Every Sunday tons of vendors line several streets selling their wares at El Rastro, a giant flea market in barrio La Latina. The neighborhood is funky and the vendors are an interesting assortment of hawkers, families, old crusty guys, and flim-flam men and women. The Metro was packed with people getting off at the La Latina stop and the crowd was shoulder to shoulder. Every guide book warns about pick-pockets, so I clung tightly to my bag. We arrived about 10:00 am and enjoyed looking at the various wares, including:
For the Well Prepared
Surfin' El Rastro
See Richard in the Mirror?
Mein Kampf in Italian Anyone?
I enjoyed the various characters selling their wares, like these two old guys selling antiques.
Relaxed Antique Vendors
The street scene was crowded and gritty.
Street Scene at El Rastro
I bought a needle threader from this guy for 3 euros.
Flim Flam Man--Photo by Richard
I also bought a colorful orange bolsa for 12 euros.
Pleased with My Find--Photo by Richard
I managed to resist some of the fine art on offer.
El Rastro Art
On Monday, we had a very different shopping experience, visiting the chi chi Salamanca barrio. There were a few art galleries,
Salamanca Art
but shopping in this area is all about high fashion, including lined raincoats for your little dog.
Canine High Fashion--notice the yellow-striped lining in the hood
Shoes are a big seller in Madrid, including in our Chueca neighborhood. In Salamanca we got a preview of the new trends, including sandals with thick ankle straps
Sandals with Ankle Straps
Platform Shoes with a Twist
OhmyGOd
Above the shops were very elegant apartment buildings with forbidding-looking doormen. You could smell the €€€€s.
Grand Apartment Buildings
We managed to actually shop in the area, checking out the multi-story department store, El Corte Inglés.
Clever reference to Las Meninas by Velázquez
This place has everything, including appliances, high-end sporting goods, electronics, and an international gourmet grocery store. I bought a small bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce there for 3 euros. After so many rich meals and tapas the past few days, we decided to eat in last evening. I made a stir fry, putting the Kikkomans to good use.
Stir Fry Prep
Stir Fry on the Cooktop
After finishing our dinner, we headed down to nearby Plaza Chueca for a nightcap. Things were starting to wind down at 1:00 am Monday night/Tuesday morning.
Plaza Chueca at 1:00 am
The mystery—how do these folks get up and go to work the next day?
Notsofastinboulder's Blog 