TRONDHEIM
Småbispan Loppemarked
The clouds are looking ominous but so far the rain has stayed away, and the crowds (such as they are in Trondheim) are out in force. In fact, this is the most hustle and bustle I've experienced in this clean and orderly Norwegian city. I'm at Bispehaugen School, the location for the weekly 'loppemarked' (flea market).
In between random offices and classrooms scattered with old electrical items and bits 'n' bobs (or tangog ting in Norwegian), the school library's shelves have been stacked with piles of used books, the gymnasium now hosts a sizeable clothing section and a large marquee in the playground is stuffed with homewares.
It's not at all what I expected - stalls with overpriced and curated wares - no, it's way more flea than that. There are bundles of old jeans on tables, random lamps and teapots dumped on floors, and a second-hand toy section, which has become a makeshift children's creche. Parents leave their kids playing in what is essentially just a corridor with toys strewn about so they can go and rummage around the rest of the market.
Energised by the endless supply of coffee and homemade waffles on offer (also the cheapest coffee and waffles in the whole of Norway - a country where buying food is a luxury I can barely afford), I get stuck in. There's a lot of really nice earthenware cups and crockery, plus a couple of decent French-style demijohns in huge baskets that get snapped up right after I spot them, but the book section is where it's at for me...
Nancy Drew is not a name that's familiar to everyone in Europe but this teen crime-solving adventurer is wildly famous across the pond. Apparently, they also did Norwegian translations of Nancy Drew books, which first appeared in the 1930s and continue to be popular today. I found a stack of them, from the 1960s and the front covers were great.
There were a few other cool old book cover designs, and a pile of Norway's answer to Nancy Drew in boy form: 'Bobsey Barna'. Great name.
I did find one really nice illustration in the middle of another random children's book which has made it into the Citizen Flea pile. Not bad, but you need to go a little more off the beaten track to find real treasure. Check out the rest of the blog posts on the Stories page. CF x