Picking Up Sticks: Mauer Park Flea Market

Yesterday I stumbled upon an awesome flea market in Mauerpark, within walking distance to Lette'm Sleep, the hostel I've spent a couple of nights in. I was starving, and of course there was food - but mainly bratwurst and bread. Fortunately, I found some pretty good fries with ketchup and mayo.

After silencing my rumbling belly, I had a walk around. It was unfortunate that I was unable to find an ATM before getting there, as there were a lot of things I wanted to buy. It's comparable to several flea markets around the bay, but better as everything is a little different. I'd say the best values are for housewares there (one girl was walking around with the most awesome hanging lamp I've ever seen), but that kind of stuff is just to big to really bring home to the US. As with most flea markets, the vendors to the front have the most expensive things, while those in the back are a little cheaper.

It was great to walk around and take in the sights and sounds of a local event. There was music and art everywhere! The first group I saw was this jazz/r&b group that played on top of a Mercedes-Benz RV. They were pretty good, and people really got into it.

I sat and watched these guys for a while, the bass player/drummer was pretty good. Kind of psychadelic hippie jamming but it was still nice to listen to. When the saxaphone player passed his hat around, I dropped a Euro in.

I wandered around for a bit and finally settled in on the hillside to peoplewatch and peruse my German phrasebook. I still can't speak German, but I'm not expecting to really learn much. Probably the best part of the afternoon, besides sitting in the sun and relaxing, was seeing a group of people spread out on the wall behind the park to paint murals and Graffiti.