Coming from North where the grey autumn weather reigned, the sun in Cassis lightened up life. The splendor of this outdoor market on the beautiful town square close to the sea made me plunge into an eternal summer. The sun rays teased my eyes, the wind caressed  the – still – green leaves of the sycamore trees. People walked around without layers of winter clothes, relaxed and enjoying the smells and sights of the produce.

Walking by all the stalls, summer vacation feeling came up with all the produce the Mediterranean / Provençal region is offering. Somehow the cheeses, dried sausages, olives, garlic, mushroom, fruit are deeply linked to easy life for me. Thinking of sharing these produce with some friends over a glass of vine is maybe pure kitsch, but it represents good life or a little paradise on earth. And it is very easy to get that feeling being at this square.

The market is located at the “Place (square) Baragnon” just a minute away from the picturesque city harbor. The square is surrounded by well trimmed sycamore trees, it is covered by tile style stones which could be suitable for an elegant dance in the evening. The benches invite for a rest and observation of people walking by. The old fountain helps to wash of the dust from your hands. Kind of a picture book square.

Still somebody has to work to provide such an invitation to joyful life. The vendors are presenting nice produce, many of them suitable for tourists as well, since the city beach is close by to munch your purchases. The offering is diverse enough to get the taste of the region. I bought a small basket full of little dry goat cheeses, which were a great snack in the evening. Furthermore a fruit paste (see picture gallery) went into my bag for dessert as well as bit of dried sausage. I missed out the beautiful olives and Tapenade (olive paste) which I truly love. The typical cubic olive soaps were left out as well. And the marinated garlic, and honey wine, and…

But the memories are still alive of this “eternal summer” feeling.

All in all: a feel good market with the goodness of the Provence

A little link list:

• The markets in Cassis with operating times (French)
• A town guide from Marvelous Provence

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The setting

In Manosque a small city in the Provence / France has two locations for the Saturday market: one is a the Hotel de Ville (city hall)  the other one this post is about, is to be found in a short distance at the Place du Terreau in the heart of the old city. This square in the heart of the city is a parking lot on other days of the week.

The market is a mix of flea and food market. Cheap clothes and items are available. The other half of the market is focused on food, be it produce or ready made meals like paella. The crowd is more touristic in summer times and in the other seasons the multi-ethnicity of the area can easily be observed.

It is quite different to the one at the city hall, less romantic, but with more food choices, except oysters and organic produce.

What to get there

Of course all the products which should be on a (French) market are available: vegetables and fruits of the season, great cheeses (there are 2 stalls at least), dried sausages, artisan bread and others. There are also less common produce like lavender honey, Mediterranean pickle mixes, and a fish monger despite the distance to the sea.

When it comes to the cheeses it is worth looking at whole ones as they will resist pressure and temperature when bringing them back home via plane or so. I took a Tome de Pays which was about a kilogram. Since the prices are moderate it is a great culinary souvenir. There is of course also very great dried sausages which somehow found their way into my suitcase.

Anything special?

The choice of ready made meals from food carts and stalls is very convenient and appealing. Starting from roasted poultry in many variations, paella, shrimp dishes, stuffed calamari in tomato sauce, pizza, Vietnamese specialities, Moroccan couscous or tajine,  and a few other things are available. The offering changes over the seasons. In autumn and winter there will be more hearty meals available like sauerkraut and sausages.
This market will not leave you hungry. As an alternative buy some bread and cheese from the market and enjoy this satisfying pleasure.

What do the vendors say?

Well they talk quite a lot when you have time and are interested in their life and work. I immediately was presented to visitors and other vendors as an English journalist. Something I would appreciate being, but reality is different, also when it comes to my accent. But all kinds of fun was very welcomed and political correctness not taken too seriously. And they seem to appreciate tourists as well, expressing that in a friendly service and a gentle willingness to allow pictures being taken.

One vendor had a selling tactic, which was different to the other ones. The tomatoes or other vegetables, probably a kilogram or two, were already filled in open plastic bags (see picture in the gallery). Each bag was then placed in a bowl for the clientele to immediately see the volume of the merchandise. The lady owning the stall presented this as a solution allowing her to offer cheaper prices due to the quantities and it helped her to serve the clientele in  a very fast way as well. I saw this method a day before at a market in Marseille, but did not get the same explanation. In many African markets this is a standard method.

All in all: It is a nice market with good products – not a surprise in France though – worth to be visited when being nearby & hungry.

A little link list:

• What to do in Manosque
• Other markets in the area by weekday (pdf)

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A perfect, romantic setting for a market: a town square surrounded by Provencal buildings, cafes, restaurants and a church. Large enough sycamore trees to give decent shade while having a drink and watching the market scenery. Very relaxing and taking away all worries.

Manosque is a town in the middle of the Provence not so far away from well known Aix-en-Provence. Tourists do not come in large quantities which allows for a true local flavour. And the market offers it as well.

All the produce of the region are available: wonderful dried sausages, goat cheeses, colourful vegetables & fruit, artisan bread, and much more. The black radishes were rather new to me. Pumpkin were in season as well as some other vegetables like celery roots which announced the upcoming colder season.

And again I could not resist the oysters. And it was easy to eat them on site: the vendor opened them right away even before taking the money – relaxing market. And they tasted great, even better than those of the fish market in Marseille.

And we should not forget the organic stall handled by a very friendly lady, who also offered purslane, and explained how to use in salads or stir fry it etc.

Well as the market day is Saturday, we chose to have a coffee in the shade, overlooking the market and talking about life and other things. There was no envy anymore to look at our smartphones. Great time!

All in all: A very nice example of a Provencal market, not too big, not too small in perfect surroundings.

A little link list:

• What to do in Manosque

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This fish market is the perfect equivalent to a “true” farmer’s market from a fisherman’s perspective. The fishermen come with their boats directly into the old port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, set up their stalls on the quay and start selling  the catch of the day. And only real fishermen with their own local catch are allowed to do so. It seems to be fairly regulated.

And the old port of Marseille (2nd largest city in France) is an integral part of the old town. In this U-shape basin many sailing boats are anchoring and surrounded by old buildings which are still partly apartments with real “indigenous” people. The setting has quite some charm which can also be enjoyed in the bars and restaurants overlooking the port.

But lets come back to the market. There are maybe a dozen stalls or so. Each one has a couple small basins, partly filled with water, where the fish is being displayed. And not only fish, there are mussels, wild oysters, octopus amongst others. The offer is not really cooled by ice or so, but umbrellas protect them a little bit from the intensive sun.

The fishermen or their family members are selling the fish directly to – mainly – locals. Tourists (like me) are taking pictures and making aahs & oohs which does not seem to disturb the vendors. As it might be unpractical to buy fresh fish as a tourist, there is still opportunity to try oysters when available. Unlike in some other countries, the vendors open up the oysters on site, which makes them the perfect snack before going for lunch. The ones I had the chance to try were so called wild oysters. They were collected along the way by the brother of the lady selling and opening them for me. Taste wise they were fine, but I still prefer those from the Bretagne region.

And most of the buyers seem to be local regulars. Some of them know exactly at which hour to come to catch real fresh fish of high quality. And this might not be the earliest hour of the day. Even though I saw mainly older people buying, I was told that it is rather a cross generational affair.

One stall had a swordfish displayed. It was quite a mighty fish! It sold in slices , steak size, similar to a tuna steak. As the back bone was strong the vendor had to use saw and knife to cut it. A rather impressive and raw experience.

Seeing living fish barely covered by some water led to some discussions between visitors and vendors. The fisherman’s response to the comments was simple: I do what is being done to cattle, poultry, pork etc. Two different ways of perspective on life, not necessarily compatible I guess.

All in all: A gem for those who love to buy local from real fishermen or look at what the (local) sea offers to eat

A little link list:

• Post with lots & lots of pictures from Third Eye Mom
• A post with a little video and some restaurant tips from Solo Travel Girl
• Nice overview on the markets in Marseille by marvellous-provence.com

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