Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market

Madrid has a Sunday flea market, turning the Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores and its offshoots into one long day-time paseo/outdoor shopping experience. As flea markets go, it can't compare with things we have seen in, for example, Vienna, London, or Paris. Actually, it is more comparable to Rome's Sunday market, which is mostly crap. But we had to give it a nosey (NZ)(=nose around). Plus we figured the Prado would be too crowded on a Sunday.

Madrid has some of the world's best street signs

Madrid's air quality seemed quite high to us; we did notice an unusual number of
military surplus stores around, all thriving now that camo is the new chartreuse

Over-view; we got to the market right at 10AM; most of the shopkeepers were
still setting up; 10AM in Paris and you would have missed everything but the
crap

We'll probably wait until Sevilla

Since the flea market was mostly crap, we frequently stepped into the stores along
the Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores; here we are in one of a block of independent
outdoor stores; in its mountaineering section, most extensive I have ever seen;
the Spanish are really into climbing, I surmise

Street scene

Many such minis; world-wide Mini mania continues; a good thing

These are hand-made purses

I thought she was Mary Poppins; maybe not

Nice mural

This made it all worthwhile: my new Spanish t-shirt

On To Madrid

The route from Tarragona to Madrid is not filled with three-star sights, nor even one- or two-star sights, nor is the scenery all that interesting, so we took the freeway, and in a matter of hours, arrived at old friend Camping Osuna, on the capital city's northeastern burbs.

The Prime Meridian arch

Our first bull sign of the trip...more to come

Tarragona Roman Museum, 2

Continuing our visit to the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona...

Counter weight for a scale

Thus

Looking from the museum top floor out to the
amphitheater

Ships' anchors

This low-riding tanker was anchored off Tarragona the two
days we were there; we wondered what made the city so
prosperous-looking and well-maintained...and when we drove
on to Madrid, we passed the largest refinery complex and
tank farm we have yet seen...

Falo antropomorfo, the sign said; a reproduction
of the god Priapo

Nice, very large mosaic, especially for seafood lovers

Huge hall of statues, busts

Marcus Aurelius

Another big hall

Euterpe, flute muse

Tarragona main square; beautiful, interesting place; we should
have stayed longer, but for our date at the Seville feria

Parthian shot: Modernista garage

Tarragona Roman Museum, 1

After lunch we walked the short distance over to the city's Roman museum. We can never get enough old stuff, and the National Archeological Museum of Tarragona is said to be one of Spain's best.

En route to the Roman museum, more Roman bits; a sign said
this was the site of the synagogue; usually, in Europe, such
signs are dated 1942 or thereabouts; this is Spain, and it was
dated 1492; a reminder that, in addition to unifying Spain and
giving us Cristoforo Colon, and the New World, the dynamic
regal duo, Ferdinand and Isabella, and mostly Isabella, also 
expelled all the Jews and Muslims, and gave us the Inquisition; 
all in 1492

In the museum, a helpful map of Augusto Tarraco

"You want a toe? ...Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this
afternoon"

Yeah, but, a really big, big toe

Toga! Toga!

What it takes to reassemble a mosaic

Ditto

Seriously ditto

From the Centcelles villa, painstakingly reassembled by a German
team in the 1950s

Interior shots of the dome at Centcelles

Obligatory amphora, some recovered from the sea

Thus...and memories of Turkey

Oil lamps, and, something we'd not seen before, an oil lamp
chandelier

Doll with moving parts

Service for several

Great Roman glass

Including these two huge jugs

Two-toned