once, there was a post about the central market on the fővám tér. don't want to replicate myself or something like that, just to add some fresh photos. i won't describe them, come and discover it (sure, i'll tell you more about it, just ask me in e-mail).
it's lovely, believe your eyes.
love to bring things back home? love to shop clothes, shoes, etc.? you must buy the traditional tisza shoes. or a tisza shirt, vest, bag, purse or socks or...
it means much more for the hungarians than just a brand. tisza (second largest river in hungary) story begins somewhere in the first half of the 20th century. later, in the communist era it became a great succes. we got the order to produce shoes in the comecon, so we did. it was known all over the eastern side of the world. but you can read it on the homepage.
in the retro craze of late 90's it was renewed. now, it's a kind of alter's wear. say it: tea-sa-tzee-poe! you can be sure that these shoes wil be unique in your country.
the central shop is on the Astoria (map). there are two others in the pólus and westend malls and five in the countryside. their hompage is here: www.tiszacipo.hu.
every second sunday of the month a special market is organised at szimpla kert (or mozi), which is a very cool bar - i can recommend it also for the nights. i think i will write a post about szimpla, too, but now just about the market.
you can bring here anything to sell, self-made clothes, bags and accessories, old books or bakelites, and beautiful bulgarian icons. and you can come here also to buy them.
all the stuff is very creative, cool and "alternatively trendy", if you know what i mean. and you can sit down, drink a cold beer or a hot cocoa from a traditional red-spotted cup. and use free wi-fi...
so the place: 7th district, kazinczy street 14 (map).
the time: 10th of june, sunday, 13:00-19:00
life is always busy in the central market. this weekend tunisia will be the guest.
you can taste traditional food and drink, like fig-spirit, dates, olives, pastry and specialities of the arabic kitchen. you can learn a lot about their traditions, history, folklore. you can enjoy tunisian music and dance while you know more about water-pipes or henna-painting.
7th-9th of june
opening hours:
thursday and friday: 9.00-18.00
saturday: 9.00-14.00
this week is for the polish. from thursday till saturday (31st of may - 2nd of june) they will be the guests of the central market (about this see the post below).
they will offer polish drinks and food, including cheese, and you can buy different polish handicraft products. the craftmen will also show you how they make them.
the band named "goral" from zakopane will play music during the three days.
there's a place where i always do the daily shopping: the central market on fővám tér.
it's big and beautiful.
i'm sure that your guide will recommend it, and yes, it's quite touristical, but i swear you, the hungarians do go there. like i do. and it's cheaper than other markets! i mean the food, not the souvenirs - i don't know a lot about them.
you have to choose the right stall, because some vendors are a bit rude and they usually don't speak languages - but they know the numbers (: you have to know that many times you can't choose which piece you want.
i don't want to say more bad things about it, because it really is a good place. for the cheaper fruits and vegetables of the season go to the left wing. on the right wing you can find a bigger variety, but it's more expensive. meat is also cheaper and fresher in the market.
when you step in, on the right hand you can find a stall full of cheese and some other stuff, they are always on sale.
in the basement you can find a normal supermarket, some smaller shops, and a special store full with quality food. it is called asia, but they offer everything from the world what you can't find in normal shops. it's not as weird as the chinese shops for example in london, it's more for the hungarian stomach.
opening hours (from the very morning, when you'll be sleeping)
monday: until 17:00
tuesday-friday: until 18:00
saturday: until 14:00
it's better to arrive not in the last minute, because in the last half hour they begin to close.
you can get here by tram #2, #49 or by foot from kálvin tér, blue metro stop (map).
and we have wonderful pictures.
