{fleas}

I love fleas--no I'm not talking about those pesky insects that bite your ankles and who take residence on your beloved Fluffy or Whiskers--I'm talking about flea markets. With warmer temps & brighter skies, markets of all kinds become that more enjoyable. ELLE decor's Flea Market Shopping Tips just arrived in my inbox this morning, and it got me thinking about open air markets.
This past November I went to the Brooklyn Flea for the first time, which was great. I blogged about it here, and my sis, Julia, also has some great pics of it here.

I know it's awfully touristy, but I still love Portobello Market in London. I lived a short ways away when I lived in London, and would often walk through, getting enjoyment just looking at all the different types of objects sold there. Here are some pics from a trip in 2009.

I'll be back in the UK for most of July and I'm looking forward to the various markets across London. 

One thing I loved about living in Italy was open air markets--sometimes antique markets that often came only on Sundays, special markets for feste or feast days, or (especially in Naples) the use of the street as a market on any day.

{special market in Modena in the piazza grande for the festa di San Geminiano (patron saint)}

{flowers & prints being sold just around the corner from where I lived in the centro storico, Naples}