It’s a strange collection of lemongrass and luggage. Fish and g-strings. Freshly-squeezed orange juice and incense. Bed sheets and bike locks. Chicken feet and tulips. Penis-shaped salt & pepper shakers and flip-flops.

Albert Cuyp market is probably my favourite place in Amsterdam. Certainly it’s an economic alternative to the evil Albert Heijn but it’s the crazy hustle and bustle that keeps me coming back for more.

The market is one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in Europe. It sets up Monday to Saturday in temporary stalls run by seasoned salesmen, some of whom shout their deals out to the shoppers in deep tenor voices.

For the most part, I try to do my grocery shopping here. The vegetables and fruits are abundant and most stalls offer an extensive variety. And the fish can’t be beat – the salmon, tilapia and cod are all cheaper and fresher than my local fish monger. I’ve recently been inspired to cook a lot of Thai dishes and the AC market is the only place I’ve found things like lime leaves and Thai ginger.

My favourite store has to be the Peper Bol. Located about halfway down the strip, I can guarantee that you’ll smell this place before you see it. In addition to the space it occupies on the street, the Peper Bol continues on into a large shop directly behind it. It sells every spice, sugar, oil, essence, cooking implement, container you could ever hope to find. At first the place overwhelmed me but once I understood the logically alphabetical organization of it, I began to enjoy shopping there. The staff is very helpful and friendly and they’ll go to great lengths to translate your English ingredient list into Dutch.

Another great thing about the Albert Cuyp market is that it’s smack in the middle of De Pijp. De Pijp (or the Pipe to us English speakers) is home to many great bars and restaurants and cute little shops. You can easily spend the better part of a day here poking around and tasting all that it has to offer

I always encourage tourists to get on the tram and check it out. You may not be buying a 10 kilo fish or a dozen sunflowers but you can’t beat the selection and price for some great picnic munchies. It’s also a good place to pick up some souvenirs and some cheap luggage to carry it all back home in. But more than that, it’s a place where locals of all ethnic backgrounds mix with tourists. It’s Amsterdam at its best.