Travel Diaries: A Portuguese Farmer's Market

On our third day in Portugal, we decided to visit the farmer's market at nearby Caldas da Rainha.

As far as markets go, it wasn't particularly remarkable, but it was lovely to stroll around and stock up on a few goodies for our vacation kitchen.

From this stand, I bought a large bag of toasted corn kernels (basically corn nuts), and some garlicky olives, which we snacked on while sipping glasses of sparkling local wine.

The prices were pretty incredible, and because my concept of kilos is not very refined, I kept buying way too much of everything.

These tiny tomatoes were an amazing purchase. You can't tell from the photo, but they're all about the size of a nickel (some even smaller!), and would burst with tart flavorful juices at each bite.

We spotted a bakery truck selling assorted breads, and picked out this amazing creation: a freshly baked loaf of chewy yeast bread stuffed with a whole chorizo.

After the market, we wandered around town a bit, dipping into stores (for more cheese and some cured meats).

We passed by this place, which was decorated with a bright and colorful bird mural. Inside, the place was filled with squawking birds in cages. I hope it was a pet store, but strongly suspect that it was a home.

(If you know how I feel about birds, you'll understand that this was basically the home of my nightmares. ::shudder::)

Click here for more posts about my travels in Portugal.

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