Our Weekend Adventure: Tongeren Antique Market

Since we arrived in Belgium we have heard everyone ranting and raving about the Tongeren Antique Market. After over a year and a half we finally made it out there to see what the hype was all about. Our “plan” was to get up very early in the morning and head out there so we didn’t miss any deals. Well that didn’t work out so well. Both my husband and I slept through our alarms and while the kids wake up at 6 am ever other morning, they decided to sleep in this one day. So we ended up getting a much later start than we wanted to but it was a blessing in disguise since the weather was ROUGH on Sunday. It was a cool 37ºF and raining. Not the most favorable conditions to say the least but we definitely plan on returning again…probably during the Summer months though.
(It took me an hour to warm up!)

There are a lot of different vendors and items range from old door knobs and latches to big, old European furniture and everything in between. Much to our surprise there were many Americans and most of the vendors we chatted with spoke English. They are open every Sunday (rain or shine) from 6 am until 1 pm. Unfortunately we didn’t find the items we were searching for but we are looking for very specific items. I think next time we will leave the kiddos with a babysitter so we have more room to pack items in the car because I am dying to get my hands on a nice, old wine barrel! Here are a few pictures from our adventure…

Man, I have one handsome husband! <3

You can’t see the lockers that well but I REALLY wanted a set! How cute would it be to put a nice coat of paint and put them in the mudroom for the kid’s drop spot! My husband didn’t see my vision though so they stayed…maybe I can talk him into it before we go back and hopefully they will still have a set.

This is an AWESOME table. The reused crates pull out as drawers! Even my husband agreed that it was great. You should definitely check this guy out. He does this for his job, the antique selling is just a hobby. The company’s name is Segona Vida and you can also find him on Facebook. He makes a pretty great table that I would love to buy also.

Here are just some sight seeing pictures from the area as well…

It was a very beautiful area and would certainly look even more amazing when it’s warmer, flowers blooming and not raining!

Overall, it was totally worth the trip even though we left without buying a single item. I know what to expect next trip and like I said, I will ensure I have room in the car to grab some of the big items I want to get before we leave Europe. 🙂

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