There’s nothing quite like scarcity to make me jump on a band wagon. I’ve written before about hunting for antiques in Germany and the quaint shops that surround our little village which feature favorites of military spouses like benches, old ladders and painted armoires. But I haven’t caught the antique bug; unlike true hunters, I’m pretty satisfied with a trip to a store every few months. But twice a year the city of Nuremberg (made infamous following WWII and the crimes trials) hosts the largest flea market in Bavaria and invites both professional and amateur vendors to show off their wares. I just can’t resist checking out a novelty that might hold a treasure or two. Several friends accompanied me to the event and we arrived early enough to enjoy an italian lunch topped off with cappuccino before diving into the mix of shoppers. 4pm Friday was the official start to the two day event but when we got there at noon, we spotted squatters already staking out their booth space near the main marktplatz. Germans are fairly good rule followers, and we noticed that vendors promptly uncovered their wares just after the start time. The flea market snaked its way through cobblestone alleyways, with approximately 4000 booths worth of junk mixed in with German collectibles like potato wagons and stained glass windows recovered from old churches. I ended up going home with some pretty good memories but not one “new” item to add to the household goods. While it was great fun to pick through some eclectic displays, including a huge box of cracked porcelain doll heads, I didn’t find anything that screamed “take me home.”