Flea market review 2008: Tveten Farm, August 24th

Tveten Farm is a now-defunct farm very close to where I live at Tveita in Oslo. It's no longer in use as a farm, but instead is a kind of cultural center and is also home to a stable/riding school. The farm is quite old, and what's unusual about it - because it is quite unusual, both in the area generally, and certainly so near the city center (10-14 minutes by subway) - is that it still has several of its oldest buildings. Some of them as old as the 15th century, and mostly still in use. The ownership of the farm has been argued over for years - many locals have wanted the city to buy it, and this was finally done about, what, a year or so ago. Various cultural activities take place there - concerts for instance, I hear them through my windows in the summer sometimes :-) - the riding school is of course quite popular among the local teenage girls, and there are a number of activities for the elderly as well.

Easiest way to get there: take the subway (line 2) to Tveita station, and it's a few minutes walk. I don't drive - no car, no licence - so I will not be giving any driving directions to anywhere. ;-) There are also several bus lines that stop very close to the farm.

This flea market - a one-day event - seems to be a rather irregular affair. This was as far as I know the second time it's been held since I moved here a year and a half ago. Is it worth visiting? Well ... it is for me, because I live so close. But I'm not sure I can recommend it. The prices are low there, but it's not very big. The sellers are volunteers and locals; what's on sale is mostly normal used stuff, but there have also been some local artist-type people who have set up tables to sell their artsy craftsy stuff. Not a lot of these people, but some. Regular café activity, selling waffles and stuff. Not in any way shape or form a great selection of items. No larger furniture. A plus for some may be the 'extra-curricular' activities they offer: a cherry pit spitting contest :-) and ... what was the other thing ... something to do with lemons, you had to make something out of lemons, I think. Peel the longest possible lemon peel ... ? So for anyone looking for something to do with the kids on a Sunday, this may be a plus. I did not sign up though. ;-)

I bought eight books for 50 NOK (about $9). I was happy about one find that was great for me, because I needed it for something specific. But other than that - not so much. It's a nice place to visit, but I can't recommend going there for the flea market itself.

My loot: