Traveling sandals

So one day while in Tel Aviv I took a walk around the old town of Jaffa, exploring the neighborhood, envying the antique goods at the local market (my luggage was waaaay overstuffed already), and continuously overdosing on the local frozen yogurt, when I bumped into this crammed little shoe workshop with the old shoe maker and his wife running it. I officially have a soft spot for local workshops and old masters of crafts, AND they had the exact kind of simple sandals from soft leather, that I was looking for, I couldn't resist :-) So while he was picking the right size and adjusting it straight on my feet, we talked and talked - about him having a local shoe factory just down the street, making shoes and accessories for movies and the Israeli Opera, about Baťa, about big factories taking over the handmade work, and about how he decided to retire to having a small workshop for local customers and the occasional tourists.
As a result, I walked away with a pair of (I believe) undestroyable traveling sandals. Can't wait for the summer to put them on and see where they will lead me :-) And if you happen to drop by the old little workshop, stop by to say Hello!

Jeden deň počas pobytu v Tel Avive som sa vybrala na prechádzku po starom meste Jaffa, preliezala miestne uličky, ticho závidela bohatý výber starožitností na blšáku (môj kufor bol už dávno nezbaliteľný) a vytrvalo sa predávkovávala mrazeným jogurtom, pričom som narazila aj na malú, po strop napratanú obuvnícku dielňu, so starým pánom obuvníkom a jeho manželkou. Oficiálne priznávam slabosť pre miestne dielničky a starých pánov majstrov, ktorí navyše majú PRESNE také jednoduché, mäkké kožené sandále, aké som vždy chcela... a tak som neodolala. A kým mi on vyberal správny typ, veľkosť, a ručne ich upravoval na moju nohu, porozprávali sme si o jeho svete. O obuvníckej fabrike, ktorú mal aha ho tu, poniže na ulici, o topánkach a kožených doplnky do filmov a na javisko Izraelskej opery, o Baťovi, o veľkých fabrikách preberajúcich prácu malých remeselníkov, a o tom ako sa na staré kolená rozhodol pre malú, "zašmudlanú" (lepšie slovo nepoznám na popis stavu :-)) dielňu pre miestnych zákazníkov a príležitostných turistov. 
Okrem zážitku som si odniesla (verím, že na dlhú dobu) nezničiteľné cestovateľské sandále. A už sa neviem dočkať leta, ako si ich obujem a nechám sa nimi viesť, kam sa im zachce :-) A vy ak budete mať náhodou cestu okolo malej dielne v Jaffe, zamávajte!

 

Tea at The Vintage Emporium

Just before I met Sarah from the previous post, Lily and Tony took us to one of their favorite places in London, The Vintage Emporium shop and Tea Room. Honestly, I haven't been to oooooh so many proper vintage shops, but I have never seen anything like it. The ground level is a cosy, stylish tea room with the lovely owners usually hanging around, and the basement.... the basement is a real treasure chest. Neatly organized and displayed, all clothes, shoes, bags and accessories are aged between the Victorian era and the 1950's. Now, my guy is not one to get anywhere close to overexcited about fashion, but here he found a wonderful black hat from the 50's, that got his attention, heart and head in the end :-) Verrrry stylish...
You can find The Vintage Emporium on the web, on Facebook or live on Bacon Street 14 just of Brick Lane. Enjoy! :-)


V ten večer, ako som stretla Sarah z predošlého postu, nás Lily a Tony zobrali na jedno zo svojich obľúbených miest v Londýne, obchodíka a kaviarne The Vintage Emporium. Priznávam, nemám prechodené všetky dokonalé vintage shopy sveta, ale takýto som ešte nevidela. Z ulice vstúpite do milej, útulnej kaviarňo-čajovne, kde vás často privítajú osobne majitelia. Dole schodmi pod úrovňou zeme je obchodík.... teda, je to skôr niečo ako čarovná truhlica plná pokladov. Všetko dokonalo pretriedené a naaranžované oblečenie, tašky, topánky a doplnky pochádzajú z obdobia medzi viktoriánskou érou a 50tymi rokmi 20. storočia. Tak napríklad môj chlap nie je typ, ktorý by módu nejak extra (noooo, teda skôr vôbec) prežíval, ale tu si jeho oči, srdce aj hlava našli parádny čierny klobúk z 50tych rokov. Veeeľmi štýlový, ts ts.... :-)
Módno-gastronomicko-spoločenskú ustanovizeň The Vintage Emporium nájdete na webe, na Facebooku alebo naživo na Bacon Street 14 hneď pri Brick Lane. Krásny zážitok prajem! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure hunt at Red Rock Castle

Dear all, just want to quietly scream out, that this is the 100th post on tonbogirl! In some aspects it is not a high number, however it makes me soooo happy, yup! To celebrate this I am taking you to the antiques market on the Red Rock Castle near Bratislava. Enjoy the ride :-)

The things you can squeeze into a car's trunk, unbelievable.

 Bunny in the grass. On the left, a suitcase full of Christmas decorations.

This seller lady was too shy to be photographed, she only showed me her hands. Apparently, summer is the time of year when she wears most of her silver jewelry at once. Wow. I am soooo jealous....

 

A less shy lady visitor of the market. I think in her bag she already has some new treasures.

Framed wedding picture. Like out of a Tim Burton movie. Kind of scary...

 

A very inviting and very still life.

 

My friend Lula considering these beautiful vintage boxing gloves. 

(In case you're interested, she didn't get them :-)

Yes, it is a white peacock. Up on a tree. I had no idea too. Miracles do happen :-) 

This blog is another proof, so thank you.

Love,

Marika

Treasure hunt: set of keys

I fell in love with this set of really old and rusty keys at a street market. There's something mystical about keys - about unlocking doors, opening new possibilities, seeing into new directions. Everybody needs that from time to time, though some more often than others...

This set is beautiful just by itself, hanging on the wall. Or maybe worn as a tribal neck piece, lending some of its mystical powers to its owner...
But in reality it was just unbelievably heavy and uncomfortable (as unlocking doors can actually sometimes be, ha), so thanks to my lil' sis for patiently posing! :-)

Treasure hunt: woven basket

 

On one of the antique markets around I recently got hold of these two woven items - one is sort of a plate traditionally used for serving bread and the other one is just pure beauty :-) My guess is that it had been used for storing a sewing kit or small household items. On the bottom of it with an old fashioned hand-writing stands the signature of its owner: "Kovács Bözsi, Palást".

I guess I could use it for about the same purposes as its original owner. But have a strong feeling that from time to time is will be turned into a summer handbag :-)

One man's trash...

 ...is another man's treasure, as the saying goes. I love to go through "other man's trash" at flea markets and antique markets (I still have to practice my bargaining skills though, they would pick me to pieces in countries like India...)

Recently I got hold of the "white on white" vase (I love the structure of it), a few old frames and an old photograph of a baby boy. Normally I don't like to have photographs of other people around me - it just feels funny to have their faces, lives and energy in my home, but this one just screams life optimism, innocence and well... style :-)

If you happen to know flea markets worth visiting, please let me know! :-)