Espéraza Market
Espéraza is just 9 km north of Quillan, and they both have excellent outdoor markets. But the atmosphere at each is completely different. Quillan’s market is for locals, while Espéraza’s attracts tourists and residents from all around the region. The Sunday market is huge stretching right along the river and into the central square. It’s a combined flea market (tables piled high with clothing, rainbow umbrellas strung from a tree, sacks of walnuts), food market (cheese, bread, vegetables, olives), and craft market (musical instruments, woven baskets, ornaments).
It also has a strong counter-cultural element so you find lots of organic food, drumming, and dreadlocks). I suspect part of the reason for this is that the town is close to the Pic de Bugarach, a mountain shrouded in myths and legends. It’s an upside-down mountain as the top layers are older than the bottom ones. Spacecraft are alleged to be hidden inside the mountain, and it was expected to be the only place on earth that would survive the predicted Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012.
People do shop at the market, but more than anything else it’s a place to hang out, visit, and enjoy, and there are lots of snack food options. I’m very grateful that I can reach the market by bus, and I went home with hyper-local asparagus, French strawberries, and a huge container of olives.