Nürtingen

“Forget me not,” it seems to want to say; a market square straight from a picture book with everything that goes with it; a meeting place for the townspeople. Any visitor would be thrilled by the weekly market in Nürtingen! One could even call it the “market with a heart.”

The weekly market held every Thursday and Saturday between 7 AM and 1 PM is something very special for someone who comes from another part of the world. In India, we are familiar with the markets in the city districts and neighbourhoods that are open from five until twelve and then again from four in the afternoon until ten at night – every day of the week. If you need a sack of sugar at two in the afternoon, you can simply go to the merchant and talk him into handing it to you through the closed shutters.

But with its diversified range of goods offered in a healthy, clean, and colourful environment, the Nürtingen weekly market is something very different; it exudes warmth and comfort. With beautiful pots full of colourful flowers on the ground and the high counters of the market vans, the market conveys a vitality that it conveys to everyone who does their weekly shopping here.

A look around reveals smiling people at their shopping, talking with friendly sellers. Acquaintances greet one another and exchange a few friendly words while choosing from the abundant offer of forget-me-nots, roses, tulips, jonquils, and anemones. A student who works as a flower seller at the weekly market tells me, “I’m pleased with today’s business, but if the weather had been a little warmer and the sun had been shining, we could have expected more people.” For the people living in this part of the world the weather really plays an important role in everyday life!

Many of the flowers sold here are grown domestically, while others, like the tulips, are imported from the Netherlands. Many of the market visitors are hobby gardeners who delight in the red, white, and yellow blossoms in their flats, on their balconies, and in their gardens. A visit to the flower market in Kolkata in East India would be an unforgettable experience for these flower-lovers, since it is one of Asia’s largest wholesale flower markets where hundreds of different varieties are sold – every morning starting at five all year round!

If you traverse the Nürtingen market a little further, you might meet the friendly neighbour lady who is walking to one of the vegetable stands with her dog on a lead. Here, too, we are greeted by a bright sea of colours and can choose between the long, big tomatoes from Italy or the smaller ones grown locally. “But these are more expensive,” a buyer tells me, explaining it is due to the cold weather. Then there are sweet cocktail tomatoes and next to them peas from Sicily, peppers, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, and a basket of kiwis. Lettuce is a must for the people here! For someone from the big city of Kolkata it is special to stroll along the market stands since vegetable markets – in India and in Kolkata in particular – can be found on every corner and often take up the entire pavement. They are there every morning and evening and certainly inexpensive and practical, if it weren’t for all the refuse around them!

Lots of seasonal vegetables are offered in India due to the temperate climate. Kolkata is special because people of different cultures and countries with very different eating habits live here. Staunch vegetarians (and often vegans, too) feel just as good as lovers of Bengal fish! Yet, when one walks across the market here on the Neckar, the air is filled with the fragrance of freshly baked croissants, bread, and sweet pastries. The booths sell the most delicious baked goods, bread at per-kilo prices, and a wide variety of cheeses and butter.

The Nürtingen weekly market is a place of pleasure

In the midst of it all are palettes with bright, oval objects – red, blue, green, in every imaginable colour. Before I have the time to wonder what they could be, one is offered to me: it is a coloured egg! Easter is on its way and this intensifies the festive mood. “The eggs are boiled in coloured water, that’s why there are so many colours,” a seller explains. Those who think Easter eggs are only typical in the west are mistaken, for Kolkata has its own Easter specialities – even Easter eggs and chocolate. A little bit of the whole world can be found in Kolkata!

Visitors from afar soon discover that the market in Nürtingen is also a place of pleasure; where you meet your friends and relatives. Red-cheeked children in prams, teenagers headed straight for the electronics market, grandparents with their grandchildren in tow and basket in hand, blue, black, and white jackets and shawls – all of this make up the market atmosphere. If I were to let my imagination run away with me, I could surely see Little Red Riding Hood selling a piece of cheese at one of the stands!

Spices, sweets, and other daily necessities are offered by surrounding shops – the bookshop, shops with designer glasses, sunglasses, mobile phones, and a café where pretty girls serve coffee and wine. The bookshop at the edge of the square offers everything from magazines to novels to non-fiction books. There is even a department with English books. Anyone who loves reading simply must visit this shop every two days. They also sell colourful stationery, DVDs, and gift items; in front of the door are rotating racks with coloured and black and white cards for all occasions, local newspapers, and picture books.

For those who already begin to miss the weekly market when the sellers start packing their wares and closing the shutters before driving away in their vans, there is a solution. Buy a magazine in the bookshop, sit down with a glass of red wine in the café, and observe the ebb of the hustle and bustle, while Schillerplatz transforms itself back into a contemplative place and the shop fronts draw a new cityscape.