Crazy as Dan and I are for markets, it should come as no surprise that we stumbled upon not one but three of them while we were in Prague. One–the Havelske Trziste–is a permanent fixture of the Old Town. The other two, lacking names, seemed just to spring up, dare I say, to welcome us?

The Havelske Trziste (Havel’s Market) is a permanent market of fruits and vegetables, flowers, knick-knacks, and souvenirs. It’s small and charmingly situated in the middle of a pretty street. It seems to cater to tourists as much as to locals. While we were charmed–as we usually are, by markets–it wasn’t one of those ones that would knock you off your feet.

On our way to the palace compound, we stumbled upon a kind of French market in the Na Kampe Square just across the Charles Bridge in Lesser Town. There is no regular market in this square, although on July 14th they hold a French market here, across from the French embassy–as you might expect. This one, in early September, must have resulted from an excess of Francophile enthusiasm. We could have bought everything from olive oils to olives to grilled-vegetable wraps to lavender sachets and woven goods. There was even free music.

The next day, earmarked for exploration in a section of the old city known for its art-deco buildings and ornamentation…

…we came across a market that offered, among the fruits and vegetables and tourist goods…

…some interesting crafts. Here we watched a woman making hand-blown glass beads;

a stall selling sausages of venison and wild boar;

a stall selling home-made honey mead;

a craft brewery offering its wares next to a stall with hand-sewn cloth dolls and other items;

a woman weaving light-as-air shawls and afghans on an old-fashioned loom.

And–of all things–a team of people determined to make the Guinness Book of World Records with the World’s Largest Salad.

All of their work seems to be paying off: They’ve brought out the scale.

76.4kg!

And it’s beautiful!