I want very much to speak about flea markets and friends, for this was a big part of my Paris visit.
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As you might imagine, I was desperately eager to visit a flea market or two, and they didn't disappoint!
The first was with our blog cohort, Tara Bradford, aka
Paris Parfait! I was so excited to meet up a blogger whose blog I visit faithfully and simply adore for its great photography and point of view. So, I was certainly looking forward to that first Saturday morning in Paris when met to go to Vanves, a large flea market in the south of Paris.
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One of the other things I love about Paris in general (and Vanves was no exception) is the prevalence of dogs.
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I loved these two, becoming friends at a vendor's booth!
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Later that day, Tara and her husband David invited us for a lovely dinner. I wanted to bring flowers, so we stopped at the florist.
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Jerry explained that in France, you don't buy a ready-made bouquet, but pick several kinds of flowers from the shop's display, take them inside, and they make up the bouquet for you.
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The woman making the bouquet gathered stems in a circular motion.
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Then she wrapped it in colorful tissue and a cellophane.
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Gerbera daisies, rose hips, greenery -- worked for me!
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I would love to have added a photo of Tara or one of Tara and David with me, but at Tara's request, I'll pass. But she is so lovely! Just a delight, and I had the best time enjoying David's fabulous Moroccan dinner, great conversation, and being surrounded (as readers of
Paris Parfait might imagine) by so many lovely things, I barely knew where to look!
I will say it was a memorable evening with sharing of smiles, stories, gifts and I will always remember this evening with my gracious hosts!
The following morning, Jerry and I headed out for our Normandy excursion. But he had done his homework well -- we had an itinerary of town flea markets along the way.
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These are greatly different than Vanves, which is a weekly and somewhat more commercial affair. In France, "ordinary people" don't have yard saleswhenever they like; instead the city (or towns) set dates and everyone who likes participates.
The merchandise is different, too. While Vanves had higher end items, the markets we visited were a real mix -- everything from vintage and antique items to discarded Fisher Price toys and old clothes.
And produce vendors also had their wares (and I found the best raspberries EVER! So sweet, they couldn't be believed!)
The towns they were in had what they called "foires" -- in addition to the sales, they also had rides, food, and other activities. Jerry was aces at making good deals!
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My favorite finds from these included a French Scrabble board (which I left up north and don't have a photograph of, but you might be interested to know that "W" is worth 10 points!)
I also bought some sewing notions and trims (pictured above with my Vanves buttons), some lace, bicycle pins (which have yet to be given!) and a very nice photo book on World War II and the invasion.
I would have bought these chairs, but I was a little too far from home!
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Enjoying all of these was great fun -- fun to see the kinds of things that are different from what one sees here. For example, in the town foires, yes -- there was tacky and modern stuff. They're garage sales, after all. But there was a tremendous amount of the "good stuff" too -- beautiful (old) glassware, copper, pewter, brass, military-related items, photo albums (the one I wanted was 50 euros and Jerry couldn't get her to come down, so I gave it a pass).
Let me just say when I hit the yard sales here, I don't see much in the line of good stuff. Estate sales, maybe. Yard sales, no.
I loved seeing the people, the towns. And oh -- those raspberries!
Things I Learned: When flea marketing in France, go with someone who speaks French for the best deals. I'm sure I could have tried something with my little Rick Steves phrase book. It wouldn't have worked. Not really.
Experiencing this was really a treat. I appreciated the differences between the professionals and the locals and I loved seeing the small towns.
The whole florist-bouquet thing was new to me, and I just loved watching her work (and the end result!)