The great market (bon marché) is emblematic of all famous stores in Paris. Established in 1838, it wont last to be the first big store, a new commercial concept where the selling volume prevail over gross margin. The LVMH consortium bought the great market in 1984 and started to make agressive ads, coupled to a new commercial target: High luxury.

When the same consortium bought the Samaritaine, the intention wasn't the same...

note: Emile Zola, a famous french writer inspired from this universe to write "Au bonheur des dames".

Assault on the rooftops!
Pic by LeBreton

A beautiful medieval cellar cave excavated by some groups in the area. 1800 tons of debris have been removed to give a breath of life to those underground. These caves communicate with each other on a good part of the hill. They share an old quarry, very small, very pretty and beautifully preserved.

Source: words collected during Heritage Days 2008

This corridor is almost completely around one of the last level gave me the solution to the legend that surrounds the courthouse in Brussels. Indeed, the legend says there are so many rooms that nobody really knows the number. It would suffice to count them you say? Certainly, but the legend also says that some rooms are hidden! And it's true! This corridor will lead to narrowing to a dead end. But shortly before, once a straight line (since it is the turn of the last square base, so that makes 4 times) there is a steep staircase, added a bit anyway, which is sometimes blocked the passage a pipeline. This staircase leads into empty rooms mysteriously seem to have been recently refurbished (light, electrical outlets). Impossible to know what they were good or what they will be used, it is already difficult to access with empty hands, imagine the trouble we have to make a table! No other access to these rooms, no windows.

Mushroom area in a big quarry. Bags are still goods.