Just one of the many treasures at the marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen
Yesterday the forecast was for rain, rain and more rain but luckily today there was not a drop in sight. Good weather was just one of today’s highlights.
I started off the day with a trek to the Raspail Bio Market where there were throngs of people and mountains of vegetables/fruits/meats/fish/cheese/roasted chickens/flowers/dried fruits and nuts. There was also a beautiful blue-grey linen scarf that had my name on it. It truly is a thing of beauty…
After my scarf purchase, just as I was leaving the market, I spotted a vendor that I had read about in a couple of guide books. He has a small stall where he sells the most addictive potato and onion galettes hot off the griddle. I joined the long snaking line and bought two that he carefully wrapped in paper for me. One of them I nibbled on the walk home and the second one I presented to my Mom who wolfed it down almost as quickly as I had just moments before.
After lunch we headed out to the Saint-Ouen flea market that my friend Simon had recommended. Just a quick trip on the metro and we were there, pushing through the throngs of street hawkers with their fake Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags, then moving through the outdoor stalls with shirts and hats and leather jackets and bags.
Once we finally made it to the antiques section of the market things really started to get interesting. The place is literally filled with unique treasures although my Mom would beg to differ. She just kept referring to the paintings and linens and jewelry and furniture as “junk”. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure or as Mom would say “We buy junk, we sell antiques”. We agreed to disagree on this one and she was very patient as I ran around looking and photographing.
Here are a few things that caught my eye:
Antique spoons tied with purpled ribbon, brightly coloured linens, old typewriters and vintage wine glasses
Brownie camera, champagne coupes on a silver tray, crazy couches and pillows and vintage wine openers
While the flea market was not my Mom’s cup of tea there was still a very bright spot in her day. After dinner out at a local bistro we walked by her beloved bakery that is located right next to our flat. She decided to stop in to buy a slice of Tarte Normande. We had actually been in this bakery earlier in the day to buy a baguette, two madeleine cookies, a lemon tart, and a slice of strawberry mille feuille but my Mom was still pining for an apple custard tart that she had passed over during our first visit. So here we were, back for the second time that day, to buy more delectable french pastries. The man that runs the shop seemed surprised yet pleased to see us again so soon.
When we asked about the apple tart he explained it was called a Normandy tart because it has the addition of a cream custard along with the apples. When we requested a slice he replied, “I am offering you two but will only charge you for one…” And so while the markets were the highlight of my day, an extra slice of a lovely apple and custard tart was definitely the highlight of my sweet Mom’s.