Any self-respecting country will not leave a tourist without souvenirs
Gifts are divided into several categories. Essentially, they can be traditional or exotic, and by size – symbolic or substantial. The latter include those that do not fit into bags and suitcases, while symbolic ones are usually called souvenirs. In former times, from any country in the world, people brought back everything they could afford: deodorants, tights, dual-cassette players, coffee makers, cashmere, nylon, Teflon, felt-tip pens, costume jewelry, “Parkers” and “Montblancs” – going through the alphabet. However, this is boring, banal, trivial, and most importantly, no longer relevant.
It is much more interesting to find something truly exotic – meaning fresh, original, and in the traditions of that particular country. What comes to mind at the mere mention of Greece? Ancient statues, Doric friezes, and Corinthian capitals. Italy evokes thoughts of Raphael and “Rafaello,” the Sistine Chapel ceiling and Venetian windows. America – a limousine, England – a double-decker red bus (or, at the very least, a red telephone booth). Indeed, why not follow the example of the American who brought London Bridge to his ranch?
For those who do not plan to act on an American scale, we offer a small cheat sheet. First of all, do not neglect traditional ideas about national products: do not be shy about bringing Bohemian crystal from Bohemia, and Turkish carpets from Turkey. So...
Italy is famous for leather goods. You can safely count on a wide selection of bags, belts, and shoes of excellent quality at reasonable prices. From museum cities, you can bring good reproductions (it is better to select frames at home). Venice is a paradise for souvenir shopping. For greater effect, souvenirs with views of Venice – plates, T-shirts, scarves, and brooches – are usually bought on the Rialto Bridge. Do not stop there, walk a couple more blocks! In the narrow streets around St. Mark's Square, right in the workshops, artists sell carnival masks made of porcelain and papier-mâché with gold leaf (the more gilding, the higher the price). In Venice, you must buy jewelry and trinkets made of Murano glass, which in the rest of the world, including the neighboring village, costs an order of magnitude more. Another gift idea – Venetian handmade mirrors.
San Marino is one big store, where goods from all over the world are brought together. Of the national, San Marino products, only keychains, badges, and postcards are sold. By the way, do not disdain postcards – on the reverse side, they are all covered with stamps and postmarked “Post of San Marino.” It makes sense to buy gold and coral in jewelry stores.
Spain resembles a large mosaic, and the gift depends on the travel route. In Andalusia, they make excellent leather goods; in Catalonia, beautiful ceramics and interesting silver and metal jewelry; in Alicante and its surroundings, the best Spanish guitars in the world. In Madrid, all of this will be much more expensive. But the main gift from Spain is jamón and local wine to go with it.
France obliges you to buy haute couture garments (including evening dresses), which is quite comparable to an American limousine. You can get out of the situation by purchasing not the garments themselves, but accessories: cufflinks, hair clips, hats, ribbons, pins, bone hairpins, and tortoiseshell combs. It is recommended to give them in beautiful packaging with melodic labels – “Yves Saint Laurent,” “Dior,” etc. And, of course, perfume in all its forms, from eau de parfum to cologne...
Switzerland should not fool around. Buy watches – and you will always be properly understood.
From Germany, bring beer mugs or cars – whichever you prefer.
The Scandinavian countries offer souvenirs suited to the climate: luxurious furs, beautiful knitted woolen items, which are quite expensive there, and trolls in all forms. From Finland, our compatriots usually bring high-quality clothing and shoes purchased at sales or in tax-free shops. Also, when traveling to Finland, do not forget about the wonderful wooden houses made of timber. No, of course, you cannot bring such a house with you, but there is a way out. Small timber houses, or rather their miniature copies, are sold in all souvenir shops in Finland. This will be a wonderful gift for both your friends and yourselves.
Great Britain is simply created for buying gifts: for this purpose, there are Scottish plaids, skirts, scarves, and whiskey, as well as tea in beautiful tins. England is simply chock-full of all sorts of beautiful things for the home and coziness: little pillows, little bags, little frames, little glasses, little coasters, little mats, little mugs, little vases, little napkins – they all strive to take a place on the shelves of cupboards. All this should be bought in large good stores – of course, on Oxford Street.
Greece is artisanal, like all the rest of the Mediterranean. Its souvenirs are divided into ancient and not so ancient. The former include copies of everything that has come down to us from ancient times, ranging in size from a matchbox to life size: discoboli, Zeus, Athena, Pegasus, nymphs, and satyrs are presented in Greek shops in bronze, plaster, and marble. They adorn all household items imaginable. The most fantastic sight after the Acropolis is the shops at its foot, astonishing in the scale and scope of the “antiquity” trade.
Not so ancient items include excellent handwoven carpets and tableware, from coarse ceramics to the finest hand-painted porcelain with gold. Entire villages of weavers, ready to sell carpets and panels, are located in the vicinity of Delphi. A common Greek souvenir is solid perfume in a painted porcelain bottle. Tunics and sandals, also handmade, as well as leather bags and belts, are sold in large quantities.
Neighboring Cyprus happily combines the souvenir offerings of Greece and England: its shops are piled with ceramics styled as 'antiques,' and stores have coasters and placemats for home comfort. Among ceramics, it makes sense to prefer purely Cypriot ones – plates and vases with asymmetric painting in blue and gold.
Malta is all marked by the Maltese cross. There are either English shops (with unappealing prices) or local stores. For souvenirs and gifts, leather accessories, mainly decorated with Maltese crosses, and beautiful locally crafted silver are popular.
Perhaps the hardest place to bring gifts from is Turkey – there is always a chance of finding the same item in the domestic market. It is customary to buy gold (which is inferior to domestic), mass-produced sheepskin coats, clothing, shoes, lingerie, and everything else. But for gifts, it is better to bring only Turkish items starting with 'k' – carpets, ceramics, hookahs, and tasseled fezzes.
From Tunisia, tourists unanimously bring back camels. Because one-humped dromedary camels are sold everywhere: clay, ceramic, wooden, leather, plush. The latter reach the size of an adult animal. But actually, you don't need to bring a camel from Tunisia – it takes up too much space. It's better to bring a camel leather bag or a camel wool carpet. Carpets, like everything else, are best bought at a market or in a shop, but not at a 'factory' in Kairouan, where tourists are lured to fleece them. A 'silk' Kairouan carpet will most likely turn out to be synthetic, while a Berber handwoven one is wool or cotton. Also, in Tunisia, people buy two kinds of silver – white 'European' (Polish and Italian) and dark 'Berber,' which connoisseurs prefer.
From Egypt, we recommend bringing paintings on papyrus and stone figurines of gods. Cats and ibises look particularly stylish in modern apartments. Egyptian carpets are also worth attention – they are among the best in the world in quality and originality of designs.
Southeast Asian countries are famous for jewelry, silver, and precious stones. In Sri Lanka, for example, blue sapphires are mined. A small natural (!) stone bought at a factory store will cost about $50 (the same in the capital costs $500). An excellent gift is an elephant made of mahogany or jade, but it is heavy to carry. Much lighter are several boxes of good tea bought directly at the factory. Crocodile farms sell bags and gloves made of crocodile skin.
From Singapore – a city that is neither cheap nor exotic – people eagerly take out Chinese trinkets and Japanese electronics with equal enthusiasm.
Indonesia opens vast opportunities for gift shopping, filled with batik, carved wooden masks and figurines. Europeans enthusiastically take from it paintings, hand-painted sarong skirts, and entire quilts embroidered with fish and stars.
Australia is piled top to bottom with boomerangs, koalas, and kangaroos. But what you should bring from there are knitted items made of excellent Australian wool.
The Maldives, Comoros, Hawaii, Caribbean and other distant islands are so far and ethereal that any little thing will do as a gift – beautiful shells and corals, as well as everything made from them. Not the worst souvenirs are Seychelles liqueur from the coco-de-mer, an exotic and suggestive fruit, and famous Jamaican and Antillean rum.
Both Americas can be roughly divided into two parts: the USA with Canada and everything else. Everything else (Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, etc.) suggests gifts in a national spirit – ponchos, sombreros, and cacti, including cactus vodka.
The USA is the homeland of baseball caps and T-shirts, and that's what you should bring back. Also, in the USA, people buy all sorts of funny inscriptions. They come in tabletop, floor, wall, back, chest, cup, wrist and other versions. They are bought either in pure form as signs, or combined with baseball caps, T-shirts, shorts, cups, and any other items. It is very pleasant to give your boss a T-shirt with the inscription 'Fifteen Arguments in Favor of Beer Being Better Than Women,' with a detailed list of all fifteen arguments and illustrations.
Japan. People expect Sony players from you, but you go ahead and bring a bonsai – that will be a laugh! But it will last even for great-grandchildren.