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

Marché Malik -Vernaison
Marché Paul Bert

Walking flea markets,Valles, Serpette, Biron and Cambo

Paris-18th arr-Flea market of St.Ouen-Walking in Marché Malik-Vernaison and Paul Bert

There are 7 official markets, and in the streets between them, a multitude of stands. Rainy days are favourable for good buys: less clients and demoralized vendors! Here follows a little explanation of the premises, without caring about geographic coherence, but in function of my subjectivity.
Rue Jean-Henri-Fabre, running parallel to the Peripherique is always very busy. Here is the entrance of the MARCHE MALIK, kingdom for clothing (Malik was the name of an Albanian prince, owning a bistro that still exists " A Piccolo). This was a paradise for bargain hunters until the eighties. Numerous objects of the past were for sale, like 19th century high hats and bowler hats, dresses from the forties and costumes from the fifties. A great "shmatte" souk.  But here comes the new modern world trend, the new rage, making money with low quality, all looking the same, end of the eighties!  Most of the booths are specialized in American cowboy fashion, jeans and T-shirts. Despite that, the Malik is the most visited. At LYONNEL stand 82 you can find principally articles from the sixties and seventies, like exciting dresses from the age of psychedelic pop music, jewellery and pants with the famous “pattes d’éléphant”. You can find the so-called “bootlegs” (white records). Interesting discoveries and prices. 
The MARCHE VERNAISON, is the oldest, one of the largest and most characteristic flea market, with some 300 stall-holders.  Founded in 1920 by  Romain Vernaison,  it is the place to wander and where a stop in the Louisette restaurant, with a drink, impromptu singing and accordeons, revives the feet. Edith Piaf started her career singing at "Chez Louisette". Especially every Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoon, singers and accordion players revive French songs of Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Aristide Bruant. To feel that that popular atmosphere, very “bal musette” just have a drink or try maybe an “andouillette”, outside if weather permits. The food however is very bad and not to recommend. But the ambience stays. The tortuous and picturesque layout of the marche Vernasion still remains,  witness to the first steps of a now legendary place. Today, people flock to the marché Vernaison to choose the furnitures and decoration they were always looking for. Merchants exhibit an unlimited variety of antiques, constantly renewed and for all tastes.
In the rue Paul-Bert, at 45, amateurs of cartoons and comic strips should not miss the stand Strip-Burge albums for a good price. At no 18, rue Paul-Bert or 96 rue des Rosiers is the entrance of the MARCHE PAUL BERT. Originally this market used to be the one where all products of lootings during WWII were sold, mainly stolen from the Jews who had to leave or were deported to concentration camps. 

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