One of the first things we did on our trip to Denmark, after settling in and "spise" a few great meals with Allan's family, was to visit a flea market called Det Blå Marked (The Blue Market) in Haslev, south of Copenhagen. Allan's brother Nicolai lives in Haslev and his mother lives nearby too, so this is a flea market they often shop. And while the tourist attractions are fascinating and fun, visiting a local flea market can give you a true understanding of the real nitty gritty of a place, getting to see some of the everyday and historical items Danes have used and what life in Denmark is really like.
Right away at the market I recognized the quintessential Scandinavian design in almost all the used furniture on display.
Modern, clean lines typify the style of furniture in Denmark and Sweden and we saw it everywhere here, some of it easily 50 years old. What seems new and stylish at Ikea stores in the States has been filling homes in Denmark for most of the last century.
Slatted wood is everywhere, as seen in this simple trash can to the left. And below are more examples of some Scandinavian wood slat designs I saw on our trip:
A bench in the Keflavík airport in Iceland
Wall divider in Gurli's garden in Strøby Egede
Another bench (surprisingly comfortable)
in the ForSea ferry port in Helsingborg, Sweden
Patio walls in Jannie's garden in Gundsømagle
A garden pier in Sydhavn in Copenhagen
And now back to the market finds at Det Blå Marked:
Check out this cool, old typewriter with its extra Danish vowels
on the right side of the keyboard: æ -- ø -- å
This old radio gives positions for the frequencies of many European cities
right on the dial display
Now for what we bought at the Det Blå Marked!
First off, I bought several old books in Danish but they are so special they deserve a post of their own; look for that post in the coming days or weeks.
I also found these great comic books featuring my favorite Disney characters: Huey, Dewey, and Louie -- their names in Danish are Rip, Rap, and Rup!
Donald Duck is known as Anders And in Denmark ("and" means duck). I picked out three Anders And & Co. comics to buy, but the booth owner took pity on me and let me have them for free.
I got my sons each a "hjernevrider" (brain twister) that nobody is now able
to put back into its original cube shape (lol)
And below is a gorgeous antique, a dainty sugar or salt spoon in bright green enamel that I bought for my mother, as well as this small brass cup (at left) with the Danish coat of arms.
Thank you for reading and joining us at the flea market!
We're Allan and Stephanie... making our way through middle age. Relatively new couple; just coming up on our first anniversary. Please take a minute to tag along with us on Steemit / Neoxian City!
This is our first foray into the #marketfriday tag; hopefully it won't be our last!
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