Amiens’ Marché sur l’Eau

On the morning of the market, growers from the market gardens step into costume, echoing the dress of earlier generations — bonnets tied beneath the chin, patterned shawls, long skirts and waistcoats. Their slender wooden boats, piled high with vegetables, flowers and summer fruit, glide slowly along the water towards the Saint-Leu quays.

Crowds gather to watch as bunches of radishes are lifted like trophies, cabbages gleam in the sunlight and armfuls of flowers add bursts of colour. Laughter ripples along the banks too, as the market gardeners banter with onlookers in the rolling tones of the old Picard dialect, keeping the atmosphere light-hearted and convivial.