Emmy’s Shopping #8of8

We climbed the staircase up the old stone tower to look over the city of Split, Yugoslavia. The outdoor market covered a large area, and thick concrete slabs placed like tables, served as market booths. Some of the elderly women had just two or three items for sale, and others had a table covered with fruit and other food items. Emmy liked the brass containers they used to weigh the fruit in the Split marketplace, but no one would sell her one, that year. A few years later in this marketplace, a young man sold us one, for $25, in US dollars. We had tried to buy one several time during each of 4 visits, over 10 years, before we were finally successful.

Honfleur, France, is exceptionally attractive, just an exciting place to visit. A fishing village, it looks dramatically different from other towns in this part of France. In a little antique shop Emmy found a clock she liked. As happens so often, the clock didn’t work, and they didn’t know what the repairs might cost if it could indeed be fixed. I didn’t like the clock anyway, so at $250, no sale. The bad news is, Honfleur’s Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors ice cream store was closed that day.

In Frankfurt, Germany, we visited Römerberg Square and the central marketplace near the Cathedral. They had dozens of little houses (displays, food, and mostly beer) set up for some kind of a celebration. Not at all unusual, it would be unusual if Germans were not celebrating something. South of the Main River is a very large, very concrete building called “The Bunker.” This is a permanent flea market, just filled on floor after floor with all kinds of whatever. Really a lively place.

Frankfurt’s Römerberg Square is the location of many fairs and celebrations, perhaps the most picturesque is the “Christkindlesmarkt,” held in December. We visited this market one year, and were amazed at block after block of tents and small temporary buildings overflowing with food, gifts, and a myriad of Christmas decorations.

A jewelry store in Delft, The Netherlands, had many interesting old clocks on display. I described a small clock I saw and liked, years ago — a six-inch high, iron statue of a dog, with a clock balanced on the nose. The store keeper went to the back of the store and came out with a similar one, with the clock balanced on the hand of a statue. The clock pivots/rotates like a pendulum, with the clock above and the pendulum below. This one was not for sale, it was being repaired.