Metz Fleamarket

Our time in Germany is quickly coming to an end and I am taking every opportunity to get out and explore more Europe has to offer... especially flea markets, lol. I love antiques and when I heard a friend of mine was hitting up the flea market in Metz, France, I had to join her!

About an hour and 30 min  (took us 2 hours because of construction) from the KMC area. We planned to leave at 6:15 but left just before 7 (not my fault) but got there around 9 and had a couple hours to shop. It opens at 7 and closes around 12 but vendors will start packing up early. 

 When we first arrived, I was not impressed. Lots of random junk that I had no interest in but after walking around a bit, I came across a lot of interesting and unique pieces. 


The Metz flea market is indoors and makes for a fun outing with friends while getting your  "flea" fix in the winter months! Plus it has bathrooms! Metz hosts the second largest flea market in France.

I apologize for the junky quality of photos. I took all these pictures with my iPhone.... but you can get the idea. The halls were pretty empty but my friend said it is usually packed.

Address:

Metz Expo Evénements

Parc des Expositions de Metz Métropole, 

rue de la Grange aux bois, 

BP 45059

57072 Metz

After shopping and packing up the car, we headed into the city center to have some lunch and see some of the sites before heading back home. We grabbed a bite at the Boogie Burger and it was amazing! We took our burgers across the street and ate at the park overlooking the river. 

We found a lot of amazing things. Here are some pictures of my finds! The chair, round side table, bottle drying rack, Amber spritzer bottle, 3 large vintage French prints that were used in schools (featuring trains but they are double sided with other cool pictures) and an old toy train.

Homburg Flohmarkt

This morning I woke up bright and early to meet a friend and head to Homburg's Flohmarkt. In the past I usually go with Rob and Rand and we don't get out the door till after 9am. This morning we got there just before 8am and I was excited to hit the flohmarkt without a toddler... but I did miss having a stroller for storage. 

It was very cold and raining this morning. We were in shock because only like 10% of the vendors that usually sell were there today. I was really bummed and thought this trip would be a bust but was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful treasures we found! The few vendors that were there had wonderful things and I am so glad we got there early! Many vendors were very kind and held onto our items while we walked around and continued shopping. 

some of the items we scored

I was so excited to find this painting for only 20€! Rob and I have visited this site; the Church of St. Sebastian twice (here and here). Behind the church is the Reiter Alpes. Near by is Lake Königssee in Berchtesgadener in Bavaria, close to the border with Austria.

Another great find was this antique French bottle drying rack for 60€. Here are some fun ways to use the rack. I probably overpaid but I knew I would regret not buying it.

I also got 2 antique spritzer bottles (20€), a wooden train (10€), skeleton keys (5€), tons of Schleich animals (all for 25€) and a letterpress tray (5€).   

Here are some tips for your trip to a flomarkt:
-Go early!
-Bring lots of smaller euros (1€, 2€, 5€, 10€ and some 20€)
-Bring bags, backpack, wagon or stroller to help carry your items
-Dress accordingly (rain boots are great because it is usually muddy)
-Keep (in your car) garbage bags and blankets to help protect your car and items from getting dirty or breaking
-It is always nice to surprise vendors with some Deutsch. Here are some easy phrases you can use:
              Good morning ..... Guten Morgen
              Excuse me ..... Entschuldigung
              Cost? ..... Kosten?
              How much? ..... Wie viel?
              Better price? ..... Besser preis?
              Thank you ..... Danke
              Many thanks ..... Vielen Dank or Danke schön
              No thanks ..... Nein Danke
              Bye ..... Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen
-Bring a pen and paper. This is great incase you want a phone number to get more items or get something delivered. It is also great incase you can't figure out what they are saying for price. 
- Do not be afraid to haggle! I also like going with friends to group items to get better deals. 

The Homburgh Flormarkt is from 8am-2pm usually on the first Saturday of the month but here is the schedule.

Address: Rathaus Am Forum 5, 66424 Homburg 

***UPDATE***
Remember those skeleton keys covered in rust? I submerged them in a glass full of white vinegar for a few days to remove the rust. Now I just need to remove the rust from my French bottle dryer.