There are up to a hundred stalls on any one day. These include:
Meat and Fish
There are usually three or four stalls offering very fresh fish, seafood, meats, hams and smoked produce.
Fruit and Vegetables
Great range of fruit and veg that makes everything we see in British supermarkets look small. Spring onions the size of apples, melons, citrus fruits, grapes, berries in season, dried fruits, nuts and much, much more. This is definitely where to buy your fresh produce unless you don't like crowds!
Leather Goods and Shoes
This is where the local Spanish community will buy their casual wear. In particular this will include casual shoes, sandals, belts, fashion handbags and a few other bits and pieces. Some have prices on display and some don't.
Food Stalls
Kids tend to love going to the market here, because the churro van is there giving out piles of churros of every sort for a very small amount of money. They are really delicious and hot too! Better than donuts (in our opinion). You will also find sweet stalls, ice creams, soft drinks, fruit smoothies and iced variations of slush puppies. Other fast food includes chips and whatever happens to be there at the time.
Linens, Clothes and Drapes
There are always a few stalls selling cushions, sheets, tablecloths and the like. However, recently the quality of the material has tended to go down, without the asking prices going down. The good news is you can really haggle. Don' t be afraid to make offers and to walk away if the price isn't coming down. The Spanish expect to haggle in markets and its a bit of a national sport. There are always blouses, swimwear and shirts available too and the best thing to remember is 'the more you buy, the more likely the traders are going to to a deal on the price'.
Toys, Music and Small Electrical Items
Thes are the first stalls our children head for, but they have learned their lesson now. A lot of the merchandise tends to be fake or of a very low quality. As these traders may not always be regular at the market, you may find you have no recourse if something doesn't work. For this reason we tend to limit what we buy from the market to fodstuffs and the odd bargain we find as we go along.
Miscellaneous
There are always a couple of odd stalls and street entertainers. As the market is right next to the police station these tend to be low key activities who are happy for a few spare pieces of change. During the summer months you can sometimes find that a gang of pickpockets has moved in for market day, preying on the tourists. So keep your handbags under your arms and wallets out of sight. Its just common sense. Otherwise the market is great fun and a safe place to buy what you want.
