Monday, April 26, 2010

Paris: Clignancourt

The St-Ouen neighborhood/suburb of Paris is not exactly beautiful--it's an immigrant area that feels rough around the edges--but our roundabout walk to the famous St-Ouen (Clignancourt) Marché aux Puces (flea market) had me stopping several times to take pictures of walls and doorways--yes, before we ever got to the market itself, which is huge.










Okay, now we've actually made it to the market. There was lots to see on this street--wish I could remember the name.




Some people just look so "French," you know? One of our favorite things for The Girl and me to do while in Paris was to pick out people who looked impossibly-French, maybe impossibly-Parisian, to us. Most of the people we selected were men, because somehow it seems easier to tell when a man is French. There's a definite je ne sais quoi factor here, so it's hard to explain.


Oh, hi! C'est moi--not French. That guy whose face you can half-see behind my head probably is, though.


This is Manuela, who has apparently been singing Edith Piaf standards at Chez Louisette, tucked away inside the market on rue des Rosiers, for years. We had poulets frites here. It is very loud and feels very "local." I heartily recommend it for a true Parisian experience.


Hey, it's another wall, and yes, we're back outside the market now! I'm not sure why I didn't get more photos of market stalls and shops, except that I was too busy taking it all in. Maybe next time!

6 comments:

Jennifer said...

Great pictures! Did you pick up anything you love?

vmichelle said...

Lovely - those first photos remind me of somewhere like Brazil or a tropical island. Did you buy anything? Is it a "must see" in Paris?

Hausfrau said...

Jennifer, I bought only a handful of things (scroll down a few posts and you can see), though I easily could have bought more! I wish I had found more antique enamel items and old tins--but I think I might have better luck (and get a better deal) in a less-touristy market elsewhere in France.

Vmichelle, we chose this market since it was pretty close to where we stayed, in Montmartre, and since it's huge--so I knew there would be plenty to see. I haven't been to any other flea markets in Paris, so I can't compare yet, but I would definitely recommend that you go to at least one!

frauheuberg said...

Hello...Thanks for your lovley comment on our blog and great to meet you, too in this bloggerWorld. I follow you now, too...amazing pictures...very exciting to discover...Have a great creative week and until then...cheers...i

Happy Harris said...

I love this place - you lucky girlie you! I have bought sooooo much enamel there, years ago now! when it was sooooo much cheaper than it is today! You took some amazing piccies honey :)

Love Happy xx

Hausfrau said...

Thank you, Happy!

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