Sunday in Paris = Flea Market.

There are several flea markets in Paris, one of which – the Port of Vanves – is smaller, a bit more affordable, and highly recommended. Next time. This time we revisited the largest flea market at Saint-Ouen, which is near the Périphérique, a road that defines the administrative limit of Paris. It’s an easy ride via the Metro. Sunday was rainy, so our hotel provided umbrellas (really good ones!) for us. Note to self: don’t worry about packing an umbrella.

We walked (a mere two blocks) to one of the two Metro stations that are incredibly close to our hotel. I love the Metro stations; they’re clean, efficient and well-lit. After we emerged from the Metro, we walked to the Flea Market. This time, we knew where we were going. Last year, we did a lot of searching to find the kind of things we like to buy. This flea market is HUGE. There are all sorts of dealers, from people selling socks and t-shirts to very high-end furniture shops to the kind of bric-a-brac we favor. The section we love is called Vernaison.

I don’t have a lot of pictures from inside Vernaison because it’s a spider web of little corridors and you have to pay attention or you’ll get lost. We stayed close by each other and didn’t wander off too far. There is SO much there!

Fabric everywhere, including stacks and stacks of French linens with the distinctive red embroidery. Luckily, I wasn’t in the market for linens because I have simply no room for them. Otherwise, I would have spent hours in these stacks.

This shop made me hyperventilate it was so gorgeous. All these vintage lighting fixtures, each more beautiful than the last. There was one (and dang it, I forgot to photograph it) that I would have taken home had I the money. Maybe on my next visit, my big purchase will be one of these.

Oh my heavens.

Vernaison is a series of shops that are permanent. Some are big, some small – all are incredibly interesting.

I could have gone nuts here. We did buy something, which I’ll show you later on in the post.

I visited this gorgeous shop three times until I finally decided on my purchase. Upcoming. (Don wanted those lockers on the right.)

Vintage polaroid cameras.

Husband looking serious and carrying our purchases. I loved those chairs.

We look for smallish things that we can easily pack. We did buy an old print last year (that we have yet to frame) and we had it shipped back home. I don’t believe I’ve ever shared it with you. I will, as soon as we get it framed. It’s been a year, Claudia and Don. Get it together.

We decided to head back to the hotel

Here’s where it got dicey.

On the way to the flea market, we walked down a stretch of pavement where men were hawking their wares. One of them, seemingly hawking perfume, actually grabbed my arm and I yanked away my arm and shouted firmly, “Non!”

As we headed back to the Metro stop, we were just about to enter that same stretch of pavement. Same guys. My instinct, which I shared with Don, was to cross to the other side of the street. There are pickpockets in Paris – as in any city – and I didn’t trust these guys one bit. Whether it was because Don didn’t hear me, or just in the confusion of the moment, we ended up walking through this phalanx of guys once again. Then we set out to find a place to eat. Nothing looked good – though we did stop in one restaurant to check out their menu. No dice. So we bought tickets for the Metro, walked downstairs to our train. Don suddenly started feeling his pockets. You know, where are my glasses? Where is my wallet, etc.? He looked worried. I asked him what was wrong. He said that he couldn’t find his phone. Usually when something like this happens to us, we eventually find what we were looking for. But he didn’t. It wasn’t there. Instead of putting it in an inner jacket pocket, he had been carrying it in his outside pocket – one that is at the side of the jacket. It definitely wasn’t there. We went through a bit of a panic and returned to the Metro entrance where Don visited the restaurant just in case he had left it there. No dice.

I told him that we needed to call Verizon STAT, so we moved over to a quieter side street and contacted their international support number. They immediately froze the phone – they were incredibly helpful. We have insurance on the phones – I advise everyone to do this – so Verizon texted my phone with our information. At least we knew the thieves couldn’t get any info. After that, we headed back to the hotel, where we used my iPad to go online and file a claim. It was surprisingly easy and the replacement phone was waiting for us on our doorstep when we arrived back at the cottage the following Tuesday. We had to pay $150 deductible, but that’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a new iPhone.

The problem was that Don never backs up his phone. So he lost everything, all contacts, all photos – and he took some beautiful ones in Paris – all of it. I’m going to have to be a nudge and make him back up his phone consistently.

Don wants me to tell you that, even though it was unsettling, he felt a little liberated. Not having a phone felt good, though we knew he would eventually need one. He has a love/hate relationship with his phone, as I suppose I do, myself.

That’s our pickpocket story. I suppose they worked in teams, one guy distracting Don and the other grabbing the phone.

This can happen anywhere, but it pays to be vigilant. It also pays to trust your gut, something I should have insisted on.

All in all, after our initial dismay, we were okay. We found a great café right by our hotel and had a great vegetarian meal.

Now, let’s go back to happy and I’ll share what we purchased.

I bought two egg cups. The one on the left is very old, late 1800s, and has some definite wear. I don’t mind one bit. It’s a transferware double egg cup. On the right is a plastic egg cup. I don’t have any plastic cups – this one is vintage and has an Art Deco design (can’t resist Art Deco.) They were only 5 euros each.

I found this large bowl in the pretty shop that I visited three times. It’s simply beautiful and dates circa 1880 – 1885.

This photo gives you a better idea of the size. I love it.

One of our favorite finds, from the first china chop I mentioned:

Two transferware plates, “Theatre des Marionettes.” If you remember our trip last year, we attended a marionette show in the Jardin du Luxembourg and we were enchanted by it. I even bought my very own Guignol hand puppet. These are very old – again, late 1800s – and they’re beautiful. Side note: there were 3 of them but we only bought 2. Now I wish we’d purchased all 3. I took a photo of the Mark on the bottom and I’m going to research it.

Close ups:

That’s Guignol.

They’re about 8 inches in diameter and we’re going to hang them today. I’ll share ‘after’ pictures with you soon. They are absolutely perfect for us.

Now, Don’s finds:

In that vintage lighting shop, Don found a treasure.

This is a vintage light switch. You can no longer use them; I guess, due to code issues. But they’re beautiful. The bottom is ceramic.

Here is where we display it:

Isn’t it lovely?

And, drum roll, his favorite find, one he is absolutely crazy about:

A vintage French motorcycle helmet circa 1930. It is so cool! He fell in love with it and had to have it.

We took these pictures the other day.

He’s in heaven.

This morning we were wondering where to display it. He had it upstairs on his desk, but it’s rather hidden away there. I briefly thought of my vintage dress form but that didn’t seem right. Then I hit on the staircase and the newel posts.

Perfect. And there it will live.

It’s so much fun to find little treasures and I think we were quite successful this year: 3 egg cups, two vintage plates, a vintage bowl, a vintage light switch and a vintage motorcycle helmet. And one more little treasure that we found at a bouquiniste. I’ll show it to you tomorrow.

Happy Friday.