A small town and its market

I spent a day in a small town I had never visited before, and did almost nothing except walk around its market. That turned out to be enough.

The market told me what people here eat, what they grow, what they make by hand, and what time they get up in the morning. The cheese seller explained three cheeses I had never heard of. The bread stall sold out by ten, which told me to come earlier next time.

Guidebooks are useful for history and directions. For the feeling of a place, a market is better.