TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Paris Flea Market

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Paris Flea Market - Marche Aux Puces Saint-Ouen

Paris was rainy and gray last Sunday, the day my cousins and I went shopping at the Marche Aux Puces Saint-Ouen. This famous Paris landmark clams to be the largest flea market in the world. Established in 1870, it consists of 2,500 stalls in various buildings over a sprawling area east of Paris.

I have been wanting to go to this flea market, but my husband hates shopping and I never had the guts to find it by mysef. Since my cousins, Manny Gonzalez, Chickie Feraren and Celine Conejos, were going shopping there, I joined them.

I have never seen any larger and I've visited flea markets in other countries including La Lagonilla in Mexico. There were buildings filled with stalls, a whole community of antiques, books, furniture, jewelry, silverware, chanderliers and eclectic items, There were also vendors selling inexpensive shoes, clothes, things that people need daily.

We looked and shopped, and broke for lunch in a small restaurant in the midst ot the flea market, where we had delicious Iberian pork, fish and chips, European hamburger using veal, and ceasar salad. After lunch, we shopped some more until our feet were really tired, five hours later.

We bought some items, although overall I did not think the prices were that great. However, because of the sheer size of the flea market, you can find all sorts of things.

After the flea market expedition, I caught the 6:30 p.m. Mass at the Notre Dame, a wonderful experience which ended wth the singing of Salve Regina. A perfect topping to a perfect day.

As I write this, it's Monday and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful city.

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Tags: #ParisFrance, Paris, France, vacation, travel, holiday, flea market, shopping, antiques

This is all for now,

Cecilia

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.