A Journey through Dourdan

Dourdan

The origin of the name comes credibly from "Dour" derived of the Celtic root "Dor" which means "water" or "river", the same origin as for the English city of Dover. The radical "dan" could have meant "hill". Dourdan (Dordincum) developed during theGallo-Roman period as an important center of production of ceramics. In the Middle Ages, it became the residence of Hugh the Great, father of Hugh Capet; he died there in 956.

Dourdan became a royal city in 987, when Hugh Capet was

crowned king.

In 1220, King Philip II Augustus of France built a new castle; its most famous owners were: Blanche de Castille, Louis d'Évreux,Jean, duc de Berry, François de Lorraine, duc de Guise, Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, Anne of Austria and the House of Orléans.

Dourdan is located on the river Orge in the western Essonne. The town

is surrounded by the Dourdan's forest (Forêt de Dourdan).

Inhabitants of Dourdan are known as Dourdannais.

Transportation

Two train and RER stations are located in Dourdan: Dourdan and Dourdan-la-Forêt, terminus of one of the branches of the "RER C" line.

The Dourdan SNCF station is on the line going from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Vendôme and Châteaudun.

Both stations allow passengers to go to Paris and Versailles, with trains leaving every 30 minutes.

Brussels

Brussels

Brussels (French: Bruxelles,

pronounced [bʁysɛl]; Dutch: Brussel, pronounced [ˈbrʏsəl]), officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest , is the capital of Belgium and hosts the headquarters of the European Union (EU). It is also the largest urban area in Belgium, comprising 19 municipalities, including the municipality of the City of Brussels, which is the de jure capital of Belgium, in addition to the seat of the French Community of Belgium and of the Flemish Community.^[10]

Brussels has grown from a 10th-century fortress town founded by a descendant of Charlemagne into a metropolis of more than one million inhabitants. The metropolitan area has a population of over 1.8 million, making it the largest in Belgium.

Since the end of the Second World War, Brussels has been a main center for international politics. Hosting principal EU institutions as well as the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the city has become the polyglot home of numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants.

Although historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels became increasingly French-speaking over the 19th and 20th centuries. Today a majority of inhabitants are native French-speakers, and both languages have official status. Linguistic tensions remain, and the language laws of the municipalities surrounding Brussels are an issue of considerable controversy in Belgium.

THE HEART OF "LES MAROLLES"

BRUSSEL'S FLEA MARKET

YOU JUST ARRIVED IN BRUSSELS AND WANT TO GRASP THE
ATMOSPHERE OF THE CITY?

THE GOOD PLACE TO START IS THE FLEA MARKET AT "LA PLACE
DU JEUX DE BALLE", KNOWN AS THE "OLD MARKET" SQUARE.
IN THE HEART OF "LES MAROLLES" A LOVELY QUARTER OF THE
TOWN CENTER, THERE IS A LOVELY CHAOTIC MARKET THAT
TAKES PLACE EARLY EVERY MORNING TILL AROUND 2PM.
WHAT A LOAD OF JUNK YOU WILL MAYBE THINK AT FIRST! BUT
TO WANDER AROUND IS TRULY WORTH THE EFFORT!!

MOST OF THE ITEMS, RANGING FROM CLOTHES, CHINA, BOOKS
RECORDS, SUNGLASSES, SILK SCARVES, VINTAGE CLOTHES,
DISHES TO JEWELLERY ARE LAYED OUT ON BLANKETS ON
THE GROUND AND DESPITE THE GENERAL APEARANCE THERE
ARE GEMS TO BE FOUND... FOR JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN
$10 I BOUGHT A REAL PAIR OF OLD WAYFARERS, A BRILLIANT
DEAL SPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE CONSTANTLY LOOSING YOUR
SUNGLASSES OR SITTING ON THEM AND BREAKING THEM...
LATELY I’VE MANAGED TO LOSE 2 IN A WEEK… NO COMMENT!

I ALSO PICKED UP A WICKED VINTAGE WOOLY CARDIGAN AND
GREAT LP'S THAT I AM ALREADY PLAYING; THE WHOLE DEAL
WAS A BARGAIN, LOVELY WAY TO SPEND PEANUTS A GET

GREAT DEALS!

WHAT YOU HAVE TO KNOW IS THAT ALL ITEMS ARE CHEAPER
FROM MONDAY TO THURSDAY; FROM FRIDAY TO SUNDAY THE
REAL ANTIQUE DEALERS COME FOR THE WEEKEND SO THE
PRICES RISE. THEY COME WITH PROPER STANDS AND IT IS NOT
UNUSUAL TO SPOT AN ITEM SOLD FOR A COUPLE OF EUROS
ON A BLANKET DURING THE WEEK AND TO SEE IT AGAIN ON A
TABLE FOR TEN TIMES IT'S PRICE!

GUESS YOU WILL QUICKLY MAKE UP YOUR MIND WHEN TO
GO...

AFTER YOUR STROLL YOU WOULD MAYBE LIKE TO HAVE A
BELGIAN BEER AND A BOWL OF SOUP AT ONE OF THE LOCAL
CAFES AROUND THE SQUARE. THE MOST AUTHENTIC IS
MAYBE "LA CLEF D'OR" MEANING THE GOLDEN KEY. THEIR
SOUPS ARE DEAD CHEAP AND SEEM YUMMI! BUT WATCH IT IF
YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN! THEY ARE OFTEN MADE WITH MEAT
STOCK.... BUT I REASSURE YOU, MANY OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE
JUST AROUND THE CORNER.