Vriidag an Zaterdag are market days in Dordrecht!

Friday and Saturday are market days in Dordrecht. The markets have moved from the old 'Grote Markt' to the newish Statenplein, which is bigger - and flow down into Sarisgang, a wide street closed to traffic. Locals and visitors alike are drawn to the market, with good reason.

Starting early, there is a buzz in the square as the stalls are erected and the vendors stuff them with produce. They are a mixed mob - the serious cheese shop man, the noisy, shouting, 'hey you' fruit guy, the bored fritte ladies yacking to each other, the knife-sharpening small-goods man and the always-busy fish stall, wafting come-here aromas all over the square.

It is a magnet for locals and visitors. Syl's Auntie Renee and Uncle Api cycle in from Dubbeldam to buy here because the market has things they can't get elsewhere and its quicker to ride than drive.  People on foot jostle politely with ubiquitous bicycles, scooters, wheel-chairs, strollers and vendors with boxes and trolleys.

What can you get there? Pretty much everything, but here is a list of what you must try:

fritte met mayonnaise - chips really, served in a paper cone, with an abundant dressing of mayonnaise, or satay sauce. Two euro fifty. Little plastic forks for the fussy, tomato sauce out of the question. Ten  minutes of quiet munching as you wander  the market.

kibbeling - bite sized chunks of fish, dusted in flour and curry powder, deep fried, served on a plate or in a bag. Three to six euro. Add mayonnaise ad libitum. Unless you are being pushed in a stroller, you have to stop to eat these. The stall has a table alongside for you, cheerfully covered in red and white check plastic with a vat of self-serve mayonnaise. You noash cheek-to-jowl with the locals, scooping up these wonders. And I guarantee that you will be back. On Saturday if it is Friday!

bloemen - fantastic flowers, many from the Netherlands, but from all over really. Brilliant colours and quality, huge bunches of roses, dahlias, gladiolus and superb posies. If its $60 in Australia, it will be nine euro here.

dutch strawberries - small sweet red delights. Sooo much nicer than the average Aussie berry and better than the best. Two euro for two huge punnets.

Finally, a warning. Some Dutch people eat raw herring. They come as grey fillets, about twenty centimetres long.  Herring is available at two or three stalls at the market. They are dressed with diced onions to disguise the taste.This does not make them edible. Some say that you must eat them once to know whether you like them. Indeed, this is a mantra I hum to fussy Cait about other foods. Do not be fooled. Herring should only be eaten as they were historically - when the alternative was starvation. Bon appetit!