I've been looking forward to today's activities since we arrived in Paris. Our friends Duncan and Sandra are ex prates from Germany met us for a day to catch with our travels. The plan was to have the men spend some male bonding time and the ladies can shop, eat and bitch. D/S have been on Europe for about 6 months and G/G have been in Paris for 6 days and both couples could use some separation time.
Sandra and I signed up for a Flea Market Tour to start the day together. Le Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen is one of the largest and has most varity of goods market. It has both indoor and outdoor markets offering antiques, clothes, shoes of course and great Chanel collectibles. Our guide was Amelie (pink vest) she was very knowledgable and sweet. Amelie is studying in the fashion industry and has various side jobs to get herself in the fashion circle. She told us the latest trend is Japanese kimonos for clothing, anything from the fifties for homes and taxidermy for interiors of restaurants!!!! Who would of thought stuffed dead animals would be trendy while having a romantic dinner.
The Puces started around 1870 when rag and bone men moved out of the city limits because they didn't want to pay taxes within the city boundary. They would spread their wares on the ground for sale. Then from 1920 the dealers started selling from enclosed stalls the junk dealers were replaced by second hand furniture or antique dealers.
We were not permitted to take photos as many of the avant garde set up shop here and latest trends often start here. There seem to be an underground world for the fashionables in Paris. You have to know someone to learn about what is to be en Vogue next. Check out the exterior of the above building. Apparently covering up the entire surface is in. I'm throwing away my pruners.
Sandra's craft is creating beautiful quilts. So we went to the oldest and largest fabric store in Paris Marche Saint-Pierre. For over half a century this fabric store has been where the Parisians shop for their creations. There are six floors devoted to fabrics, tablecloths, draperies , bedding fabric a pure treat for sight and touch.
While Sandra & I shop till we dropped the guys walked to the edge of Paris where there are no tourists, shops or restaurants about 20 km. Here is the standard thing you see on the back of the barges , a little land transportation. We thought this to be note worthy as it is an amphibious vehicle , if you look closely you can see the propellers at the rear of the car.
My navigation skills have vastly improved on this trip. Later that evening, I lead everyone to a cute French restaurant called Le Poulot after claiming up a few hundred steps in the hills of Montmarte :) Just a little family run place where they hand write the menu and home cook meals.
After dinner we climbed more stairs to Sacre-coeur Basillica. From top of the stairs there is a nice view over looking Paris.
Afterwards we decend back down and straight in to a cafe for Claud coco and Crepes. Sitting at our cafe tables we said au revoir to our friends just as the lights on the Basillica turned on in front of our view.
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