IYP students hit Vilnius Markets

We've got a couple of students here at the Vilnius In Your Pocket office right now, Susanna Larminie and Branwen Spector. They arrived right at deadline time, which was most inconsiderate. So, as punishment, sent them out to the markets to get in amoung the hustle and bustle and old ladies trying to flog time-worn plastic bags and so on and so forth. Here's what they came back with:

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A trip to Kalvarių market requires both a tight clutch on one’s handbag and a tolerance for large amounts of ladies’ underwear. This is no tourist market, but a hardcore centre of dodgily-obtained clothing and electronics sold alongside fish, meat, and local fruit and vegetables. (The term local should be interpreted somewhat loosely as things are labelled as Egyptian, Polish, and Belarusian). Gardening enthusiasts can find a large selection of plants and gardening equipment, whilst mobile phone aficionados can bargain for cheap cases and chargers.

Fruit should be approached with caution as, when squeezing peaches, some were unearthed as mouldy. However fruit and vegetable squeezing is highly encouraged at Kalvariu, and many kind traders will encourage you to fondle their offerings. The produce sold is seasonal – at the time of writing, cherries, peaches and nectarines (the latter of which are both imported from Italy) were in stock, as were large watermelons (Lithuanian watermelons are most interesting as they are both watery and gritty) and Ecuadorian bananas.

Should you wish to give your house a cheap spring clean, Kalvariu market is the place to come. Here you can buy not only Russian cleaning products and equipment at knockoff prices, but also cleaning smocks and washing up gloves in an assortment of colours and patterns.

Halės market, however, is the place to go if you would like to indulge your inner carnivore. Row upon row of pig, lamb, chicken and beef can be found, including excitements such as trotter, ear and slabs of fat. Sausages in every size, colour and texture are also sold, and all cheaper than at the supermarkets. This is, of course, only doable if you are manly enough to handle the sight of a pig’s face grinning at you.

As well as meat, you can also buy denim. Shorts, jeans, jackets, waistcoats, coats and bags – all can be found at the back of the market at specialist denim wholesalers.

Among the maze of glass cubicles in which the market is contained can you find a range of ladies’ underwear able to compete with Kalvariu, mixed in a mountain of more cleaning smocks, shiny trousers and bibs.

Both markets sell practical items rather than souvenirs and other tourist memorabilia, however they are worth visiting if you care to see how the ordinary people of Lithuania shop, floral smocks or a grinning pig.