A workation in Liège

My company allows us to work remotely from any European Union country. When I chose Liège — a former coal and steel city — as my destination, I had the La Batte Sunday market in mind, a place I hadn’t visited in 10 years. The post I wrote about it back then was among my first. Liège had a few other advantages: I could practice my French, and the train ride there was not too long. So many reasons to go there.

My colleagues were puzzled by my choice, and many stated that the city wasn’t really beautiful.

I loved the city after my experience. There’s lots of art scattered throughout the city, plenty of street life, great beers, and some excellent food as well. Yes, the construction sites for the tram are annoying, but I felt great there.

And I had the chance to visit La Batte market a couple of times.

What has changed?

When I look back at the old pictures, I would say: not much.

Except for one important detail: no live animals for sale anymore! In the old days, people bought live chickens, birds, rabbits, and the like. No longer. I do not know the reason behind this decision, and I’m unsure how to feel about it. The live animals provided city dwellers with a tangible sense that what they eat comes from living creatures, at least in the case of the chicken. Now, this sense fades away.

Otherwise, it seems there’s more street food available nowadays, a pattern I observe at many farmers’ markets.

A long stretch

La Batte market follows the Meuse River along the new tram line, which will be operational one day. I guess strolling without too many stops took me around 20 minutes. The stalls are lined up in two rows, making it convenient not to miss a single one.

My observations

The ambiance

La Batte market is a popular market in the best sense of the word. People come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. There is no snobbish attitude; people are dressed in whatever they want, from cheap to not-so-cheap outfits. Since the market takes place on Sundays, I saw many couples and families walking and shopping together, almost like a family visit to a mall — just that it’s outside and mainly about groceries and food.

Even if you don’t plan on buying or eating anything, La Batte market is a pleasant addition to a city stroll.

Chicken everywhere

I have never seen a farmers’ market with so many large, truck-sized roasted chicken stalls. They were being sold out quickly, as I noticed when returning from the other end of the market. I have no idea where this craving for roasted chicken comes from, especially in a city where you can find fries, kebabs, or other fast food — often quite good — on every corner.

Italian & North African

The next dominant type of stalls featured Italian delicacies. There were lots of salamis, salsiccias, and other sausages, accompanied by a fairly wide range of cheeses, some not so common. The antipasti section was less prevalent. Beautiful olives were predominantly offered at stalls with likely North African origins. Considering that Liège is celebrating 60 years of Turkish and Moroccan immigration, this makes sense.

The produce

La Batte provides its customers with every kind of produce needed for daily life, with milk being the only exception. There’s bread from bakeries located in the German-speaking part of Belgium, along with fish, and all the seasonal fruits and vegetables independent of their origin. Due to the diverse cultural and financial backgrounds of customers, it’s easy to buy in bulk and affordably. I didn’t see fruit or vegetable farmers selling at the market; I assume everything has been sourced from wholesale markets.

Streetfood

Waffles, of course — waffles. It wouldn’t be Belgium without them, and the ones I had were better than those in the city center itself.

Then there was the Moroccan stall. It looked very authentic with jolly, friendly, slightly chaotic owners who served really good food and Moroccan tea. It was a joy to lunch there.

Need other food? No problem. There were sausages in buns with lots of onions, meat skewers, burgers, hot dogs, coffee, and certainly a few more things I might have forgotten. To make one thing clear: La Batte is not a market that has transformed from a produce to a street food market; produce is still dominant. I like this mix.

The other stuff

Besides produce and street food, La Batte also features a flea market-style section. Vendors sell cheap fashion with designs I haven’t seen before. Colorful plastic toys help parents keep their little kids happy and quiet. I guess for the older kids, certainly, the street food might be more interesting.

For reasons unknown to me, detergents also had their spot at the market — something I have never seen at other European markets. Or maybe I just need to travel more?

Live animals

During my visit 10 years ago, live chickens, rabbits, and birds were available for purchase at La Batte. This is no longer allowed, but one vendor couldn’t resist showcasing cute fake rabbits in cages. I had to look twice to realize they were fake. I wasn’t the only one; kids were pulling their parents to see the cute animals until their parents started laughing and explaining the hard truth.

So what?

La Batte is a market that should be part of a Sunday city walk. It stretches along the Meuse River, which is already picturesque, and is part of the city center. Just walking through this market gives your legs a nice exercise. The ambiance of the market lets you dive into the city’s diversity. It is not a posh market but a very lively one. If you do not like crowds, try to visit around 10 o’clock, as it becomes quite crowded later without feeling too cramped.

All in all

La Batte is a lively Sunday market you must visit when in Liège, if only as part of your city stroll. Afterwards, take advantage of the nearby cafés.

A little link list:

• My 10 year old blog post on the La Batte Sunday Market
• La Batte on the city council website

The post A Sunday city stroll – La Batte market, Liège / Belgium appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

I love lists, all sorts of lists, no idea why. And I like good blog posts on food & farmers’ markets. An ideal combination to publish a list of the European capitals and their markets. Why European capitals? Well, I live on this continent and this way I get to know it a bit better.

This list will grow and get better over time. I am happy about any suggestion or hint – contact me on Twitter: @askans

Enjoy!

The European countries, their capitals & markets

Albania – Tirana

• I did not find a lot, therefore I have to promote my own post: the new Bazaar in Tirana – I was impressed that they were selling open tobacco just like any veggie

Andorra – Andorra la Vella

• Not yet

Austria – Vienna

• The Naschmarkt on this site during daytime & nighttime – during the day for shopping at night for entertainment and dining – a cool combination
• The Naschmarkt by epicures with lots of pictures- a little bit of history and a wide choice of produce and artisan products – from exotic to local
• The official English website
• The Rochus Market which has a great wine pub at night

Belarus – Minsk

• The Komarovski – market hall seems to be the place of attraction. The post from food.artkopilka.ru is in Cyrillic but has many good pictures. Like in many Eastern European countries there is clear structure and order in this market hall.

Belgium – Brussels

• Why waste annual leave, the blog with an overview on the Brussels weekend markets
• ottsworld.com gives a portrait of the Midi market, which has lots of Arabic influences – incl. a video

Bosnia & Herzegovina – Sarajevo

• From adventures in Bosnia an overview on food & markets in Sarajevo
• And here a short post on the Markale market & market hall from greengopost.com

Bulgaria – Sofia

• A panaroma picture from 360cities.net
• The Women’s market (Jenski Pazar) by Sofia Travel Guide

Croatia – Zagreb

• The markets of Zagreb are very well organized and have almost a “branded” appearance as they all use standardized umbrellas etc. The Dolac market is the most known one and has also a great fish market.
• Dolac market, the Dolac fish market, Kvatric market and the Trešnjevka one on this site
• Dutched Pinay travels a lot and takes nice pictures from markets – in this case Dolac market
• tatjanapasalic.com is a well known personality in Croatia: model, TV presenter & more – here she blogged on Kvatric market

Cyprus – Nicosia

• An overview with nice pictures on farmers’ markets in Cyprus incl. Nicosia by Afrodites kitchen

Czech Republic – Prague

• In the the touristic city of Prague farmers’ markets are supposed to be on the rise.
• An overview of the markets from prague.tv
• Past, present & future of the big Holešovice market from expats.cz
• My own post

Denmark – Copenhagen

• From eatyourcity.ca an introduction & pictures on the Torvehallerne & Israels Plads markets
• An introduction for tourists to the Torvehallerne food market by a food awakening
• The official site of the Tervehallerne market

Estonia – Talinn

• A list of the markets in the city from @VisitTallinn

Finland – Helsinki

• Pearlspotting describes the Market Square by the sea and the old Market Hall
• Dutched Pinay is always a good source – Kauppatori Market Square – Hietalahti Market Square – Hakaniemi Market Square

France – Paris

• There is one favourite source for me: Marjorie R. Williams, who wrote a book on the Paris markets and blogs about them
• A nice post on the famous wholesale market Rungis International Market by Cody C. Delistraty

Germany – Berlin

• The past, current status and future of the Berlin Market Halls by @slowberlin. They also posted on the very popular Markthalle IX
• A listing of the Berlin markets by angloinfo.com

Greece – Athens

• As an introduction my post on the Central Market – A must see for meat & fish lovers
• Matt Barrett has written several picture intense posts – The Central Market – an overview on some markets

Hungary – Budapest

• My post on the Central Market Hall, which has a splendid architecture
• A post on the Central Market Hall with many pictures from alwaystravelicious.com

Iceland – Reykjavík

• Not yet

Ireland – Dublin

• The Dublin Diary has a post on the Honest 2 Goodness Farmers Market
• And here my post on the Moore Street Market

Italy – Rome

• A blog specialized on the markets of Rome alone: marketsofrome.com
• The post yourguidetoitaly.com gives an overview in pictures of the markets in Rome
• Forbestravelguide.com is more decriptive

Kosovo – Pristina

• Not yet

Latvia – Riga

•  From Paris Paysanne a nice little post on the Riga Central Market
• And here a big fan of the Riga central market on Pinterest

Lichtenstein – Vaduz

• Not yet

Lithuania – Vilnius

• A little post with pictures on the Kalvarijų turgus market from Ravinder Sehgal

Luxembourg – Luxembourg

• My post
• A list of farmers’ markets

Macedonia – Skopje

• From Macedonia in 91 days a post with tons of pictures and a video giving great insights on the Bit Pazar

Malta – Valletta

•  The Ta’ Qali farmer’s market by Kristin Winet

Moldova – Chișinău

• Moldovan Life describes the Piata Centrala – the main market
• Foodperestroika, a great blog with focus on Central and Eastern European food & cuisine is highly recommended – also the post on Moldovan food

Monaco – Monaco

• Not yet

Montenegro – Podgorica

• A tiny friendly post on Podgorica’s Green Market from Wandering Educators

Netherlands – The Hague

• My own post on the Haagse Markt
• It is supposed to be the largest outdoor market in Europe with 500 stalls: the Haagse Markt as per Theleidener.com
• Local Heart, Global Soul finds the Haagse Markt impressive as well

Norway – Oslo

• From Nordic Nibbler a friendly introduction into the Bondens Marked
• And Oslo has also a market hall – Mathallen – the post from soldrom.com

Poland – Warsaw

• Warsaw’s Saturday Market in Zoliborz by My Travelling Joys
• A short overview on the Hale Mirowskie – the central market hall – from polandculinaryvacations.com

Portugal – Lisbon

• travel.sketch.write posts about the Mercado da Ribeira, which seems to be the most famous market in Lisbon
• The Mercado de Campo de Ourique is described by Portugal confidential as hip and urban

Romania – Bucharest

• My post on the Piata Domenii market
• Beautiful pictures from Oana Hogrefe on a unknown market

Russia – Moscow

• A nice introduction into the Moscow markets by The Moscovore
• A photo essay in Russian on Preobrazhensky Rynok farmers market by DaryaDarya – courtesy of where.cheap-moscow.com

San Marino – San Marino

• Not yet

Serbia – Belgrade

• A small post with nice pictures on a farmer’s market from Stellar Perspectives
• The Belgrade Green Market by Serbian Culture Shock
• Nataša von Wunderland made an extensive photo tour of the markets in Belgrade

Slovakia – Bratislava

• I had the chance to visit 2 markets: the Trhovisko Miletičova central market & the Nová Tržnica market hall
• Basic information about the markets in Bratislava from bratislava.info
• A post from daytripper.sk which characterizes the market hall very well
• A post with many pictures from 52 weeks in Slovakia
• Different: a fashion shooting at the market from Donna Iveh Fashion Blog

Slovenia – Ljubljana

• The Farmers Market on the Vodnik Square by photojoseph.com
• Meet the Ljubljana market enthusiast on Twitter: @JanaSvenska

Spain – Madrid

• Mercamadrid is the second largest fish market in the world and the largest and the biggest perishable foods market in Europe according to spanishsabores.com She writes also on the Cámera Agraria farmer’s market
• From Citylife Madrid a quick overview on the markets in Madrid
• Wanderwings has some nice pictures on the known Mercado de San Miguel

Sweden – Stockholm

• An overview on the market halls in Stockholm by Real Scandinavia
• A small post on a farmer’s market by Bunny in Stockholm

Switzerland – Bern

• The markets and their opening times by the City of Bern
• From Swiss Mirabelle an overview and some pictures

UK – London

• Of course: Borough market is leading the pack and there is a fairly large number of posts on this market. My current favourite is kind of a love letter to the market from Eat Out of the Box
• A good overview on the London farmers’ markets from the organization called London farmers’ markets
• An overview on the markets in general by the Londonist
• From WhatAWonderfulWorld a nice one on a small market: Maltby Street Market
• Westminster News Online promotes the Food Market at Southbank

Ukraine – Kiev

• From Life in Kiev a nice post on the Besarabsky Market Hall
• From akihart an extensive photo post on Besarabsky market hall
• An extensive overview on the markets by BestOfUkraine

That should be it Europe!?

The post Food & farmers’ markets of the European capitals appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.

This market in Liège / Belgium happens on Sundays for which a good stretch of the La Batte street along the Meuse river is blocked. And it is really fun to visit this open market. Liège was once a city in a coal mining region having contributed to the post war wealth in Europe. And the city, despite its very beauty, is certainly not a rich one. And this leads back to the market. This market provides goods to not so wealthy people, but is still full of little surprises.

The market hosts almost everything between live animals (chicken, rabbits, birds etc.), meat, cheese, vegetables etc. But it also offers great plastic junk – spend only a couple Euros and the kids are happy – and clothes as well, which are not related to the Armanis. There are also small stands offering nice food like hotdogs with sauerkraut, Vietnamese spring rolls and all sorts of stuff.

As the market stretches quite long, a couple hours goes by so fast and even than not all stands would have received their adequate attention. But it is fun! And so much to discover. And it has a little rough edge. This is visible for example when live hens are packed in used cardboard boxes when bought by a new owner who wants to produce his/her own eggs for a Sunday breakfast or whatever.

What is sometimes overseen are the stands which offer little delicacies, it is worth to keep an eye open for new discoveries. This is in contrast to quite a few stands which seem to be rather the extension of wholesale suppliers, but all with charm.

The highlights: the live animals, and the little discoveries of nice local food.

All in all: not a market of the first league from the food perspective, but certainly worth a visit for its special character.

A little link list:

• Reviews in Trip Advisor
• Location in Belgian market directory
• La Batte market in city council web site (French)
• A beautiful blog article from theFlippingFish

The post Sunday market La Batte in Liège / Belgium appeared first on Food & Farmers' Markets.