National holiday today in Greece and in the small town where we now live, there is a tradition of having a flea market with traders coming all over the country.
It takes place on the street where my first house was, this market felt like my market when I was a kid :)
I chose the photo above because I like it, this is an old neighborhood with lot of character but nowadays most buildings have been restored or replaced by new ones. This might be the only one left abandoned and flying pillows and colorful covers will accompany it for two days.
I was surprised to see that the market on its own hasn't changed a lot. There are still the same things, you can find pretty much anything. Don't ask me about the quality, but I can tell the prices are low and since Greece (and not only) is under a constant economic crisis and in bankruptcy state since 2010, I could notice that this festive flea market had a lot of people. To be honest I thought it would be just me and @fotostef and a few others. I was imagining a state of decadence, but I was wrong. And it was fun too!
You must expect a lot of surrealism, underwear on the air and papaya from Thailand rich in iron and calcium, and some herbs and ceramic pots in between :)
I have said that again, in my opinion Greece belongs mostly to the East that to the West. I could expect to see a market like this in Turkey, Lebanon or Egypt. It feels different than the European flea markets. Let me know what you think :)
After having written these lines I read the post of @fotostef that you can read here, that shares the same thoughts :)
@fotostef went a step further and looked for the origins of this tradition - a festive flea market that happens due to a religious celebration - and found some interesting stuff going back to Middle Ages!
You name something and it will probably be here :)
Kitsch chaos!
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
The stand with toys are always popular. Some of them were really nice. Definitely an affordable way to get some gifts for the kids. Not a singe kid without a smaller or bigger present, happy faces!
I am not sure how successful the day was for the others, but the one sector that worked well without doubt was the stands with the sweets! Almost everyone was holding one. Too sugary for us, we just took photos of them.
Famous loukoumades, the bestseller :)
 |  |  |
|---|
We went late in the afternoon and when the sun set we were still there.
You can see it's full of people! While I am not a fan of all traditions, this one I find it sweet. A memory from the past and something that I have the feeling that it won't last for long. Maybe I am wrong. I was certainly wrong about this year!
If you have already checked out @fotostef's post and you are wondering why his panoramic photos are so much better than mine, this is the reason :)
In my defense, he is much taller than me!
Thank you so much for reading!
Photo taken by @fotostef.
This is my contribution to #MarketFriday, initiated by wonderful @dswigle!
If you would like to know more about me this is my introduction post.
The pinocchio doll looked good. If I were there, I would buy it
Pinocchio was great! I bought some socks instead, haha! Thanks so much for stopping by :)
This seems a beautiful market. I am totally for (most) traditions !
I relate to what you say about Greece being rather an eastern country. the market sure looks like something you would expect to see in Istanbul or there about.
not sure what loukoumades is, but I can easily see why it is a bestseller !
the name reminded me of the Turkish Rachat Lakum (sometimes called Turkish Delight) which I LOVE.
thank you for sharing.
Loukoumades are awesome to be honest! You could call them Greek honey donuts :) I love them, but as they are deep fried and in a fiesta like this the same oil can be fried for hours, I just avoid them. Otherwise they are really tasty :)
Glad you also see it this way! I like the multicultural character of this small part of Earth :)
Thank you for stopping by dear @bigorna1!
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @videoaddiction ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
I've never been to a flea market so far even though there are quite a few organized in my town as well. I've heard all kind of stories about that such as being able to buy lots of precious things very cheap as well as paying a fortune for things that you think are original but they are not. Either way, I think it's a cool experience and should definitely try it one day 🤗
Both sides are true, you are right! I didn't mention it, I didn't think of it, but apart from buying cheap you can also pay for some fake brands, haha :) Flea markets are pretty cool, I love the markets with antiques and old stuff :)
Thank you so much for stopping by, dear @gabrielatravels!
Thank you for taking time to reply. Hope you have a beautiful week! 💚
You, too, have a lovely week :)
What a fabulous market! I agree, Greece is definitely more Eastern than Western "flavoured". I LOVE it. Although I think I would slam on brakes in the eating part of the market.
How are you both lovely @traisto? What a fun photo of @fotostef!
Haha! Most people did that :))
We are well! We have moved to a different place and we are now working on how to organize our brand new start! Nice hearing from you and knowing you are all well! xxxx
A different place! But still the same in that you have your herbs and weaving and trees? And that magnificent view?
Not really!
If you have the time you can check the life updates we have both written :)
https://peakd.com/hive-140635/@fotostef/forget-it-mate-this-is-never-going-to-happen
https://peakd.com/hive-152889/@traisto/50-steps-around-a-brand-new-start
Long time no see @buckaroobaby :)
We are both fine and on the move! There has been same big changes in our lives but all for the good!
How are you?
We're well thank you. Just overcoming numerous challenges. Happy to hear you two lovely people are good despite big changes.
I can see a lot of cute items in this market. It is a nice market.
Thank you so much dear @whitebean! Plenty of cute stuff, yes :)