I hate to cook, but I love
markets!
I don’t know why, or what it is about
them, but wherever I am in the world, the marketplace seems to beckon
me. The simplest explanation might just be that it is a magical
melding of the 3 C’s…Color, Cacophony and Camaraderie. And, oh yes, lest
we forget number 4…the s-cents!
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| MARSEILLES’ BUSTLING VIEUX PORT (OLD HARBOR) |
The Marche Du Prado is
a market where hundreds of stalls line both sides of the Avenue du Prado. Among
the treasures you will find are ribbon-tied Provencal pouches containing Herbs
de Provence; hand–made, hand-painted pottery and the world-renowned,
traditional French lavender soap. Marseilles is the capital of soap
making and no visitor should leave without some genuine Marseilles soap. To
be labeled Savon de Marseille, the soap must contain at least
72% olive oil. Soap infused with authentic Provencal lavender is the
flavor de jour in the Marseilles marketplace.
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| LAVENDER SOAP REIGNS SUPREME IN MARSEILLE MARKET |
NICE, FRANCE--COURS SALEYA: My life always seems to be running
away from me. However, whenever I am in Nice France I seem to be able to
finally stop trying to catch it. Nice (pronounced niece) is
nice. Not only is Nice nice, it is incredible! This haven, that
temporarily removes one from reality, is the reigning queen of the French
Riviera (also known as the Cote d' Azur). If a portrait
were to be painted of this queen of resorts, it would have to include sea, sun,
art, architecture, history, culture, shopping, and some of the finest food in
the world. Nice is Joie de vivre personified on the
French Riviera!
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| NICE IS THE REIGNING QUEEN OF THE COTE D’ AZUR |
On arriving in Nice, I always block out some time to stroll
and lunch at Nice's famous Flower Market (Cours Saleya) in heart of Old
Nice (Vieux Nice), two blocks back from the seafront. It is packed
with a plethora of flowers, produce, restaurants, hip bars, and shops where you
can buy Provencal goods. It operates six days a week. On Mondays, it
becomes a flea/antiques market. At Le Safari, a restaurant that has been
operating in Old Nice for decades, I opted for a plate of spiny sea
urchins. Considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, this unique
and savory seafood is both tasty and pricey.
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| SPINY SEA URCHINS ARE OFTEN COMPARED TO OYSTERS |
BARCELONA, SPAIN—LA BOQUERIA: Officially
named the Mercat de Sant Josep de la
Boqueria,
the entrance to the market is tucked back in an alcove off La Rambla,
the lively tree-lined esplanade filled with cafes, shops,
vendors, artists and mimes.
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ENTRANCE TO LA BOQUERIA |
La Boqueria had its beginning in 1217, near
the old city gate, with a few tables set up for the purpose of selling
meat. In the mid-1830s, the city fathers decided to construct an official
structure. Construction
began on March 19, 1840. After a series of modifications, the
inauguration finally took place in 1853. A new fish market opened in 1911, and
the metal roof that still exists today was constructed in 1914.
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| TECHNICOLOR CANDIED FRUIT DISPLAY AT LA BOQUERIA |
BANGKOK,
THAILAND--FLOATING MARKETS: Thailand's
capital of Bangkok, the "Venice of the East", is a potpourri of
superlatives. It is the best and the worst. It is the most
beautiful and the most slovenly; the most chaotic and the most serene. It
is the classiest and the sleeziest; the most exotic and the most
commonplace…and its floating markets might well be the most
exciting markets in the world.
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| A PLETHORA OF LONGBOATS PLY BANGKOK’S KLONGS |
Long-tail boats ply the canals, aka klongs,
and offer sights you will see no other place in the world. You can
purchase fresh produce from one of the boat people or have your meal cooked
right before your very eyes. The Klong Show, is an
absolute must for visitors to Bangkok.
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| BUY PRODUCE OR A COOKED MEAL FROM THESE BOAT WOMEN |
NEW BRUNSWICK,
CANADA--- SAINT
JOHN CITY MARKET: Saint
John’s City Market is Canada’s oldest continuing farmers’ market. When it
officially opened in 1876, Saint John was one of the world’s leading
shipbuilding centers. The market’s ceiling resembles the
inverted hull of a ship. The Market’s hand-hewn timbers and
dovetailed joints have stood fast for more than a
century. Fortunately, the Great Fire of 1877 left the market
building undamaged.
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| MARKETPLACE CEILING RESEMBLES INVERTED HULL OF A SHIP |
Within the market, colorful stalls
display local foods and handcrafted items. Dulse, the leafy sea vegetable that
grows on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, is considered a maritime
delicacy. Handpicked and sun dried, it adds a light salty taste to
salad and seafood dishes. Slocum & Ferris, established in 1895,
is the reigning merchant at the City Market. They will be happy to
give you a sample taste of dulse before you decide to purchase it. I took
them up on their offer. My reaction to dulse…UGH!
 |
| TRY SOME DULSE…YOU MAY LIKE IT |
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| HANDMADE CRAFTS AND FURS AT MARKET STANDS |
Some of Finland’s most famous shops,
such as Marimekko, iittala and Aarikka, frame the Espa. You can have a meal
cooked right before your eyes at a market stand or spring for the high
life at the nearby Café Kappeli, a traditional meeting place opened in Helsinki in1867.
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| MIME ORDERS LUNCH AT FISH STAND |
MONTECRISTI,
ECUADOR---HAT MARKET: As
we shopped the Ecuadorian artisan stalls in search of the perfect Panama hat,
musicians perched atop colorful painted buses called chivas serenaded
us. Known for their lightness, durability, flexibility and
comfort, the quality of the hat (the grade) depends on the quality of the straw
and the number of threads per inch in the weave. Some straws are so fine that the resulting
hats feel as if they are made of cloth. Montecristi’s Panama hats are
so flexible they can be rolled and placed into a box.
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| MONTECRISTI, ECUADOR---HAT MARKET |
Montecristi artisans, taught the trade by their fathers and
grandfathers before them, weave Panama
hats that have been called the finest in the world. You might wonder why
these hats made in Ecuador are called Panama hats.. In 1835, Manuel Alfaro, arrived in Montecristi to
export Panama hats. Cargo ships filled with his hats headed to the Gulf of
Panama. Gold Rush prospectors arriving and passing through Panama needed
hats for the sun. Thus a thriving Panama hat business was established in
Ecuador. The price range of
Montecristi hats is based upon the weaving, finishing and authenticity of the
hat. However, at the Montecristi Hat Market you will pay far less than
you would in the US or Europe.
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| MONTECRISTI ARTISAN WEAVES A PANAMA HAT |
ISTANBUL,
TURKEY—SPICE BAZAAR: I promised
that I would take you marketing for everything from soap to nuts, so now that
we found the soap, lets go for the nuts. And, what better place to
go nutty than at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul? Built in 1664, the
Spice Bazaar (aka Spice Market) has a total of 85 shops selling a
plethora of nuts, dried fruits, vibrant heaps of spices, Turkish Delight (lokum),
assorted sweets and other goodies. After the nearby Grand Bazaar, (the
largest and most famous of
Istanbul's covered bazaars) the Spice Market is the city’s most famous covered shopping
market. However, without a doubt, it is the most fragrant of all the
markets. As in many markets around the world, tasting samples
are offered. Be advised that a little haggling is expected and
usually results in a lower price for your purchases.
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FROM SOAP(IN MARSEILLE) TO NUTS (IN ISTANBUL)
Trust me, you’ll go nutty deciding what to buy, not only at
Istanbul’s Spice Market, but at the wide variety of markets around the world.
JANET STEINBERG is an award-winning Travel Writer, and International
Travel Consultant with THE TRAVEL AUTHORITY in Mariemont, Ohio. She
is the winner of 46 national Travel Writing Awards.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JANET STEINBERG
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