Rubens Market, Antwerpen

Rubens Market- Antwerpen, originally uploaded by - di.

Despite being busy with work, Gert and I did wander into the city this afternoon ... it was a holiday here in Belgium.

In the first instance, it was Mothers Day. Apparently Antwerpen and Costa Rica are the only two places in the world where Mothers Day is celebrated on 15 August.

But 15 August is also Assumption day, the principal liturgical day of the year, dedicated to the Holy Virgin, who is the patron saint here.

I was told that this tradition of holding a Rubens Market was begun in 1977, 400 years after the painter was born. It was fun out there, with all of the stallholders recreating Rubens time by wearing costumes from the 1600s and the buildings doing their thing, looking noble and old as we milled round at their foundations.