We had read that you need to hold on to your bag and be alert for pick pockets and so were "en guarde", but really no need. The market was not crowded and felt very safe, although I wouldn't say the same for the perimeter market selling bootleg label clothing and the individual hawkers with Marlboro cigarettes, Ray Ban sunglasses and Chanel No. 5 stocked inside their coats!
I have a plan ... rip out the kitchen and backyard at home in Coburg, come to Paris, go wild at the flea market and fill up a container to ship home ... I better start buying Tattslotto tickets!
On sale was fantastic wrought iron outdoor furniture and upholstered King Louis chairs; art deco cabinets, tables and chairs; frescoed folding screens; china, glass and silver from all eras; old furnishing fabrics, curtains and tassel tie-backs; lithographs, paintings, posters and photos; amazing mirrors, chandeliers and candlestick holders; toys. Prices seemed pretty high but it was fun to look.
The market is open Saturday to Monday, and today was probably a quiet day. The stall owners could be seen lunching together, price tags hanging from their chairs and lunch table, sharing a bottle of vino and always, always smoking. There was a group of men playing cards and drinking wine around the entry to a toy shop for as long as we were at the market and I'm sure they go home at the end of the day saying, "Ah, oui, another hard day at work"!
In some stalls the owners dozed, stretched out on their furniture for sale, and even the dogs were snoozing on the furniture. For Fiona, Paul and Ruby - we saw a border terrier stretched out on a comfy tapestry rug but, alas, no photos allowed in that section of the market.
It was a beautiful day, 30 degrees, and most of the market is undercover so it was tres agreable. Five hours later we wandered back to Porte de Clignancourt station, giving the Marlboro men a wide berth, and headed for home.
2 comments:
Marche aux Puces de St. Ouen, what a fantastic day, you certainly would need to win tattslotto to be able to choose all you would like to bring home. You surely must have chosen something from that gorgeous variety of goods. L&G
oooohhhhh...I'd love to walk down Allee 2 of the antique market with a rather large backpack, a rather large amount of French francs and a rather large storage container ready to ship home to Thornbury....leaving a little bit of space for a kennel to house a French Border Terrier on a tapestry rug! If I can't photograph it, I'll just pick it up and give it a cuddle and a petite walk.
What about cats? Do you see any Romeos, Angels or Ammys wandering the streets? If Paul wants to see a video of you eating a baguette walking down the street, then I'd like to see a photograph of le pussy-chat reclining in the sunshine. Keep us posted, as life is reasonably cold and miserable in Melbourne....except for the Spring bulbs popping their heads through the soil in the front garden. Love Fi, Paul and Rubes
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