onion soup dropped on your lap.
6. l’Andalouse
Saffron scented vapor rises from massive flat bottom Paella Pans, and mingles with racks of raincoats lined in traditional striped marinière fabric – a very international tapestry of tastes and color.
7. Cordonnerie
The local Cordonnerie (leather work and shoe repair) is dedicated to teaching the next generation of artisans. Several times a year he takes students on for a few weeks to guide them through the steps of making a top-grade work in leather.
8. Market Hall
Built in 1883 by Amédé Hédin d’Alençon and located in Flers at the foot of Saint-Germain church, the Market Hall houses the covered market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The building, with its brick and ashlar architecture, was erected on fir piles, and has been in continual use as a market since that time.
9. Rue des dames qui pissent
The name of the plaque affixed to the alleyway adjoining the Market Halle is an unusual one. It is commonly known as rue des femmes qui pissent, or Street of the Pissing Ladies! Public lavatories are now available but the street sign has been maintained for posterity.
10. Lady with Dog
Sunset seen through the windows of the Market Hall. A local woman walking her French bulldog.
