Marché aux Puces

I told our students that I would take them to one of the flea markets on Saturday and 13 of the 14 students arrived at the apartment by 8:30 Saturday morning!  I was surprised since they had all gotten up early Friday to go to Chartres.  This is a group excited to explore Paris.  This time we went to the Marché aux Puces at Porte de Vanves near the end of Metro Line 13 at the southern edge of Paris.

Wooden Spools and Print Type

It had rained a bit that morning after having beautiful blue sky at Chartres.  Soon after we arrived it turned even colder and started drizzling.  The marché had some cool brooches, necklaces and rings from the 60s and 70s.  Some of the jewelry was costume jewelry and some was sterling silver or gold.

Audrey, Samantha and Paola Check out the Jewelry

Kate and McCall Try on Rings

Cameo Ring

 
































Kate tried on a cameo ring but it was too big.
McCall was looking for an unusual brooch.  There were many to choose from.

McCall and Kate try to Stay Warm

Mary Claire ended up finding a ring.  She was also looking for a pretty mirror. 

Mary Claire and Madeleine

Mary Claire should have been looking for a hat.  Madeleine and Mary Claire are sisters from Phoenix and they arrived in Paris with only one hat between them-it was Madeleine's turn to wear it that day.
It was fun to browse but it was getting colder.  Kate found an old leather-bound book she liked for 5 euros.  It was dated 1822.  She thought it would look nice stacked with other books on the table in the entryway at home.
We browsed until our fingers wouldn't move anymore and we couldn't feel our toes.

Bow Ties for Kelly and Andrew

Interesting Doll Carriage

Various Tins

Les Boutons

Print Type

Kitchen Canisters

Vintage Clothing

There was a lot of junk to look through in order to find the treasures.  But we decided French junk is more interesting than American junk.  As we left, I saw some of the sellers sitting down to a game of cards with a drink and a cigarette.  Now that was typical French!  Don't you love the guy in the white hat and plaid coat?

Next we'll go to the northern edge of Paris to Porte de Clignancourt to shop in the famous Marché aux Puces there.  We'll look for a day that is a bit warmer, though.

Les Marchés

Part of what we enjoy about Paris are the outdoor markets or les marchés.  We stumble upon them all the time.  Sometimes they are selling food and clothing.  Other times they are called Brocantes and they sell antiques and collectibles.  One metro stop down from us is the rue de Grenelle where they have a marché under the elevated subway every Wednesday with food and clothing, including underwear and stockings! 

Undies Stall

Stockings for Sale

Kate and I checked the market out after shopping at les Soldes last week.  Below is a sampling of some of the food stalls we found there.



There were several stalls selling fish.  They had all kinds of fish from shrimp to whole fish including the eyes.  I'm sure each shopper has her favorite poissonnerie she visits each week.

Poissonnerie

Dried Fruit and Nuts

My favorite was the egg seller.  Even eggs seem a little different in France.  The shells are thicker than in the US and harder to crack.  Inevitably I end up with a piece of shell in whatever I am baking.  And the shells are usually brown, although this stand had a lot of white eggs, too.

Les Œufs

The sign above says these eggs are from chickens raised outdoors--I guess you would say free-range chickens.  And according to the sign below, the eggs are "extra fresh."

Œufs "Extra Frais"

Thirty of those big white eggs cost 4.50€.  At the current exchange rate of about $1.30 for 1€, that's about $2.35 per dozen. 

The market went along for several blocks.  At the end of le marché was a man selling honey from the Bourgogne or the Burgundy region of France.

Marché de Miel

Those were all the pictures Kate allowed me to take.  We'll check out more markets later and post our finds.  The students are arriving today-we can't wait!