desolately Brocante Market at Porte de Vanves on a Sunday Morning
The flea market at Ponte de Vanves in the south of Paris is a market that is much less structured, more unorganized, and with more frugal finds than the one we visited yesterday. Essentially, the vendors set up tables on the sidewalk — or lay their wares on the sidewalk. One even hung a painting on a nail in a tree. (don’t laugh, however, that is how I found the couple in the oval frame over the bed in the Touch of France room – hanging on a nail on a tree at a brocante market in the south of France). So we set off to scour the market to see whether Mike might find a cherub to use as a mold or model for a project he has planned.
 Stuff organized.... |
 Even lined up....with covered dish serving pieces in the background. Just what an innkeeper needs to serve breakfast in bed for guests! |
 Or just strewn about.... |
Then off to the art market at the Edgar Quinet metro stop. Unfortunately, no photos allowed – it is art after all. One artist specialized in groups of those lovely green park chairs – empty of course. Mike says it either means I am very well balanced mentally to love empty chairs – or there is something very wrong with me.
Another artist was exhibiting a magnificent piece: a street scene of Paris, with a bus, and reflections of Haussman buildings, tall windows, lots of ironwork, stone decoration reflected in the windshield of the bus and in the background. It was very large, too large to get home, and, besides, there are no walls in my house big and tall enough for it. I know, maybe I’ll just have to buy an apartment here to fill with all my finds!
Another artist had a painting that reminded me of Roy Shoemaker, it was of the Moulin Rouge in Monmartre, his favorite spot in Paris. The artist’s other pieces were taken all around France, some at the shore, and featured in a sort of primitive style, roundish people with very little detail. Mike, of course, was drawn to artists with a more realistic style. There is room in the world for all of us! The art show/sale featured paintings, watercolors, clay, jewelry, fabric painting, sculpture – all kinds of fun stuff! Even an artist who created works from old Metro tickets!
My Salad Parisienne
By now it was time for lunch, we had set aside Sunday for a mega-dinner, so we decided on salads at a bistro near the metro stop. But, they were huge! We sat in the sun, outside on the terrace, people-watching and deciding what to do next.
Then, back on the metro and whiz across town to Place de Madeleine for find LADUREE, the famous house of the macaron. Mike claimed it was research for his class next week, but…. Pierre, a relative of the original Laduree, came up with the idea to take two macaron shells and joining them with a ganache filling. The small round cookies are round, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the center. These cookies are made every day by pastry chefs and their macarons are reputed to be the very best. And, Paris does think so….the line was out the door of their shop on rue Royale.
 The window at Laduree |
 What's not to like about pink and purple? |
 Our box with pistachio, framboise, and coconut - the chocolate are gone already! |
Back to apartment to write this blog and wait until an acceptable hour for dinner. We put in about 6.6 miles today walking, but we visited the 14th, the 1st, the 8th and whisked around underground southside, east, central and home to the 2nd. We even caught a glimpse of the Sunday market at Blvd Grenelle! Soon, it will be off to dinner….We’re getting our NAVIGO pass-worth today!
Abergele Administrators Note: I noticed that we were having a promlem with viewing olser posts. After a few hours or research and work last night I finally found the problem and fixed it. Â This all ended at 12:20 AM here in Paris. Its all part of the servive; enjoy the blog.
