Shopping and Bargain Hunting

Before I post about our next touristy outing, I want to mention the shopping. Shopping in Germany and the Netherlands is a wonderful experience, particularly if you are a bargain-hunting sort of person like me.

First, there are the things you can get absolutely free, if you have no compunction about looking at what your neighbor is setting out on the curb. In Germany, people are apparently not allowed to sell their used items in garage sales (although they do have flea markets where they can set up booths to sell stuff). They have to set it out on the curb on certain days for pick-up. It is totally permissible to take whatever is left out on the curb. As a result, I ended up with a perfectly good bed frame and bed lattice, as well as a nice rug, because I had walked over to Anna H's neighbor's house and asked if I could take them. I have been told that Germans are shy about taking stuff like that during in the broad daylight (they may come by and take them at night), but hey, I'm an opportunistic American and have no shame about getting a bargain.

What happens to those items they leave out on the curb? They're picked up by thrift shop owners. And seriously, you would not believe the bargains you can get there. Antique wardrobes for a pittance. Tables. Beautiful china--I picked up three lovely Bavarian bone china tea cups and saucers (they had gold edges and some lattice work on them) for only 3 euros total. Today I decided to go to the military base library to drop off a DVD and pick up another season of Babylon 5, and because it was close to a Kringloops thrift store in Brunssum, I impulsively went there.

I did not buy anything there today, but dear heaven, I found another amazing bargain: a castle-style spinning wheel in nice working condition, complete with a couple of bobbins and an attached skein-winder. Nothing wrong with it that a bit of oil wouldn't fix. Price? Twenty-five euros. Yes, that's 25 euros. That's about 30 dollars U.S. As a comparison, a spinning wheel like that would cost about $250 to $300. I was sorely tempted to buy it, but I was strong, yes strong, and didn't, because I really do not need another one, and the one I already have is better than the thrift store one for production spinning. But still, my heart beat faster at just being in the presence of such an amazing bargain.

There are also morning markets in various towns and cities. The one in Geilenkirchen (about 9 km/5 miles from here; we lived in the City Hotel there when we first arrived) is not large, but has about 10 to 12 farmers and vendors selling things like fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, cheeses, plants, candies, and some handcrafts; it opens every Friday morning at around 9 am. The fruits and vegetables are of very good quality, and as for the cheeses, well, the only place I've found cheeses that are comparable in quality and variety are in high-end American grocery stores like Larry's or Metropolitan Market. (With the exception of cheddar. Cheddar seems to be rare here.) I have not found the Süsterseel outdoor market, if there is one. You cannot go wrong buying fresh eggs there, either. Not only are the eggs fresh, but they're of a very high quality. The yolks are high-domed and orange rather than flat and yellow, which points to a high Omega-3 content. The eggs I get from the Safeway at home simply do not come up to this quality, even if they're Grade A. I hate to slag American eggs, but I have to tell the truth here, sorry.

However, it seems that the larger and older cities do have very large open-air markets and from what I understand, each of them have their specialties, whether it is antiques, fabric, pottery, etc.

I want to bring special attention to the Sittard market, which is held on Thursday mornings (except on holidays) from about 9 am to 1 pm. Why? Because I know a lot of people who are fabric and sewing addicts (hi Mom!), and the Sittard market in the Netherlands specializes in fabric and sewing notions. It is the fabric addict's heaven. Here's where it is on the map:


View Larger Map

As you see, it's only 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) away. I could very easily bicycle there, but then I wouldn't have enough room in the bicycle basket to carry the stuff I might buy. If I had a bicycle, that is (which I hope to get soon).  If you click on "view larger map" above, zoom in almost to street level, and then click on the satellite view, you'll see a square almost entirely covered with little white blocks.  Those are the vendor stalls in the main square.  The market includes those stalls and stalls along the radiating streets.  It gives a good idea of how large that outdoor market is.


I went to this one last Thursday, along with Anna H. I had been to this market before about a couple of months ago, in March. It is heaven for people who like to shop. The large city square in which the market operates is edged by more than a few lovely restaurants and cafes, and down the various narrow streets are even more stores to delight shoppers. You could conceivably spend all day there. You could get there at 9 am, have some breakfast at a cafe, shop at the various booths, then retire for lunch, then shop some more at the booths until closing time at 1 pm, and then move onto exploring the other shops on the streets that radiate out from the central square.

The market square is obviously very old, and the market has been going on for centuries. You will find the usual baked goods, cheeses, meats, and vegetables there (very good quality veggies! I have not yet found bad vegetables in any of the markets). However, you will absolutely find lovely fabrics, notions, and amazing bargains. Feast your eyes on this (click on any picture to enlarge):

Yes, you're seeing that right: 1.5 euros per meter (approximately $1.85 per 1.09 yards) for some nice quality polyester cotton, 45 inches wide. There's more.

Though I'm used to going to farmer's markets and street fairs, the Sittard market combines the best of both in things for sale and its weekly occurance.  It has a touch of the exotic in that you will see women of more than a few nations here, as it's in the "tri-border" region of Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium), who either work or whose husbands work for NATO, and then there is a sizable southeast Asian population also living in the Netherlands.

As a result, I saw a number of women who looked Indonesian and quite chic and modern, and more than a few Muslim women dressed in their traditional headscarves and long dresses.   I could hear French, German, Dutch, and English spoken, with the occasional Arabic. 
   
Isn't that some lovely fabric? I love the ecru lace.  A group of Muslim women were gathered around this booth (I wish I had taken a picture--their clothes were so colorful!); I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking to buy some for a wedding, or perhaps for a fancy veil.  I touched one of the lengths of cloth and lifted it up to examine the detail, and caught the eye of one of the Muslim women, who was also looking at it.  I smiled, and she grinned and nodded as I held it up and said, "das ist gut."  I thought, it doesn't matter that I can't speak her language, women are alike the world over when they go shopping!

This is just one row among many, which stretches out to about half a football field in one direction (or, it seems like it's that long to me). Yes, quilters, you are seeing some very nice quilting fabric. For non-quilters who want to cheat, there is even pre-assembled lengths of fabric made up of fat quarters.

It's not nearly as large as the Puyallup Sew Expo in Washington State, but keep in mind that this is a weekly market, rather than the yearly event that is the Expo. However, you name the fabric, the Sittard market probably has it. Cotton, polyester, silk, linen; fabric for knitwear, drapery and upholstery fabric--any kind you might think of, including notions and threads for all sorts of sewing machines, including Sergers.

There are non-fabric parts of the market (they sell very nice clothes, too), more amenable to those of a mechanical bent. There are hardware and tools galore, plus bicycle parts. And there are the food vendors.

Of course, Anna and I didn't spend all our time among the fabric. We also shopped for groceries. Don't those tomatoes look luscious?

I bought some Old Amsterdam cheese (tastes like a mild cheddar, kinda sorta), plus two others, some fresh ginger, a ripe pineapple, some Belgian waffles, lettuce, and zucchini, and some other things for dinner.

After relaxing and having a bit of lunch at one of the restaurants, we also window-shopped at some stores off in an alley. I had to go in the shop that featured this:

I had seen this before, when John and I went to the market a week ago (but it wasn't open, as it was Ascension day, a holiday), and I thought, okay, that's so wrong. However, another part of me couldn't help laughing. Anna and I had to go in the store (which turned out to be an upscale household goods and decor store) and get a closer look. The salesman there spoke English quite well, but not idiomatically, so when I said that there was something rather wrong with that knife holder, he assured me that it was their best-selling set of knives. I mentioned this to John when I came home, and he said "yeah, to divorcees."

Hmm.

However, there were other items, much more charming, that I would have loved to have bought, but were too pricey for me, such as this very cute Japanese dish set (the bird is a soy sauce container, the lily pad is a soy sauce bowl, and the fish is a chopsticks holder). The set (one place setting) cost 65 euros, which was too much for me.

Anna noticed that we probably ran out of time on our parking, so we hurried off and luckily left before anyone could see that our time had expired.

I highly recommend the Thursday morning Sittard market if you wish to have a great shopping experience and find some bargains, especially if you're a fiber addict. Since it's in the Netherlands, the chances are good that the vendors speak pretty fluent English, and if they don't then the very friendly Dutch customers do and sometimes offer to translate. However, though I don't speak any Dutch, it's never been a problem for me to shop there, even when the vendor doesn't speak English.  Everyone knows a good deal when they see it. ☺

My Mom

I have to boast about my mom: She won one of the Pierce County Outstanding Volunteer Achievement awards for 2009! I went to the award ceremony brunch on Saturday 3/21, and I’m so proud! Mom was up there on stage and shook hands with the governor and everything. She's a Clothing and Textiles Advisor, and has helped staff and coordinate the Sew Expo in Puyallup, WA, as well as led volunteer efforts in her home town and in Tacoma. She looks younger than her age--she's in her late 70's--which all goes to show that volunteering keeps you looking young. :-)

The ceremony is so inspiring. In these days when it’s so easy to be cynical about the world and about people, it’s wonderful to see all these people up on stage and in the audience who devote hundreds to thousands hours to helping others and the community, from people who make hats for the homeless to dentists who volunteer hours at the coroner’s office to match dental records to the deceased so that families can find closure, to Master Gardeners to child advocate workers. It’s fantastic. People of all ages, too, from young adults and teenagers to very elderly people with walkers. One young man up for an award blushed the whole time he was up on stage accepting his award–so sweet!

It was a totally non-stress event (for me, anyway). Mom cried a little when she got the award–a certificate and beautiful hand-made glass plate. This the second time she’s won an award. The last time was the 2000 Volunteer of the Year award.

They need more door prizes, though. I’m going to put together a basket for next year’s ceremony. My mom is invited every year and she gives out tickets to family, so I might be going next year, too.