点评:I absolutely love this place and make a point of visiting whenever I'm in Limerick on a Saturday.
If you get there relatively early, parking is simple with two public carparks (a couple of euro) within strolling distance of the market itself. There are two entrances, so make sure you remember which direction you came from! It doesn't really matter, to be fair, as the market extends to the streets immediately outside and you can literally just walk in a circle to get back to where you began.
The outside stalls tend to be a mix of everything - power tools, books, clothes, crafts, food, etc which (apart from some of the amazing food stands) are fairly standard to markets everywhere. Inside however, is spectacular. The market itself was in the past an open square surrounded by high walls. The walls are now a number of permanent shops - vintage clothing, food and drink, crafts, etc - and the open square is covered by a massive canopy to keep the rain off in inclement weather (not that it's needed in Ireland, of course!). Under the canopy is an Aladdin's cave of stalls selling fresh produce, baked goods, fruit, cheeses, you name it. Then you have the craft stalls - woodwork, leatherwork, fabrics, etc. There are also a few artists in residence where you can buy original paintings of local scenes. I especially recommend the very talented Kathy Tiernan of Fairlyart who always has wonderful pictures at very reasonable prices.
Finally, there are a couple of coffeeshops that serve some of the best coffee in Ireland. It has become a tradition that after browsing the market we take ourselves upstairs to the terrace with a coffee and a fresh pastry (or two) and sit and watch the world go by below us. One of the best accolades I can give the Milk Market is that it's not actually a tourist destination. Most of the people there are local people, just doing their shopping. Get in there and meet them.
翻译:我超爱这个地方,每次周六来到利默里克时都会特意前来参观。
如果去得比较早,停车也很方便——市场附近就有两个公共停车场,收费仅几欧元而已。市场有两个入口,所以一定要记清自己是从哪个方向进来的!不过说实在的,这其实也无关紧要,因为市场范围还延伸到了周边的街道,你完全可以绕一圈后回到出发点。外面的摊位上卖的东西可谓是五花八门——电动工具、书籍、衣物、手工艺品、食品等等;除了一些非常出色的食品摊贩外,这些商品在各地的集市上都颇为常见。不过里面可就精彩得多了。这个集市原本是一个被高墙环绕的露天广场,如今这些墙面上开起了许多常设店铺——卖古着、食品饮料以及手工艺品的店。此外,露天广场上还搭有一个大型顶棚,用来在恶劣天气时挡雨(当然,在爱尔兰其实没这个必要啦!)。顶棚下则是琳琅满目的摊位,售卖新鲜农产品、烘焙食品、水果、奶酪等等,应有尽有。接着是手工艺品摊位——木制品、皮具、布料等。这里还有几位驻场艺术家,你可以买到描绘当地风光的原创画作。我特别推荐Fairlyart的Kathy Tiernan,她才华横溢,总能拍出出色的照片,而且价格也相当合理。
最后,这里还有几家咖啡馆,供应的咖啡堪称爱尔兰最佳。现在已经成了我们的惯例:逛完市场后,我们会带着咖啡和新鲜出炉的糕点(有时不止一个)上楼到露台,坐着欣赏楼下人来人往的景象。我要给牛奶市场的最高评价就是:它其实并不是一个旅游景点。那里的大多数人都是当地人,只是在购物罢了。走进去,去和他们打个招呼吧。