Alcalá de Henares: the Medieval Market!

Parque Europan jälkeen ahdettiin kebabit naamaat ja suunnattiin parin pysäkin päähän Alcalá de Henaresiin keskiaikaisille markkinoille. Markkinat olivat tutut jo viime vuodelta, mutta silloin ei niitä jääty sen kummemmin tutkimaan, joten oli kiva päästä sinne uudestaan!

After Parque Europa we stuffed ourselves with kebab and headed a few stops further to the medieval market at Alcalá de Henares. I was already familiar with the market from last year, but since we didn't have much time back then, I was more than happy to come back and explore!

Kaupunki oli koristeltu lipuilla joka paikasta / The town was completely decorated with flags

Kermalikööresitä mun testiin pääsi riisipuuronmakuinen  / Cream liquors! I tried the one that tasted like rice pudding  

Mitä olisikaan espanjalaiset markkinat ilman vähän lihaa... / It wouldn't be a Spanish market if there was no meat! 

...ja ilman vinoa pinoa juusto- ja kinkkumaistiaisia. / ...or without free cheese and ham samples

Alcalá de Henaresin pääkatu, Calle Mayor / The main street, Calle Mayor, in Alcalá de Henares

Vain onnellisuutta / just happiness

Keskiaikaista rekvisiittaa ja kaksi sisukasta suomalaista / Medieval props and two gutsy Finnish girls

Miksi tuijotat minua / Why are you staring at me

Hanhilauma varasti kaikkien huomion "paraadillaan" / The goose crowd stole the show with their "parade"

Kamelien ja heppojen lisäksi tuli nähtyä piikkisika, hanhia, aaseja ja lintuja / Apart from camels and horses we also saw a porcupine, geese, donkeys and birds.

Aika mennä kotiin, oli huippu päivä! / Time to go home; it was a wonderful day!

Nämä keskiaikaiset markkinat järjestetään tosiaan vuosittain lokakuun alussa-puolivälissä, joten tässä oiva vinkki syysmatkailijoille Madridiin. Alcalá de Henares on siitä myös mielenkiintoinen, että se on Cervantesin kotikaupunki ja sieltä löytyykin synnyintalomuseo, patsaita ja muuta mielenkiintoista! Tässäpä vielä linkki viime vuoden juttuun. Pakko sanoa, että tän vuoden kuvat on paljon tunnelmallisempia eikö olekin!

This medieval market is organized in the beginning of October anually, so this is a great tip for autumn travellers in Madrid. Alcalá de Henares is also Cervantes' natal town which is why you'll be able to visit his home museum, see statues and a lot more! Here's a link to my post one year ago... I must say that this year's photos convey the ambiance in a completely different way, don't they?

Madrid must-sees: the market El Rastro

Mä olen vähän kahden vaiheilla siitä, onko järkeä höpöttää yhden postauksen verran pelkistä markkinoista. Kelasin kuitenkin, että jos mä olen superinnoissani ja olen onnistunut ottamaan kasan kuvia, niin osan tästä innosta on pakko tarttua teihinkin! Oltiin suunnattoman pettyneitä amerikkalaisen ja kanadalaisen tuttuni kanssa, kun emme löytäneet päätielle ja ajatteltimme marketin olevan kiinni Pyhäinpäivän takia. Jotain kuitenkin tapahtui ja löysimme epätoivoisen kiertelymme jälkeen, kirjaimellisesti nurkan takaa, tutun ihmislauman ja kojut eli El rastron. Ja siitä shoppailu alkoi!

I was in two minds whether or not to dedicate one whole post for a market, but I figured out that maybe making something out of my enthusiasm isn't a bad idea. So here we are, talking about a market! We were enormously disappointed for not finding the main street and started thinking that maybe the market wasn't even going to be open on All Saints' Day. But suddenly, a miracle happened: we found the familiar looking stalls of El rastro literally behind a corner. Let the shopping begin!

El rastrossa on kaikkea: käytettyjä ja uusia vaatteita, nahkatuotteita, laukkuja, käsitöitä, koruja, elektroniikkaa, kirjoja, leluja... Lista on loputon, kuten myös kyseinen markettikatu. Erityisen paljon tuolla oli omaan silmään kivoja huiveja, farkkutakkeja ja pieniä nahkalaukkuja. Täydellinen farkkutakki lähtikin mun mukaan vaivaisella vitosella ja toinen mun kavereista löysi Tommy Hilfigerin neuleen 1,50€. Niitä sotkuisia ja epäilyttäviä kasoja kannattaa todellakin uskaltaa tonkia, sovittaa kivannäköisiä vaatteita ja kysäistä, jos myyjältä löytyisi peiliä.

El rastro has everything: used and new clothes, leather products, handbags, handicrafts, jewelry, electronic devices, books, toys... The list goes on and on and so does this market street. I particularly found the denim jackets, scarves and small leather bags really pretty and ended up buying the perfect denim jacket for a fiver. My friend, in turn, found a Tommy Hilfiger knit for just €1,50. Crazy, right? It's really worth the trouble digging those messy and smelly piles of clothes.

Parasta El rastrossa ei välttämättä kuitenkaan ole ne halvat vaatteet, vaan ilmapiiri. Poikkeuksetta siellä on outoja esineitä myynnissä, kohteliaita myyjiä myyntipuheidensa kanssa ja taitavia katusoittajia viihdyttämässä. Kuvan tyypit tekivät suullaan sellaista hilpeänkuuloista surumielistä musiikkia. jota jäi mielellään seuraamaan. Paikalla on myös joukko afrikkalaisia, jotka tanssivat kaduilla suuriliikkeisesti, laulavat kovaan ääneen ja kolistelevat rumpujensa kanssa. Kaiken kruunaa tämä kaunis Madridin alue, joka on kuin tehty markkinoille. (Tosin Madridin keskustassa on joka paikassa kaunista, jos minulta kysytään.)

The best about El rastro might not even be the ridiculously cheap clothes, but the atmosphere. They sell the weirdest objects and have the most talented buskers entertaining people, not to mention the salesmen who I found really friendly and not at all pushy. The guys in the pic are playing sad music in a cheerful way, which was something that caught my attention. You can also spot a group of African men doing their dance, singing out loud and making music with their drums. Everything is topped of with the beautiful are, which is just made for markets like this. (Although, I think anywhere in Madrid's centre is pretty if you ask me!) 

Okei, myönnettäköön että kyseinen paikka houkuttelee hurjasti taskuvarkaita ja huijareita paikalle, mikä ei tietenkään ole kivaa. Multa ei ole hävinnyt mitään, mutta en toisaalta pidä suurta laukkua mukana tuolla, vaan tungen kaiken vetoketjullisiin taskuihini tai pieneen laukkuun. Sulkemis- ja aukenemisaikoihin (9-11 ja 14-16)  marketeilla on loogisesti paljon hiljaisempaa, joten jos väenpaljous ahdistaa, kannattaa tänne suunnata aamusta tai iltapäivästä. El rastron pitäisi sulkeutua kello 15, mutta se aika on, noh, hieman liukuva.

Okay, I must confess that his place does attract a lot of pickpockets and scammers which, of course, isn't nice. Nothing has been robbed from me, but then again I don't carry a big bag with me and have everything in zippered pockets or a small bag. If you feel uneasy moving around in a big crowd, I suggest you go during opening times or when the market closes (9-11 and 14-16) El rastro should close at 15, but people and salesmen will still be around at that time.

Why you should pay a visit to Camden town

Camden lock
For people who love bits and bobs, this market is paradise. The sellers are so laid back, they keep yelling things to each other in the tightly packed market area. You can easily find anything from clothes to accessories and miscellaneous little objects. Especially a lot of punks and hippies seem to be around, which I also find pretty awesome. Well, these places can be packed with tourists, but I saw more alternative people here than anywhere else in London. Don't you just love these kinds of places?

The streets
Especially if you're into all the alternative stuff, Camden is the place for you. Even if you aren't, it can still be the place for you! These buildings are startling with their pretty little underground clothes, outside decoration and all. On this street you can purchase a pair of Dr. Martens or take a cool tattoo, If that's what you want, of course.

The weirdest shop you'll come across: Cyberdog
Weird-ass techno music blaring out, pole dancers close to the ceiling and neon colours distracting you from each and every corner. That's right, you've just stepped in to Cyberdog. I'm guessing the mainstream doesn't buy much anything here, but this shop's sure worth a visit. And hey, you could still find the weirdest souvenirs over here! Pink plastic dreadlocks with matching tutus, anyone?

The international vibes
My mum had Chinese food and I bought a few slices of Italian pizza. There was surely something for everyone; I probably didn't even see every stall selling food. And once you've bought your snacks, you can go enjoy them on scooters by the river.

//Tomorrow it will be the beginning of my exam week (again, ughh) and after that we'll be off to New York City. What that means is that I have a lot to do during these 10 days! Oh well, it's good to keep yourself active.

Trip to Tallinn Day 3

We still had time to do lots on the last day after checking out of our hostel at noon. Our plan was to roam markets and then visit either Patarei prison or the Bastion tunnels near Kiek in de Kök which we had visited the day before. But first, on our way to a Russian market, we came across this offbeat shop which had the most peculiar old items from the Second World War. Because photographing inside the shop was only allowed after paying one euro, I just settled for a photo taken from outside. And I think this was just foretaste of what we were going to see at the Russian market.

Tuesday market at Saint Raphaël

Today we accidentally bumped into a huge market! We were just casually walking from school to the beach and there were these tables in front of us. We enjoyed looking at the weird things, especially the African masks and other decorations. A lot of Finns went to St.Tropez today but I didn't want to go, so I decided to stay with my room mate and her Swedish friends at the beach and shops. The variety of the languages you hear here is so awesome - so far I've heard English, French, German, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Russian and of course Finnish.