Paris main visit page 2

Montmartre, intro

Unavoidable landmarks

Starting Jacks walking tour (1)

Cemetery- Moulin de  la Galette (2)

Passage avenue Junot, Villa Leandre (3)

Impasse Girardon, Square Buisson, allee des Brouillards (4)

Place Dalida, Musee du Vieux Montmartre (5)

Vineyards Montmartre, Cabaret Le Lapin Agile (6)

Cemetery Saint Vincent, The Paris Commune  history(7)

Cemetery Calvaire-Saint Pierre de Montmartre Espace Dali-Folie Sandrin (8)

WallaceFountains-Bateau Lavoir (9)

Place Abbesses 
End of Montmartre visit 10)

Pigalle (11)

Introduction

Walking flea markets Malik, Vernaison and Paul Bert

Walking flea markets,Valles, Serpette, Biron and Cambo

Paris-18th arr-Flea market of St.Ouen-Les Puces-Introduction

Looking for a very personal souvenir? What a bout a coffee-grinder begin 20th century? Or an Art Nouveau shade lamp? Maybe a Jugendstil table? Just try to be at five o' clock in the morning, at the flea-market of Saint-Ouen, just when it wakes up and the real professionals are already very busy, doing what they call “the foreplay”. Trucks coming from the province unload their merchandise in the rue Jean-Paul Bert and rue Jules Valles. And this despite the greatest flea market in the world officially opens at 7.30 am, and clandestinely 5 am, and is visited by more than 200.000 visitors for 1500 merchants in a weekend. Under the feeble light of the street-lanterns crates are unpacked even before sunrise, and the “came” (merchandise) displayed on the side walks: cupboards in several pieces, furniture in all sizes and sorts, old bibles, paintings and thousand other items. Bargaining begins and the merchandise changes hand only for cash money, very rarely with an invoice. So you’re never sure the ware was not stolen…. Paying cash gives you sometimes a reduction of 25%, but beware for the too obvious bargains! Often these are stolen goods (bidouilles), hot goods (came chaude).
Consider that the Puces market lies technically just outside the18th arrondissement in Saint-Ouen but what the hell.
This market exists since mid 19th century. Rag-pickers, chiffoniers, junk ware sellers, clochards, bums and knife sharpeners settled outside the city walls, in the "zone", a space left free by an ordinance of Thiers in 1846. First they sold their own possessions but soon old, used furniture, clothes and other house utensils, living on recuperation by clothes and objects of the wealthy people. A real bargain for the rag pickers who settled more particularly around Saint-Ouen to sell their shoddy, inferior merchandize. Another well sold item were old…mattresses full of.........flees, hence the denomination. In many stalls you could buy and drink a glass of white wine and dance at the sound of the accordion. Market was held only on Sunday but when the fortifications were torn down beginning of the 20 th century, the market extended from Saturday to Monday included. The flea market of Saint-Ouen became famous since a few art amateurs found some real master works at bargain prices. Antiquarians appeared chasing the chiffoniers further away. Today you can buy all sorts of junk at the antique and bric a brac stands  proposing a various merchandize. The real antique is sold at realistic (means very expensive) prices in a special part of the market (marché Biron). With a little bit of luck you can still find 19th century clocks but, like I said, really beautiful and good pieces have their price, sometimes even more expensive than in a normal antique boutique! You’re at the Puces here! ;-)
How do you get there? Just take the metro and get out at Porte de Clignancourt . Suddenly you are surrounded by a maze of small booths on the sidewalks where you can by second hand leatherwear, tapestries, T-shirts and jeans in all colours and sizes, all sorts of Hong-Kong stuff and plastic jewellery.  They are much cheaper here than else in Paris. To get to the REAL and GENUINE puces you must pass this barrage of “schmatte” sellers, pass under the viaduct of the peripherique. Just follow the crowd.
You will see all sorts: cheap and chic at any price. You stroll cool, eating a package of frankfurter-frites while you’re walking. Junk, curiosities, signed pieces, all the styles, from the "haute époque”, Art Nouveau and Art Deco to the 60's.
If you have an experienced eye, you could spot some good stuff left by the merchants, who explored the area prior to you. But unfortunately, and even the brocanteurs admit it, the quality of the proposed goods are diminishing. Talk with a seller, you’ll hear all the time the same story: “It is so difficult to find goods of good quality “. Whiners! A consolation: I hear the same refrain since 20 years and the Puces are always there.
Be careful anyway, your first meeting with the Puces could be along the rue Jean-Henri-Fabre . Remember,  It's not the South Bronx or the favellas of Rio. It's Paris, with the usual good humour and the few misty figures that orbit around all great places. You can have a great morning by walking around the 7 official markets (and some are very big) and visit also numerous stands displaying their goods between the official markets.
I'll describe these markets and their specialties in my next article.

Bibliography

--Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris, ed.Hervas (1985-1988--Nouvelle Histoire de Paris, ed.Hachette--Le Pieton de Paris, by L.P.Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997—Histoire et historiettes des Puces de Saint-Ouen, by. J.P.Leclere, ed.Minuit 1996, Guide du Routard 1998-1999 (Ed.Hachette)--Paris, 2000 d'histoire, by J.Favier, ed.Fayard 1997 --Paris 19eme siecle, l'immeuble et la rue, by F.Loyer, ed.Hazan, 1994