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.
so sorry you and don were pickpocketed, but glad you could quickly get the stolen phone locked to protect it’s contents. is there any way your phone company could access the contents and get them back for don?
and yes, we all need to listen to our instincts! and not be tied to our phones.
on the other side of things … look at all those beautiful souvenirs! am happy you found some faves. love the photos of don “riding his motorcycle” and the placement of that old helmet on the newel post … a daily reminder of happy times in paris!
hope you have a nice weekend ahead.
kathy in iowa
Thank you, Kathy!
Oh, the pickpocket incident is unsettling! But it sounds like you took it in stride. Thanks for showing us all your treasures.
You’re most welcome, Jo(e)!
Claudia,
I have a definite weak spot for dishes. Your finds are beautiful.
Oh, so do I! Thanks, Susan.
Love your purchases! Oh, that bowl is very special.
Thank you, Judy!
Thanks for so many great photos again, Claudia. I love the colourful glass lampshades especially the mid century Scandinavian styles. The helmet looks like it was made for Don. The pre worn blue workman jackets and overalls behind Don in one of the photos are very fashionable with young men in the media over here!
I’m glad you coped with the pick pocket experience. It’s a horrible feeling. It happened to me about 15 years ago in my home city. I had gone to the annual European Christmas market which is a huge event mainly held in the Town Hall Square. I was queuing with friends to buy mulled wine when a woman around my age pushed me forward. Normally I would expect an apology but she hurried away into the crowd. My friend said your handbag is open. It was over my shoulder with the zip under my arm but as she slightly knocked me off balance and distracted me, her accomplice must have taken my purse (wallet). She was wearing an anorak and woolly hat to blend in with the crowd. Definitely a professional gang.
Eventually I managed to cancel my debit card but within 30 minutes they had spent over £125 on groceries in an upmarket supermarket that I couldn’t afford to shop in or spend that amount! Fortunately I was refunded the money some days later. Now I always keep my card separate in the zippered lining in my bag!
Happy Friday
It’s terrible when it happens. You feel so violated! These guys worked in teams. Really frightening.
But all is well. I’m sorry that it happened to you, Dee Dee.
Thank you.
I wondered what the full story was. I could go into your I/G (off your site here) but I’m not any kind of member or subscriber so couldn’t get beyond the one page for details. Once I pieced together that it was the phone, I thought, “Maybe he’d set the phone down on a lunch table.” Or something. So sorry this happened; just creepy, especially when they grabbed at you. Yech. I had beggars do that to me in Italy. Do NOT touch me! You acted so fast to get the problem resolved, though; hurrah for you being so organized about it and getting the service blocked immediately. As you’ve said (your words): A pox on pickpockets!
(My note now to self: Put it in an inner pocket, maybe a zipped one, then button up the whole jacket. Who thinks about doing that, but I guess you have to? Inconvenient of course, but how else can you protect yourself from theft? In a group of guys like that, their intent clearly was to distract and upset you, get you off your guard, especially in a crowded space. The creeps. I once knew of someone in another city (big city) who had a crossbody bag and the bad guy actually slashed the strap to get to the bag and it happened in a nanosecond.
To-die-for scenes of all those wonderful goods at the flea market. Thanks for sharing them. Be still my heart. How do you get glass and pottery home safely on the plane? Do you just wrap and wrap them in dirty clothes that you’re bringing back to launder? Baggage handling can be so violent; I’d be afraid I’d have breakage. What’s your secret??!! Of course the egg cups ARE small. Back in the day, I’d wonder if I shipped something home, could I be guaranteed it would really get to me and, if not, what then could I do about it across the ocean? That was just my much-younger, not-worldly self, though. No credit cards in those days; just cash transactions. I was with someone who bought a very-expensive cuckoo clock from a really-small shop in little-village Bavaria and I felt like she was taking a chance. Trust!
Strange aside: Yesterday, I was driving through a shopping center and I heard this fairly-loud accordion music and I thought it was being piped from one of the storefronts, like maybe for some food special. It was the classic French bistro music, as if to envision oneself in a small sidewalk cafe, sipping wine, gazing into a lover’s eyes. Haunting, sweet, gentle, mellow music. I finally found out where it was coming from: It was apparently a homeless or otherwise-in-need family, father/mother/baby. The man was ‘playing’ for his supper as the woman held up a sign, “Hard Times”. I don’t usually ‘give’ because we are advised by our town officials not to, as the majority of our significant panhandler population are alcoholics/drug addicts (and if we give, we’re just contributing to their problems/issues). But, this time, certainly not the norm; I tried to stop were it not for a line of cars behind me giving me a hard time with honking horns and shouting. Anyway, I don’t think I can forget that scene or that French music anytime soon. Who was he, and how had he learned to play an accordion so beautifully? What had happened? Sigh.
Sigh, indeed. So sad. xo
Don usually does put it in an inner pocket. He just didn’t this time. On the way there, they couldn’t get anything because it was in his inner pocket.
We packed lightly and only used carry-on luggage. The bowl was wrapped by the dealer in bubble wrap. So were the plates. Don managed to fit them in his duffle, which was his carry-on luggage. I stashed all the little things in my suitcase. Egg cups, the helmet, the vintage switch, all of it fit in my suitcase.
Thanks, Vicki.
Ah, I have to catch up to speed; so long/too long since I’ve been on a plane. The answer is carry-on luggage so that you can control the handling yourself! I assume you still have to go thru Customs at JFK; do they make you undo the bubble wrap? (I’m caught up in the small details!)
I’d love to see a new photo of the egg cup cabinet once you find a place for the two new cups. Is your cabinet full now? Any cubbies left? J’adore that cabinet SO very much. It’s such a cool display cabinet for your collection, no differently than if you’d had it custom-built; and you found just the right spot for it in your house. It’s that serendipity again; made to be.
Cabinet is just about full. Thanks, Vicki!
Went through Customs. They didn’t inspect anything, nor did they last year. Only asked if we’d spent more than $800 on items we were bringing into the US. And, of course, we hadn’t. That was it. Easy as pie.
An almost perfect day. But oh, sad about the phone (although I understand the liberation part.) Still, a huge hassle no one wants on holiday but you were so smart to have all the info at hand to cancel and such.
I love each and every find but I daresay I would have been fighting you over the marionette plates. Those are a real gem! And glad you were able to get home the china all in one piece!
It was packed in our carry-on luggage. All is well. We make sure to pack light – no checked baggage.
Pickpockets…really? Sorry to hear Don lost all his pictures….that makes a good case for backing things up.
My hubby is enthralled with that motorcycle helmet. Jim says all he needs now is a vintage motorcycle with a side car for Claudia! Lol!! ;)
Oh, there are pickpockets everywhere. If you haven’t encountered them, that’s great. But if you’re walking around a major city, it’s always best to beware.
Don likes Jim’s idea! Thanks, Donnamae.
What beautiful things those shops have. You have a lot of pretty purchases. Sorry about Don’s phone.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
That motorcycle helmet was made for Don! And the egg cups and dishes and light switch! What wonderful finds. Glad you had insurance on your phone. Could have happened anywhere. Glad you didn’t let it spoil your visit.
We didn’t. Don handled it especially well, Tana.
Lovely, lovely treasures you came home with. Those flowered plates in the photo right after the lighting photos…oh, my heavens! Absolutely gorgeous.
Again, so sorry about Don’s phone being stolen, especially since he lost all his photos.
I know. I could have gone crazy there but, thankfully, I was on a budget.
Thank you, Melanie.
I would love to go to the Flea Market next time. Such treasures. I love the egg cups of course and the helmet Don bought is amazing. Such fun treasures. I love the few I have from Paris and they are extra special to me. It would frighten me with the pickpocket but you handled it well and quickly. Lovely day!
The pickpocket was a wake-up call. Always be vigilant! Thanks, Linda.
I read about Don’s phone being stolen while I was away on a vacation of my own (Venice!) and it put me on high alert! Came back with everything :)
Glad we warned you, Leanne! I hope you had a wonderful time in Venice!