• About

myeuropeantravelblog

~ Travels to France, Italy & Spain, Tours & Travel planning

myeuropeantravelblog

Tag Archives: Paris

Link

A walk around L’Isle Saint Louis.

28 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by anneeuropeantravel in Provencal ways to vacation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Isle Saint Louis, Paris, restaurants, Walks

A walk around this charming, picturesque tree-lined quays from Pont Louis-Philippe to Quai d’Anjou, taking in the 17th-century hotels that infuse the area with a great sense of period. It then penetrates into the heart of the Island along the main street, but Saint-Louis en l’isle, enlivened by chic restaurants, cafes, art galleries and boutiques, before returning to the north side of the island and back to Pont Marie.

Brasserie Saint -Louis en l’Isle.

Metro Pont Marie to rue Jean du Bellay.

From the Pont Marie metro station, walk down quai des Celestins and quai de l’hotel de Ville. Lined with traditional bookstalls, from where there is a very good view of Isle Saint Louis. turn left at Pont Louis Philippe and having crossed it , take the steps down to the lower quay immediately to the right. Walk around the tree-shaded west-point of the Island then up the other side to the Pont Saint Louis. Opposite the bridge , on the corner of Rue Jean du Bellay, is the Flore en L’Isle, the smartest cafe on the island.

Tips for walkers.

Starting Point: Pont Marie Metro.

Length: 1.6 miles ( 2.6 km)

Getting there. The walk starts from Pont Marie Metro. However, bus Route 67 takes you to rue du Pont Louis-Phillipe and also crosses the Island along Rue des Deux Ponts and Boulevard Pont de Sully ; Routes 86 and 87 also cross the island along Boulevard Pont de Sully.

Stopping off points.

There are cafes , such as Flore en L’Isle and the Berthillon shop for Ice cream. The restaurants on Rue Saint-Louis en l’Isle include L’Auberge de La Reine Blanche ( NO. 30) and also Au Gourmet de L’Isle ( NO.42), as well as a Patisserie and Cheese shop. Two good resting spots are the tree shaded quays and square Barye to the Eastern end of the Island.

Le Flore en L’Isle.
Restaurant Flore en l’Isle.

Anne Suire

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Travel Planning services.

Link

The history of flea markets of Paris

17 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by anneeuropeantravel in Antiquities

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

collectibles. St-Ouen, Flea markets, gather 11 of your friends, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Marche Porte de MontreuilMarche d'Alligre, Paris, Place de la Bourse, Portes de Vanves, win a trip

the history of the flea markets in the city of light.

Their origins go back to the junk trade a few centuries ago. The archbishop of Paris gave the OK and flea market historians tell us , rag and junk merchants ( some were called chiffoniers) were given a very limited right to sell their wares ( rags & bits of used items of all kinds).  In the 19th century merchants were asked to move outside of Paris ( reasons of hygiene). At night they would gather up discarded items of every kind that they would recycle or transformed into something useful – scrap metal, broken glass ( to remelt for windows), fat for candles, old bones into buttons, and all kind of cloth ( from the most rough material to the very finest silk) to be used for all kinds of purposes.

In 1883, a city official by the name of Poubelle ( used now for the word garbage can) came up with a health measure, which was the requirement that garbage receptacles in Paris be sealed, putting the livelihoods of these chiffoniers at risk. They protested because they had very limited access to the bins at certain times. Also in the meantime, rents in Paris had become prohibitive for many of these scrap dealers who began to move their operations in the periphery, also around Porte de Clignancourt. From what I have read, a scrap-metal market was taking place in St-Ouen, the nearby commune. So the concept of the flea markets, as we all know today, evolved from these origins. The rich Parisian bourgoisie had accumulated a lot of possessions that were out of fashion provided fodder for merchants. In the 1800’s a small group of chiffoniers got together between the city of Paris and the commune of St-Ouen and began offering a public that was extremely curious, some of the wares they had collected.

A trend was starting to emerge and people from other parts of Paris would come to St-Ouen to have a look at this very new phenomenon. All kind of objects were sold at these primitive outdoor markets ( that is when the expression marches aux puces began to be used). The markets would sell old furniture, linens, clothing, books, dishes and other merchandise at random.

The St-Ouen market was a very festive affair where people would gamble, play games in the midst of the brocante. By 1908, one could get to the brocante by metro only in a few minutes. Around 1920, the first permanent markets at St-Ouen were installed – First the Marche Vernaison and then soon after the marche Malik. Others followed over the next few years and then decades.

Flea markets elsewhere in Paris developed in a very similar fashion. The Porte de Montreuil market began when rag and junk merchants were driven from the center of Paris towards the East and it really took hold after world war one. The Place d’Alligre from what I have heard was already the site of a clothing market before the French Revolution and has continued in this way into this century. It has recently evolved into a general flea market, in which bric-a-brac and other things  besides secondhand clothing and old linens are sold.

In the sixties, the hippie generation made the wearing and use of secondhand goods a kind of mantra of their age.

The flea markets of Paris are year around, the best time to go would be spring or fall and I do not recommend Summer when heightened pollution, influx of tourists & the heat make it difficult to enjoy. Also in August a lot of shops & restaurants are closed.  The flea markets of Paris are not always limited to weekends, Place d’Alligre is held every day except Monday; the Place de la Bourse market takes place on the last Friday and Saturday of the month. Both Porte de Montreuil & St-Ouen markets are held every Monday in a diminished form ( just a few merchants) as well as on Saturday & Sunday. The weekend is always the best time to go to the flea market, that is when the Porte de Vanves market takes place, a favorite of a lot of Parisians.

The Place de la Bourse, Porte de Montreuil, and the Puces de St-Ouen are all day affairs.

I like the Puces de St-Ouen where you can find the most high-quality and high end items.But I will admit that in terms of beauty and ambiance, these flea markets take place in places that are not wonderfully quaint neither are they picturesque in case you just want to stroll  along or relax at a nearby cafe. The most visually appealing markets are the Porte de Vanves and Place de La Bourse and Porte de Montreuil and around St-Ouen are not very attractive and the Place d’Alligre is not one of the finer squares in Paris. If your goal is to browse and buy then it’s fine & you won’t be disappointed, but if you want to look for photo opportunities, just forget it. These markets are for very serious foragers, if you have brought the family along and they are not into flea markets, they have many choices of things to do in Paris.

Porte de Vanves, Place de La Bourse or even St-Ouen markets are where the extraordinarily high-end  nature of the wares definitely offsets the unappealing environment.

Prices reflect the level of the market, if for example you find something interesting at Porte Montreuil or Le marche d’Alligre, the price will be cheaper than at Place de La Bourse and especially at The St-Ouen markets. Also you will find Quimper wares much cheaper in Paris than in Brittany and I think the reason behind the pricing is that there is a lot to choose from in Paris.

Bargaining is part of the Flea market language in Paris or else where in France. You can get a 10 to 15 % off from the original asking price. Parisians are definitely used to tourists, but if you speak some French you will find out that it does not necessarily hamper your bargaining success.

The best way to go to flea markets in Paris is to take the metro because all these markets , both Place de la Bourse and Marche d’Alligre are in the center of Paris.The first is at a metro stop and the second is at about 5 to 7 minutes walk away.

To let you know, driving in Paris can be a nightmare, both to drive & park and taxis are neither cheap nor particularly time saving. I would recommend to visit Portes de Vanves, whatever your collecting interests are. If you like high-end antiques and collectibles or if you have an interest in the flea markets as an historical phenomenon, spend time at the St-Ouen markets. Also another idea for people visiting Paris, you can always hop on a TGV  and take day trips to flea markets in Rouen, Orleans and Tours , they all have great flea markets and they can be reached in an hour or so.

Also the advantage of taking the TGV is that you do not have luggage so you can move around freely. You can fit in a lot in your schedule and after visiting the flea market you can go back to Paris sometime in the evening. Also all train stations are on the metro lines, so getting there and back is pretty simple.

Also always wear comfortable shoes!

Luxury Travel Consultant2 will offer a free trip to the one person who can bring 11 friends together for a flea market adventure in Provence. For more information contact anne@luxurytravelconsultant2.com. We customize tours, just for you.

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Anne Suireimgresimgres-3imgres-2imgres-1images

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • February 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • December 2012

Categories

  • Antiquities
  • Camargue
  • cheese and Dairy produce
  • confiture de Lait
  • driving in Provence
  • Harvest celebrations Provence.
  • Hotels
  • Hotels in France
  • Normandy
  • Normandy Food & Wine
  • Paris personal shopping
  • Paris upscale travel
  • Provencal Culture and writers
  • Provencal ways to vacation
  • Provence
  • Provence art world
  • Provence Flea Markets
  • Provence Food
  • Provence hotels
  • Provence tours
  • Provence Villa Vacations
  • restaurants in Bonnieux
  • sundays and shopping
  • The French Riviera
  • The Luberon Land
  • Touring Vaucluse
  • Trails in Provence
  • Uncategorized
  • Villages of Provence
  • Visit Provence
  • Weddings in Provence
  • Wines of Provence

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • myeuropeantravelblog
    • Join 668 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • myeuropeantravelblog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.