Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Flea Market in Old Jaffa


No trip to a country would be complete without a visit to one of its Flea Markets. The Flea Market in old Jaffa, at walking distance from the clock tower square (see previous post), is one of the main attractions of the city, especially to those looking for bargains in antiques and second-hand treasures.

One can spend here several pleasant hours of walking around, exploring, enjoying the unique atmosphere, and having a bite in one of the eateries in the area. It is a great cultural and shopping experience

Before entering the market one should know some basics: here you pay mainly in cash; you have to beware of pickpockets; you can practice your barganing and haggling skills. The place also offers photography opportunities : capture of people , stuff, and curiosities; so bring your camera with you.

The little streets and alleys, east of the clock tower, are packed with merchandise : clothing, rugs, furniture, jewelery, tools, old books and records, toys - you name it they've got it. A lot of junk is displayed on some sidewalks.

If you come early in the day, you may get a good price as the vendor believes the sale will bring him luck through the day (and if it's Sunday - luck through the whole week).

Let's have a few pictures speak for themselves.



light fixtures


lace and clothes


judaica items and jewellery


woman mending a rug in front of her rugs shop


old pictures

second-hand furniture items


small tools

On my last visit to the Flea Market (about two weeks ago), I witnessed a bride and groom having their photo taken in front of a furniture store. Perhaps the shop is family owned and the couple wanted a memento with this location as background to some photos. Anyway, it was a rather cold day, but the bride wasn't shivering. She was happy and eager to follow the photographer's instructions. Love was in the air.


love is in the air


33 comments:

  1. nice to have a journey with you to the flea market. this brought to my mind - carolbag market in delhi, broadway market in cochin etc. thanks for sharing...

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  2. and a nice wedding dress!:)
    I love such places, not necessarly to buy, just walking here and there!

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  3. My dear friend Duta
    Very interesting photos and the last photo, so lovely!!!!
    Have a nice week!

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  4. Flea markets are such interesting places - Tells you so much about a place that you would otherwise not know. It is also fun to talk to the shop keepers.

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  5. Looks like fun. I would love to go back. I haven't been to Israel in almost thirty years.

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/

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  6. Yessss! I want to go visit that magical place..just my type of shopping!

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  7. That's a gorgeous wedding dress! But my favorite picture is the little girl - she just looks so bored :)

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  8. I love flea markets. Isn't it wonderful to be able to capture new love? The moments of each day present such wonderful opportunity's. I hope you're doing well Duta!
    http://lisapetrarca.blogspot.com/2012/02/beach-drum-video-for-you.html

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  9. jyothisethu,

    Indeed, every country, including India, has its Flea Markets in major towns. Everywhere, these markets are a big attraction.

    Ola,

    Me, too. I like wandering about more than I like to buy stuff. The bride and her lovely dress were a nice finish to my visit there.

    magda,

    I'm glad you like the photos, and I totally agree with you on the last one.

    R.Ramakrishnan,

    True. Flea Markets are intresting, funny, informative and other good things. Talking to the shopkeepers is often a special experience.

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  10. Joyce Lansky,

    You've been here - that's something, even if it was 30 years ago. Anyway, time to come again.

    Vera,

    I suppose South of France, where you live, does have this kind of magical places. You only have to find the time to go visit them.

    The Bug,

    If you mean the one at the entrance of the light fixtures shop, then I'm sorry to disappoint you - it's a doll, not a real girl.
    As for the bride's wedding dress , it's indeed gorgeous.

    Lisa Petrarca,

    Me, too. I have a soft spot for markets in general and Flea Markets in particular.

    Capturing love and lovers is sure nice.

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  11. We have a (comparatively) small flea market near my home. It is only open in the summer, but the selections are similar. I love the lace and jewelry, myself, although I don't often buy anything. I enjoyed strolling through this one with you!

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  12. Thanks so much for lettin' us tag along with ya to the wonderful flea market.

    I did so love the bride and groom pics. I am a true romantic. Ahhhhh, I could feel the love!

    God bless ya and have a beautiful week sweet Duta!!! :o)

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  13. Wow great captures Duta. I like the lace and the judaica items. I do love shopping in a flea market.

    Thank you for sharing.

    xo

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  14. I love seeing these pics of old Jaffa...so neat. Nice to end with Love:)

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  15. A very interesting shopping trip even if it is just window shopping. I think it is nice to have the shops so close to the clock tower. I liked the tool shop but especially the ring of old keyes. Also, the gentleman sitting behind the counter perked my interest as he had such a kind face. As for the love birds, there has to be reason to their photos such as they met at this place or the machine has a special meeting. Oh well, I could go wild with my imagination on those photos. Maybe each of us blogger could write a short story of those love birds. Thanks for sharing Peace

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  16. Dimple,

    Small or big - it's not the size of the market that makes its attractiveness, but the stuff, the people, the atmosphere, the location.

    Nezzy,

    Romanticism always wins. You should know that. After all, you're romantic and ..you keep winning giveaways D

    Regina,

    I took a lot of photos, but I have to limit myself as to how many I insert in my post, if I don't want to turn it into a mess.

    Kim & Stuff,

    I'm glad you like the pictures and the way my post ends ( with the two love birds).

    Lady Di Tn,

    "...I could go with my imagination on those photos" - As a reader of your blog I can testify that you indeed have a rich imagination and an eye for details.

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  17. Wow, so many things I love about this post. First, I'm so glad you went there and shared these gorgeous photos with us.

    I love the bride photos the best, she is absolutely beautiful and I love the dress. She does look deliriously happy! It makes me happy just to see her...lol.

    And I love the photos with the lace and clothes. Especially in the upper left of that photo there seems to be a tablerunner or tablecloth with a lot of gold on it, that looks so beautiful.

    What fun, I would love to go there some day. Oh and that picture of the lady mending a rug,that's another great photo.

    Great, great, great DUTA...loved this post!

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  18. I love flea markets, we walk flea markets alot and browse, every once in a while purchase something. But I would really enjoy this one. I love your pictures I almost felt like I was there with you. I would go nuts with the old pictures and frames. I am always looking for frames. What a perfect ending with those in love. She was a beautiful bride,does make you wonder why they were there. hmmmm. Yes, there could be a story there! lol. I so enjoy your posts Duta, always look forward to them!
    until next time... nel

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  19. Duta - that's hilarious! No wonder she looks bored. I'm laughing at myself now :)

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  20. I wonder if it was a fashion shoot or magazine ad? They look happy and stylish.

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  21. Alicia,

    Glad you liked it all.
    I keep coming back to the picture of the woman mending the rug. She was engaged in a delicate job, and yet managed to constantly look around her.

    Nel,

    I can't 'blame' you as I like flea markets myself. Old frames and pictures attract me too. As for the couple, I'm sure there's some story behind the choice of the shop as background to their photos.

    The Bug,

    You're not the only one who mistook the doll for a girl. Many passers-by did the same.The doll was the size of a girl and dressed accordingly.

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  22. Hi Duta

    I LOVE flea market on a Saturday morning. Your pictures are lovely as always.

    We used to have a large flea market near by where I would always take visiters, which closed a few years ago because the land rent was too expensive. A real pity.

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  23. LOVE this post. I rarely go to flea markets, but I absolutely love them. The thrill of the unknown - the possibility of unearthing a valuable treasure. This looks like a great flea market, Duta - thanks for taking us there!!

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  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. Duta - I removed my other comment, because I posted it twice. Not quite sure how I did that, but it showed up two times.

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  26. English Rider,

    Wow! It never crossed my mind that it might have been a fashion shoot!
    You could be right.Thank you.

    Angelina,

    Well, Saturday is what Sunday is for you, a resting day. No markets here on Saturday, except perhaps in the arab minority's villages.

    Pity indeed the market in your region closed. A Flea Market is such a big attraction!

    Bica,

    "the thrill of the unknown", "unearthing a valuable treasure" - phrases which beautifully define the reasons for our love of markets.

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  27. Seems so very nice place to shopping some old...i'm goin to post about as same the flea market in Seoul soon.ok

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  28. Love, love, love Flea Markets! ^_^
    And you gave us some great captures to drool over that's for sure!

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  29. nomore,

    I'm looking forward to your post on the Flea Market in Seol.

    PinkPanthress,

    Frankly, I like all kinds of markets, but I Love flea markets. Yes, just as you do.

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  30. I love these photos...I feel like I am there with you.

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  31. Hi Laura,
    Thank you very much. I'm really glad you feel like that.

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  32. HI Duta, thanks for guiding me to this post on Jaffa! I loved going through the flea market, and have my eye on some of the things in the Judaica corner! That was amazing that you saw a wedding couple there, how rare a find to see at a flea market!! Great photos of the bride and groom in that setting!! BTW,I will be going to Israel this year in spring! I hope the tour will go thru Jaffa, it would be something to bring back a menorah!! And a few of the shirts look nice on the clothing sale! Blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the post. Hope you've read the previous one with the clock tower square too.
      Old jaffa is a must see attraction, although it's constantly undergoing some change and, not to the better.

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