Day 3 for us was market day. Specifically, the Feira da Ladra or colloquially known as the ‘Market of Thieving Women’. Yikes! Hold on to your shorts. It was an interesting stroll in the hot sun through one of the better-known markets in Lisbon, open every Saturday and Tuesday. Lots of tourists here as there are elsewhere in Lisbon. There are 5 large cruise ship berths along the Tagus river on the south end of the city.
I’m not a flea market kind of guy but Teresa likes to poke around these places for ‘deals’. It was, as I said interesting, and it was large as street markets go, covering several city blocks. I didn’t see much in the way of deals, but I did see a lot of junk. Who buys this stuff? But I guess if you are needing that one item you’ve been looking for, for years, then you might come here in hopes of finding it. Besides the usual flea market stuff, t-shirts, leather belts, and Jackets; an old book or LP perhaps, or maybe some colorful scarfs and a copper bracelet or two. Or you might be interested in old sardine cans (sardine things of any sort being a big item in Lisbon), stamps, coins, and for you Nazi aficionados, that ceremonial SS dagger looks pretty cool. There are some nice ceramics, pottery items, and some art strewn about, but you need wade your way through many bins of plastic baubles and rubber ducks.
It was an enjoyable couple of hours though and one could sit back, soak up the sun, and check out yet another Lisbon ritual that’s just part of the cultural mosaic here. Everyone was pleasant in a chaotic sort of way; lots of haggling going on and I didn’t see much of the storied pickpockets that Lisbon is famous for. I even got to keep my shorts.
