European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Trinkets to treasures continued from Page 3 painted lacquer boxes. You May not find a velour Elvis but a blood red velour Lenin is sure to grab your attention. It s not often the vendors outnumber the crowd but for a while it seems that Way. Then about noon All that changes and the landscape is transformed into a teeming elongated Beehive of activity. There Are few words to describe it. Perhaps Quot organized chaos Quot works Best. Visitors Are pulled along both by the crowd and the attractions. There Are antique brass Samovar English russian dictionaries soviet cameras for the collector. Someone is Selling plumbing supplies and tools. A Young Man has his bottle Cap collection spread out in the Snow. Another is hawking empty bottles. Farther on a Telescope has been set up both for viewing and buying pleasure. Men and women control handmade puppets or is it vice versa Onward. Hand knit Woolen shawls from Siberia Fine enough to pass through a wedding ring draw the curious. For the armchair outdoors Man rugged muscular men offer Deer s Heads and Bearskin for Sale. Sandwiched in Between is a Vendor with a canned Ham. People shoulder through the crowd flashing cans of caviar. Quot the Best. Not expensive Quot they say. Quot want to buy a medal Quot someone whispers. A teen Ager holds out a German War medallion with a Swastika on it. Quot cheap Quot he says waiting for the shopper to ask Quot How much Quot he smiles coyly. Quot fifty  unprepared for the laugh he gets he shrugs and bores through the crowd. To the right is a stall with microscopes to the left brightly painted icons Are Laid out across a Flimsy table. In the mishmash sits a grenade that is really a cigarette lighter. One Buck buys a Flag with a Hammer and sickle. A woman smiling brightly Waves two handmade dolls in the air. Not far away a lady Selling sweaters chants Quot Cashmere Cashmere Quot her one word of English. Parked beside the vendors Are thermoses of hot Coffee and Tea. A couple Selling glasses drink straight is there any other Way Vodka from those very glasses. Others warm themselves by building fires in the Snow or slipping out to their cars. Still farther Down this linear menagerie a Man grills Shash Lik spicy georgian meat. His fast food business is brisk. A bearded Man Hawks the Quot last statuettes of the Leader of the world  his display features a bust of Lenin a Scarlet Scarf tied around his head. A sign explains Quot May be used for cracking nuts eggs etc., driving nails As a paper weight As a weapon of defense from ideological  the sheer multitude of wares at Izmailova is hypnotizing. This is the kind of place where people will find what they want even when they Don t know what they want. And everyone is searching for a bargain. Snow dusts fur hats both those for Sale and those worn by strolling russians. Rabbit Fox Bear opossum Mink. They go for $10 to $100. A Man Cranks a russian version of a Victrola. Opera music drifts Forth. Homemade quilts and silk scarfs Strung across makeshift clotheslines wave in the Breeze. Quot buy me Quot they say. Tiny moving robots Delight the children. Where did that copy of Vogue come from most things carry no prices. Bargaining is the Norm. Some vendors give a Spiel in perfect English. Ask a question and they re lost. Soviet military uniforms Are being peddled. A russian army Belt costs $3. A Box of spoons gleams As the Sun Breaks through a Cloud cover. It s easy to kill a weekend Here. In 1974 police used firehouses and bulldozers to Clear away an unauthorized modern Art exhibition. Times have changed. Today artists sell what they want whether or not it fits the definition of Quot social  it costs a few pennies to get into this Section of the Market. It s also crowded. Swarthy men have draped caucasian rugs Over a Fence. Other carpets have been tossed onto the Bare Snow. They beg the lookers to buy knocking the Price lower and lower with each refusal. The sound of a wailing baby causes the crowd to part. A Man carrying a gimmick that duplicates the noise makes his Way through smiling cleverly. As darkness moves in vendors pack up. It s been a Long cold Day. A Good Many weave their Way Home leaving behind nothing but empty Vodka bottles. 4 stripes Magazine april 9, 1992 above portraits of Lenin and Stalin Are among secondhand items offered for Sale. At left men wearing parkas with the names of two american football teams peddle wooden toys and an old tapestry. Below a Veteran of the afghan War depends on the kindness of strangers for much needed rubles