I’ve long believed in visiting flea markets and thrift stores during travel. There are few better ways to really know a place than by digging through its junk.
Thus, when I learned that there was a flea market in Lisbon every Saturday and Tuesday, I knew exactly what I was going to do with our Saturday.
This flea market has apparently been taking place since 1272, though it has moved throughout the city before becoming ensconced in its current neighborhood. The roads in the area have permanent white lines painted for each stall spot, and the stalls cover several blocks of roadway.
Today was extremely windy, so shopping had the additional adventure of running after flying used clothes and tipped glassware. We spent about four hours rooting though piles and piles of mismatched plates, old toys, souvenir trinkets (many from other countries), costume jewelry, defunct currency, and the occasional artisan. Fes learned how to haggle as he bought a jacket. I rooted through a giant, tangled mound of old bracelets marked at 1 Euro each. Fes found a Nintendo Switch dock (and will now need to find space for it in his luggage). I found earrings shaped like sardines to match the sardine-patterned scarf I found. There was even a spice dealer, so I did the ultimate tribute to Lisbon by trading money for spices.
Perhaps most amusing to me is the fact that Fes has lately been hyperfixated about antique lighters. Once he found that this flea market was absolutely swimming in old lighters, he proceeded to click about 85% of them. I think he wanted to buy as many as he could carry, but I admired his restraint in leaving them there.
Then we saw THIS:
I don’t know how you see a giant lighter lamp and leave it there, but we did.
But perhaps the most bizarre thing we saw for sale was…
Well, let me put it this way: I know that Portugal is one of the safest countries in Europe, but even so, nothing would convince me to buy unwrapped dildos at a flea market.
