After visiting the Thieves Market in Lisbon during a series of downpours, I’ve tried to find other flea markets to visit, with limited success. Not because there aren’t any, Portugal has lots of markets of different kinds daily, weekly and intermittent, as well as a constant parade of festivals. Last weekend we drove about 20 minutes from Cotovia to Quinta do Conde for a periodic flea market. There were several vendors and it was fun to walk around and look.

I was hoping for a big flea market moment on our way to Porto on Saturday. After combing the websites, I found there was a once a month flea market/antiques fair in Alcobaca. It’s not far off the highways from Lisbon to Porto. When we arrived in Alcobaca I asked for the market and was directed to the monastery. This was built during the late 1200s and dominates a huge triangular plaza at the heart of the town. It’s a gorgeous setting and we had coffee in one of the cafes. The down side is that despite what websites say, the flea market is now on the third Sunday of the month, and since May 1 was a Sunday, the third Sunday was May 15 (last weekend). There was not a flea in sight. If you’ve been there, tell me about it.