Braderie de Lille

Scott and I made an impromptu decision to visit Lille on the weekend, to attend the annual 'Braderie de Lille' - the largest and most famous flea markets in Europe. The city was absolutely flooded with people (apparently more than 2 million visitors over the two days) and I'm surprised we didn't bump into any familiar faces! The city streets basically close off for the entire weekend and hundreds of vendors take over, selling everything from vintage clothes to vintage cars. We had an amazing time exploring the markets and walked away fairly empty handed (considering the prices!), with just a few clothes, vintage frames and some old French comic books. We also joined in the long standing tradition of moules, frites et cidre (muscles, fries and cider) for dinner and watched in amazement as the piles of muscle shells grew and grew and grew. It was difficult to see through the masses of people (and the piles of muscles), but when you look up and around, Lille really is a beautiful city with quaint old buildings, artsy shops and fantastic old street lights hanging overhead. Thanks for a fun weekend Lille, we will be back. Bisous x

one of the gorgeous city street lights

old records

reflections

moules et frites hall

oh la - my heaven!

wish I could have taken this back on the train with me

more lovely street lights

our lunch stop - a quiet oasis

Le Puces de Saint Ouen

Oh yes, Le Puces de Saint Ouen - the biggest and most famous flea markets in Paris and the world (le puces literally means 'the fleas'). Scott and I took a trip out there on the weekend to see what all the fuss is about. Fuss? Mon dieu! The place is incredible and seriously huge, we spent hours there and really only scratched the surface. It's located just outside the northern periphery of Paris, near metro Porte de Clignancourt. From there, it's a short walk further north and before you know it, you're in the thick of traders and markets and wonderful vintage fleas! It's a place where antique collectors, designers and shop owners from around the world come in search of unique vintage furniture and accessories. There are several of these markets around Paris, but Saint Ouen is by far the largest, so I will need to return several times in order to do it justice. Here are some quick photos I took during our visit, as well as a detailed map and directions on how to get there, which may come in handy during your next Parisian visit. Bisous x

shoe lasts & letterpress. how great.

I really should have bought this chair

my lonely purchase. he needs a friend

It's difficult to find any clear or detailed instructions on how to get to these famous flea markets, so if you are ever interested in visiting Le Puces de Saint Ouen, just follow my lead - 

Le Puces de Saint Ouen - Rue des Rosiers, 93400 Paris.

1. Take metro line '4' to the last northern stop 'Porte de Clignancourt'

2. When you get out, orientate yourself - you should see a McDonalds directly across the road

3. Cross the road and spot the sign that says 'Le Puces' with a direction arrow

4. Follow the direction of the arrow north up the main road 'Av. de la Porte de Clignancourt'

5. Pass under the overpass / bridge, which has round circles on it

6. On your left, you will see Rue des Rosiers. Voila, the start of the fleas!

Remember to take cash or a cheque book, as there are only two ATMs and they get mighty busy!

map from metro Porte de Clignancourt to Rue des Rosiers

Market haul

I did a little bit of market trawling yesterday and found some fantastic textile / flea markets in the 18th arrondissement, called Marché Saint Pierre (and the surrounding streets). I spent a good couple of hours wandering the stalls, finding it trés difficult to narrow my choices to just 2 or 3 pieces. In the end I came away with a pretty good haul, at bargain prices! and am already looking forward to my next market discovery in this incredible city. I thought I'd do a little update on the house preparations, including some of my market buys and other bits and pieces, which are starting to find their way out of all the boxes! Lots of love, from the city of love. Bisous x

textile & rug haul. loveeee

new day bed - not quite complete, but getting there. home made cushions required

mirror image of the day bed and new rug

texture. texture. texture

beautiful wedding gifts finding their way out of the boxes

flea market finds

sneak peak at the reclaimed timber coat rack. more pics when it's good and ready

Bonbon de famille à la maison

Ah voila! We arrived in Paris a couple of weeks ago, greeted by grey skies and beautiful old buildings. Our first two weeks here have been flat out with Scott straight into work and me making trips to and from home renovation shops every day. It has taken a little while to find our feet and familiarise ourselves with how the French get things done. I must say, I am quite impressed with the abundance of home reno and decoration shops here - while you have to make the long trek to the suburbs of Paris, once you get there you can find everything you need! Of course, it would help if I could parle some française, but in time this should become at least a little easier. Apart from spending time setting up shop at home, I have been enjoying getting lost in the gorgeous city streets, finding some incredible little quarters, a fantastic falafel house and of course brilliant coffee at Coutume Cafe - a French Aussie duo, and the crème de la crème of the Parisian cafe latte scene. We don't have a kitchen just yet - we're told this is a French idiosyncrasy, whereby the previous tenants actually pack up the entire kitchen and take it with them - we're talking bench-tops, oven, sink, shelving, literally everything (sometimes even flooring), so we are having to start from scratch. In the meantime, we are enjoying picnic style dinners and a nice bottle of red wine on our lounge room floor. Some of our furniture arrived a couple of days ago, so we have been busily assembling it and little by little our apartment is starting to feel more like home - though for now, it still does look like a tornado has just swept through the place! Before we get too organised, I wanted to share some photos of all the boxes and bits and pieces that seem to be piling up very quickly. I will follow up with more photos as we begin to make some sense of this mess. Bisous x

the work station

mr rabbit doing his door stopping thang

this light may well be as old as the building itself

eeeek ... boxes and more!

wall detail love

door handle love

our city view