Jaime Torres George

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jason loeb

In poland--plan on getting a hand made chess board set--I picked one up for about $12 US--They are $40-60 here

Helena

Suggestions for Prague: <BR>- antique bazaars on Libesnky Ostrov (Liben Island) in Prague 8. You can find great deals on antique, restored antique, and reproductions (furniture) as well as lots and lots of old stuff. you have to pick through lots of junk, naturally, but the deals are there. <BR> <BR>- (not a deal, price-wise, but really unique decor) at Le Patio stores. There's on on Narodni trida, and one on Parizska street. Wrought-iron decorative items, furniture, frames, etc., most of it made in the CR. <BR> <BR>- many many stores: crystal, both the ornate, carved kind and the modern, geormetric styles. Cheap. <BR> <BR>- Moser glass. Not necessarily a bargain, but much cheaper than moser in the US, and beautful glassware. Go to the big store on Na Prikope. <BR> <BR>- porcelain. Big bargain, especially in the giant showroom on Jugoslavska street. They're the mecca for traditional onion pattern porcelain (the white background with blue designs, and now also a more subdued green design). Very nice.

Kelly

In Warsaw you can find beautiful hand painted wooden boxes for really cheap as well as nice glasswear, vases etc. Amber is also very cheap.

merriem

I thought most things in Budapest were cheap to say the least. What to buy? It really depends on what you are looking for.....brandy for $6 a bottle, $7 for a manicure, $1 for a bottle of nail polish, really reasonable meals. Be sure and go to the Grand Market Hall, as it is very interesting, all kinds of food and many hungarian folk items. Also, goose-liver pate was cheap. Salami is a real bargain....but you are not supposed to bring it into the US. We found the FROMMERS Guide to Budapest and Hungary very helpful (sorry Fodor's)

s.fowler

We're taking some of our students to Budapest and Macedonia this June. Here is the rather chatty "shopping in budapest" I wrote for them. Sorry for the *spam* -- and a warning --- opinions follow! <BR> <BR>My favorite purchase in Hungary is paprika! Buy it in a grocery store. There are several kinds of paprika, from sweet to hot. It makes great [cheap!] presents. And impresses the heck out of people. <BR> <BR>Next is a cookbook with recipes to USE the paprika. The bigger bookstores usually have English ones. <BR> <BR>The famous Hungarian wine is Tokay. It is available in this country so I'm not sure it's worth hauling a bottle back. <BR> <BR>I like going into record stores. You can often get CDs that aren't easily available elsewhere, from classical to techo-whatever. Just be careful to check where it was made. The ones made in Hungary are reasonable - the rest the same or more than here. My "fave" group is Kalaka - they are ostensible a children's group - but they are wonderful! Upbeat and folk-y in a *nice* way. <BR> <BR>After that folk art items: You will find these everywhere. The three main locations are the stores on the main shopping street, Vaci Utca, at the open-air booths on the Donau Corso <BR>[along the Danube River] and on Castle Hill on the Buda side of the river. <BR> <BR>The embroidery is nice, but sometimes it is hard to tell whether they are handmade or machine made. Sometimes older women will approach you with tableclothes or other embroidery - you'll have to make a quick judgment - but some of what they have is nice. <BR> <BR>I'm partial to the painted wooden eggs, and the REAL painted eggs... I'll be heading for my favorite source on Vaci Utca at some point so tag along! The real eggs run $4-6. You will also find dolls, beadwork and enough "tchoetchkes" to satisfy all your gift needs. <BR> <BR>There is also an interesting "art gallery" on Vaci Utca with a wide range of modern and antique items. Nothing is cheap, but I can steer you towards some more interesting items. <BR> <BR>If we go to Szentendre it will be more of the same, with some nice modern crafts thrown in. <BR>

Rex

Why would an answer to a question ever be considered "spam"? I thought that "spam" meant an unsolicited message of some kind. <BR> <BR>When someone asks an open question indicating that they want to buy a product or service, aren't all the responses inherently "solicited"?

Peter

As a suggestion - instead of Warsaw visit Crakow (Krakow) in Poland, which is not only closer to other 2 cities, but much nicer than Warsaw. Like Warsaw , Krakow has an international Airport, and if You going by train or bus you will probably connect thru Krakow or area, going from Warsaw. Also once in Krakow, there are so many other cities in the area - Zakopane (in Tatry Mtns), Wieliczka (Salt Mines, with carvings and salt statues done by miners), Oswiecim - Aushwitz (Nazi WWII concentration camp) etc...