San Telmo Street Market

Sunday, Feb. 13

It was a lazy day for me. I was tired from being up late Saturday. The only thing I did was attend the San Telmo Street Market. I never got very hungry, so I didn´t eat out. Instead, I ate breakfast at the hotel, had a pastry I already had in my room around 4:30, and snacked on some peanuts around 8:30.

The San Telmo Market must have been the center of activity for all tourists in the city. I heard more American accents than I have heard since leaving the U.S.! It is a street market taking up a small square and the streets leading from it. There is one strip of stalls with artwork, but most of the stalls feature the sale of antique items--silverware, crystal, estate jewelry, etc. The merchandise is of a higher quality than most flea markets. This is far more than a flea market, however. There is a wide variety of entertainment. A couple danced the tango. Several musicians were scattered throughout the area. There were several live statues that moved only when given money. One interesting variation on that theme was a couple in 1930s dress with a suitcase. One of the wierdest sights was an old woman in a very short off-the-shoulder black dress, black fishnet stockings, bright red garter with bow, black high heels, and black mens-style hat. I am not sure how she was making money unless it was by people paying to have their photo taken with her. The entire market reminded me of the antics of Venice Beach in Los Angeles combined with a high-quality flea market

Note: I am off for Uruguay Tuesday morning. The next posting will be from there.