© Richard HuangToday we went treasure hunting at El Rastro, billed as Europe’s largest flea market. We set out at first light. The local men and women were only just starting their day too, tidying themselves up as they hurried along.
© Richard HuangThe market has a history stretching back more than five hundred years and opens every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you take the metro, get off at La Latina. We chose to walk so we could take in the interesting people and happenings along the way—like this gentleman, perfectly coordinated from head to toe. Now that is attention to detail.
© Richard HuangThis open-air street market spreads along Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores and the surrounding streets. A few hundred metres beyond Plaza de Cascorro, we spotted a row of police cars and officers and went over to ask for directions. One officer pointed to the street behind him as if to say, “This is it.” Then he added a warning: “Keep an eye on your wallet.” It was still early, and the vendors were setting up their stalls. This one sold all kinds of posters: €8 each or three for €20, with the prices clearly marked.
© Richard HuangTemporary open-air stalls stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the street, selling every imaginable everyday item—clothes, hats, shoes, and socks. It felt a little like Ladies’ Market in Hong Kong or a street night market back in China. There are more than 3,500 stalls like these.
© Richard HuangSome vendors also sold their own handicrafts, artworks, and decorative pieces.
© Richard HuangThe range of goods was comprehensive, and each stall was laid out quite neatly.
© Richard HuangFrom the look of it, someone had transplanted the entire Yiwu wholesale market here. After travelling all this way only to find the same small commodities from Yiwu, I could not help feeling a little disappointed. And during the pandemic, I was wary of crowded places, so we moved quickly through the main street.
© Richard HuangOnce we left the main thoroughfare, the crowds thinned and the scene suddenly brightened. Most of the businesses here were antique and secondhand shops that opened on ordinary days as well, but on Sundays they brought their wares out onto the pavement. This was the flea market we had imagined.
© Richard HuangThese shops extend across more than a dozen streets. Although there is no central organization, clusters devoted to particular kinds of goods have gradually formed on their own: paintings, furniture, antiques, used books, vinyl records, and so forth. Secondhand clothes are said to be concentrated around Plaza del General Vara del Rey, while most of the used-book stalls can be found on Calle del Carnero and Calle de Carlos Arniches, among other such pockets.
© Richard HuangAll these streets lie on a slope. There was once a slaughterhouse here, and the blood running downhill left a trail. This is said to be the origin of the market’s name, Rastro, meaning “trace” or “trail.” Several tanneries also stood here at the time, which is how the main street acquired the name Curtidores—“tanners.”
© Richard HuangThe secondhand stalls are the ones worth browsing slowly. Among the old books, paintings, and ornaments, if something catches your eye, a little bargaining can often secure it for a very good price. Vendors tend to quote higher prices to Asian-looking tourists like us, so you have to bargain hard. Usually, you can strike a deal.
© Richard HuangThere were plenty of old objects I had never seen before and had no idea how anyone had once used. I simply treated it like a museum visit—a chance to enjoy the spectacle and broaden my horizons.
© Richard HuangCeramics were the main target of this treasure hunt. There were Chinese export pieces dating from the late Qing dynasty through the 1970s. Prices were somewhat higher in the antique shops, but for the pieces scattered among the secondhand stalls, if the quality was reasonable, a little bargaining would usually close the deal.
© Richard HuangHere I was in Spain, yet everything I took home was made in China—rather amusing. The only Spanish-made piece I bought was this porcelain figurine. Lladró, known in Chinese as Yazhi, is Spain’s best-known maker of porcelain figurines. Founded in 1953 by three legendary Spanish brothers, it later opened shops in more than a hundred countries, became Spain’s third-largest luxury brand, and saw its work enter the permanent collections of many museums. I saw many figurines that I loved on this trip, but they were too awkward to carry, so I did not buy them. In the end, I chose this yawning child to pair with the book-hugging child I already had at home.
© Richard HuangAs we wandered and browsed, the pleasure went beyond finding a bargain. Through these old objects, perhaps no longer of any practical use, we could glimpse the traces of local lives and the passage of time. They bear a deep cultural imprint. No wonder El Rastro was one of Sanmao and José’s favorite places to visit.
© Richard HuangThere were also some large secondhand-clothing markets along the street.
© Richard HuangBesides looking at all the new and secondhand goods, watching the passersby was entertaining in itself. This frame alone contains four different female figures.
© Richard HuangThese four young street vendors saw me photographing a young woman and gave me the thumbs-up.
© Richard HuangTo be fair, I photographed handsome men too. In a flea market teeming with visitors, there were simply too many interesting characters to miss.
© Richard HuangAs for this one, with the mask on, there was no telling whether he was handsome…
© Richard Huang
© Richard HuangBecause of the pandemic, the market had been reduced to between fifty and seventy percent of its former size to limit the crowds. Even so, it was packed shoulder to shoulder, as if the pandemic did not exist. Imagine how crowded it would be once fully restored.
© Richard HuangAfter spending most of the day browsing, we were tired.
© Richard HuangAlong the way, we stopped at a little restaurant, Casa Amadeo–Los Caracoles, to try the local specialty of snails. The place was so crowded that we had to eat standing up. When a light rain began to fall, we set off with our haul for Asador Donostiarra, a favorite haunt of Real Madrid, and a hearty lunch.