Rommelmarkt and Kookeet

Had a lovely Saturday morning, wandelen, as the Flemish say, in the warm September sun. But it was nothing compared to a super sunny Sunday when there was just too much to do. A cold start it was, on the stretch beyond 't Zand where the main Rommelmarkt always is. I strolled down Hauwerstraat towards the Beurshalle to check out the countless stalls on this, the third and final major Flea Market for Brugge in 2015. I think it was the best and largest yet; so many interesting antiques and flea market finds just waiting to be found. The crowds were quite thin at this end of the fair, at 8.30 am, [see photo left] and I resisted much but had to buy two Leffe goblets as I have to drink my Leffe beer from a Duvel glass; a Belgian solecism if ever there was one. So I bought them, loved a small Studio bowl for 45 euros but left it, unwillingly but virtuously. One of my nieces, a collector, would have bought it!

I was meeting a friend at 11.30 for coffee so worked my way down half of the mass of stalls on the actual, main 't Zand toward the Concertgebouw, then stopped, bewitched by a display of mixed Oriental and African items. There were three beautiful Buddhist hangings at the back over which two young Tibetans were agonising when I arrived, and who were still at it when I left. 50 euros is a Lot to pay for something even if it would have been much more expensive in a shop. I saw two wooden masks, from the Congo apparently, and eventually decided to buy both because they are so lovely and primitive. Not ancient; about 50/60 years old, but simple and beautifully peeled and aged. The price might just possibly have come down more than the 10 euros I managed but the old boy selling was re-arranging stuff in his house where the two masks had hung for years and he so clearly loved the items on his stall. I keep in mind, when buying antiques and junk, an admonition from a collector friend years ago. 'Always leave something in it for the other person.' In other words, don't grind the price down to the lowest because you can; leave a little profit for the seller and enhance his accompanying good feelings that come from a sale to someone who clearly loves, and wants to buy, your erstwhile object. Whatever, I left with good feelings too!

We found a table nearby in the sun, the day being still cool, and gradually thawed as we talked until another friend unexpectedly popped up with a German friend who had left his husband nearby guarding a tall column which I would have loved to have examined and will at some point. The two young Germans were flushed with that particular pride which comes to the authentic Rommelmarkt enthusiast who has made A Satisfying Purchase. The feeling is thrilling, quite different from the joy experienced when buying a shirt in a regular shop, for example. It is a mixed sensation of conquest, re the price and the resistance to the lowering of the same; delight at the beauty purchased and, I suppose, the ultimate pleasure of possession! It is the authentication, the validation, the affirmation of one's taste. Ooer, and you thought it was just people buying rubbish!

After that, friend and I wandered towards the station, looking at goods on stalls and grass as we passed, pouncing occasionally when something of real interest was noticed. She tried on several period [Thirties] hats, several of which looked bewitching on her. I dithered, then bought a black wire basket on feet beneath a black and white tiled top. Ostensibly for the terrace but it will stay inside to be used as it looks great on the black tiled dining area floor. Ten euros worth of heaven in fact!

We were on our way to beyond the station to a large area at the back, the beginning of Sint Michiels, for Kookeet, the third, and judging by the huge crowds, popular celebration of food, cooked by named excellent local chefs and restaurants. [Peter Goosens, right, guest chef from Hof Van Cleve restaurant] It was a Tasting Bonanza and it was utterly delicious. One could choose where to spend the tokens purchased on entry so we bought wine then small dishes of food to sample from several well-known restaurants. It was delightful to see the many, many hundreds of people, catching the late Autumn sun, chatting in family and friendship groups and relishing the gourmet fare offered. The workers sustained a rapid processing of eager customers in long queues while managing to stay calm and  friendly; customers seemed to reciprocate; the communal good humour was palpable and the whole affair seemed to be the embodiment of Good Capitalism At Work for the employers/sellers and A Great Day Out for everyone else.

On the wander back from the station, we re-joined the crowd of eagle-eyed bargain hunters nearby; [the flea market stretches down virtually to the train station] and I felt we had finished shopping but were 'just looking'. Contrary to expectations, Katie bought a gorgeous Art Deco decanter and glass set, and I acquired a set of five wine glasses with black 'feet' and design plus a sixth, almost the same! Also a large, austere large brown jug for which I had to borrow ten euros as my entire war chest had mysteriously disappeared. Such a Good Day was had by all, or at least, by Us Two though everyone else also appeared to be coasting happily along, looking and purchasing and dithering.

I now have to show off the other mask as it is SO elegant. I had originally thought of them for the terrace which I am slowly, and often tentatively, decorating with beautiful furniture and some plants. I am unused to a garden with only pots and on the third floor of a building; quite different from the small shady garden and courtyard in Wye which I knew well. So, one pot of a beautiful grass died within three weeks of the effects of heat and wind. Thus, after examining the two Congolese masks, I have decided to keep them indoors for the winter at least; they are of a light-weight wood, quite frail and weather-worn already so think they must be treasured inside the apartment for now. I am now considering how one displays them. I could do with a small, heavy base of metal or wood, with a thin column like a stick on which to perch the face/mask. That would work but where to find?

Before I close, Luc has enquired and told me where I should find small display stands from a shop in Sint Andries so off I go to catch the No 15 bus on Saturday morning, to explore Sint Andries which I don't know at all.