Our traditional Autumn Street Market (last weekend in September) is back to "full size" this year - after having been very much reduced during the corona years. I.e. the main square as well as nearby streets full of market stalls, and with crowds of visitors. In spite of the weather being windy and with a bit of light rain now and then, I went for a walk downtown to have a look... And I was not the only one!
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| Toy blowing soap bubbles outside shop |
I visited two of my favourite returning market stalls:
One selling socks...
... and one selling cheap postcards ...
If you buy at least 10 cards, they're just 1:00 SEK a piece. They've kept that price in that market stall as long as I can remember. Alas, the same can't be said for the cost of stamps... In 1986 (when I moved to this town), postage within Sweden was 2:10. (Had to look that up just now.) In 2023, domestic postage is 15:00 - and double that for abroad. Which means one can buy 30 cards at the market for the cost of just one overseas stamp! (Current exchange rate: 30 SEK = 2,25 GBP - 2,60 EURO - 2,75 USD)
Because of the quickly rising cost of postage in later years, I don't send as many postcards now as I used to. But they had some new Christmas motifs, and as I still enjoy the tradition of sending Christmas cards, I could not resist buying a bunch of those... :-)
Linking to Weekend Street/Reflections
I would definitely have enjoyed the experience. As for postage rates: they have gone berserk.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I like to go and have a little peek at the markets, but at the same time I'm not too fond of crowds... So I usually try to sort of keep on the outskirts. Luckily my favourite stalls are usually found in the roughly the same spot from one year to the next!
DeleteI always love seeing the markets, and always want to see more. Of course, we have nothing like that here. How long will they be open, right up till the Christmas Markets set up?
ReplyDeleteGinny, the autumn street market is only two days - Friday-Saturday, the last weekend in September. Similar for the Spring market in May. The Christmas street market is a different concept - just one row of wooden stalls (food stuff, decorations and lotteries) along one side of the square from 1st Advent until Christmas.
DeleteI like the bubble maker and want one to take photos of the bubbles. wonder how much to mail it to me. HA HA... yowsa on the postage. glad the festival is back, i know you love socks. it would be fun to wander around
ReplyDeleteSandra, I haven't tried but I bet you could find a bubble machine by googling... As for socks, we need them in our climate! The ones I usually buy at the market are my favourites because they stay up without being too tight. I could also buy them online but it's become a sort of tradition to buy them at the market...
DeleteThe slightly wet and windy weather seems not to have dampened people‘s interest in the market. The pictures are so colourful!
ReplyDeletePostage has gone mad everywhere, it seems.
Meike, the spring and autumn street markets have a long tradition and I think a lot of people missed them during the pandemic.
DeleteIt's fun to browse round a special market. We have a normal market each week on a Saturday morning, though I probably go once or twice a year at the most.
ReplyDeleteI like socks too, and am wearing a pair now, even though it's 29ยบ outside! I tend not to bother with putting sandals on when I'm walking around the house or just popping out into the garden. Most of my sock purchases have been from local supermarkets where I can buy multi coloured or patterned cotton ones in packs of three or five. My current favourites have an octopus design on them!
Carol, I usually wear both socks and slippers indoors (except when really hot in summer), and socks in sandals/shoes outdoors in summer as well, at least when walking longer distances, as I find that better and more comfortable for my feet. Old enough nowadays not to care too much about what anyone else finds fashionable... ;)
DeleteOh my that does seem quite dear for a postage stamp! I think I would buy a little at a time all year long so that I wouldn't be hit so hard at Christmas time. What a beautiful place you live in and such a happy time be be back out at your autumn festival.
ReplyDelete*simplicity, thanks for visiting! For use within Sweden I happen to still have some old 'forever' kind of stamps that are still valid, so those Christmas greetings will cost me next to nothing - and sort of make up for the more expensive ones going abroad... ;-)
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