After my first flea-market experience in Sweden I decided to visit a Russian fair to see the differences. Well, what I could see was simply crazy :D In this photoproject I'd like to show you what it was like.
I was very tired after the last day of simultaneous interpretation and decided to divote a couple of hours to myself and to photography. When I entered the flea market with a camera hanging over my neck I had a list of no-do things:
- don't buy anything, man;
- don't speak to the sellers otherwise you'll buy something;
- don't let the sellers speak to you as they will definitely get you into the conversation.
Anticipating things, I must say that I got defeated in this battle:D
I was met by an enormous boiler with something red and fruity boiling inside. So I gave up in the very beginning as I felt really cold and wanted to warm up a bit. This hot drink is called sbiten - it's made of water, honey, spicery and some berries. A very upwarming mixture, I must say!
Volume: 5 dl
Price: $ 2.5
Resume: this is a drink that will definitely make you break your promises.
Russian flea markets are full of fake stuff designed to look quite old. Still, no-one really thies to conceal the fact of falsification and underlines that such items are made to introduce some bygone-time-notes to your place.
This tray costed $40.
Resume: practically useless but beautiful.
Icons are rare at fairs but still there're some places where the sacred images are sold. They are placed next to some military stuff (you can see those caps to the left) and clothes so I think you understand the real idea behind this. Personally I have some very tough relations with the church as it has become rather a business than a place for prayals and speaking to God. I don't like such icon-trading places and shops: the God's image becomes a trade item and the religion turns into coins. Terrible.
Such pins are very often and really cheap. Most of this are from the USSR, still there're also few from modern Russia and some other countries. There used to be really many old coins on such markets, still today I have found only one such shop. With a very talkative seller :D
Actually you can buy almost everything here: cameras, old discs, clothes, fir, textile, souveniers... And many junk.
Russian flea markets is a must for everyone who comes here as such fairs are not only an exchange platform - this is an open-air museum, an exhibition and a recreation centre. Attractions for children, stray dogs, talkative sellers - that's something exceptional.
Explore this world, explore Russia - there're so many wonderful places untravelled and unseen.
Yours,
Anastasia