The market was bigger than it looked at first. Let's take a look at some of the exotic things the stalls over there had on display and for sale.
There was this entire street that I didn't have time to visit and, to be honest, didn't even feel like visiting because of the crowd.
That monstrosity in the background is the city threatre.
French bakery products
Hey, what's this? The Australian Barbecue Company! Protected by an Australian saint?
I'm an idiot. Why didn't I plan to have my lunch here? I was too busy to eat.
That's why!
Honey from Lapland
That's vendace baked into a rye bread called kalakukko. It's an Eastern Finnish delicacy. The eastern third of the southern half of the country is a maze of lakes and rivers.
That bait has a funny brand name. Petturi means traitor. It's an apt name because fish are caught through treachery indeed. I can recognize the Savonian sense of humor there.
Estonian smoked cheeses and sausages from Saaremaa, the large island off the west coast.
This place is killing me! I need more time, a fatter wallet and an empty stomach.
I did buy something this time. I went to the Fudge Factory stall and bought three flavors of fudge.
After Eight truffle. Very good!
Tiramisu truffle. Also very good!
Homer Simpson's dunut truffle. A bit too sweet!
It's no co-incidence that the British are so good at making sweets. The best used to be or still are royal warrant holders who are allowed to advertise that they supply to the royal court. As far as I know, the Fudge Factory isn't one of those. But the general standards for sweets tend to be very high the UK. Incidentally, Turkey is also famous for sweets - and for the same reason. The imperial court created a high demand for luxury goods among which were sweets.
I had to go. When I was driving away, I drove under a bridge connecting two parts of the largest mall in the city center. It's confusing as hell and not in a good way unlike the market. Modern malls are soulless and bleak. I get what I have dubbed a market shock that is a milder version of a shell shock when I have to go to one like that. A traditional market is full of fun and surprises. But then again, imagine the parking lot of the theatre in November when it's sleeting sideways...
The former municipal technical bureau is now a pub. That's a positive development. Do they name pubs like that where you live? One pub here is in a building where there used to be a fire station.