My family knows I love local markets and I think I have encouraged them to have their love affairs with local markets as well. I have said repeatedly, if you want to know about the people where you are traveling, visit the local market. Here in Valencia I was so excited to visit the Mercacdo Central. It was one of the few 'must do' things on short life to excursions. I was even hoping to visit the similar one in Barcelona when we went.
Unfortunately, I was sadly underwhelmed. There were some good finds but it was more of a supermarket market than a farmers market. The sellers were often behind glass cases and it did not have that local feel I love. It felt a bit disconnected and overwhelming with the scores of people in a very hot building. I was disappointed. I could not really get up close and personal with folx. It was a letdown for sure. I was relieved however, that the the girls had their daily school recreational activities and were unable to join Don and his sister (and the girls tia) Paula and myself. In my opinion, they had much more fun.
I am still glad we went. The market did inform me of what the local people eat, what they enjoy. There were lots of fresh vegetables, some local, others imported, olives, chocolates and more bread that I could ever imagine eating! There were very few crafts, which was a bummer. The Valencia market was a stark reminder that I was in Europe, not SE Asia, C.A. or the S. Pacific. Polar opposites, neither better or worse, but different. But to be honest, I much prefer the smaller, down to earth markets.
When we eventually got to Barcelona, I did not even bother to see the market there. It felt our short time would be better used seeing other sites. Still, we had some good finds. Here are some photos of our visit.
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| Classmates joined us. |
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