Market day in Amboise - Part 1

When I look at my blog statistics and the key words that generate the most traffic, ‘amboise market’  - ‘market amboise’ and ‘market day in amboise’ pop-up in the top ten. I can also trace the country from which the search has been made. In most cases it’s the UK, second comes the US and third Australia. To my surprise central France occupies a strong fourth place, with Amboise as the server’s location. One would think that people living in Amboise would know that Sunday and Friday are market days in their own town. But when you take a closer look at those statistics you will notice that the person looking for the information is using an IPhone, a smart phone or a tablet … indicating that it’s probably a tourist holidaying in the Loire Valley… And you can’t visit Amboise without visiting its famous Sunday market.

The market was really busy ...

Four weeks ago – already! Time does fly, doesn’t it? – we arrived in Amboise around half past ten. It felt good to be back. The Loire’s water level was unusually high, with many of the otherwise sandy ‘beaches’ and small isles that sit in the middle of the river being under water. Trees growing on these isles were standing with their ‘feet’ in the water, with only the upper part of their trunks and the top branches showing. The shade of the water, which is usually bluish, with very clear translucent patches near the edge, where you can sometimes spot a fish or crayfish, was of an unattractive, muddy brown colour. There was a very strong current, making the water swirl and splash against the arches of the bridge. It looked quite dramatic. The heavy rainfall of the last months clearly had had its impact on the River’s general appearance.

We shot some photos, some of which I posted yesterday, before following the crowd that was heading for the market. In the parking lot by the entrance, which is reserved for coaches and motorbikes, we saw license plates from all over Europe. More proof that Amboise market is a recurrent and popular destination in package tours.

We were stopped by a young woman who was standing by a trolley to which a dwarf goat was attached. It wasn’t very clear what we she selling. But she approached J.L. with a box of ‘Bonbons des Vosges’. J.L. who is never lost for words asked her what the link between the goat and the bonbons was. Apparently she was working with a circus that was, according to French law (ditto in Belgium) no longer allowed to perform with life animals. In order to compensate for the loss of income, she was selling these bonbons on the local market. Personally, I found her story rather ‘thin’. As if selling bonbons could make up for the loss of income from the circus. But J.L. promised the woman to buy a packet on our way back; a promise she clearly didn’t believe … 

We took out our shopping list and started looking for the required items. We needed some dry sausages to accompany Monday’s aperitif. There were several vendors offering a wide selection of flavours. We bought two kinds – donkey (yes, that’s right) and goat’s cheese from a kind woman who complained about the fact that Météo France had predicted a nice and sunny day, which had incited her to ‘dress for the occasion’, leaving her cold and shivering in her summery attire. 

The sausage stall: the donkey sausage is in the second basket from the left,
 bottom row, where it reads 'Piment ou Ane'.
Btw, it was delicious!

We also bought some nice ripe melons: 4 for 5 euro, a brilliant deal! We also got a nice lettuce, which turned out to be excellent, good value for money as we were able to use all the leaves. Very often the outer leaves of a lettuce are soggy and dirty. This one was crispy and beautiful all over.

(more to come ...)