Paris Flea Market

Ah, what a delightful addition to the itinerary for my dear friend, Indelisa, and I.  We chose the Portes de Vanves market with the understanding that it is smaller, more manageable, and refined ~ just like us!  With a long row of inviting booths overflowing with treasures on our right and left, we devised a plan to not even peek at the right side until we finished with the left.  When we got close to the end of the row, we felt we were making great time and would have just enough to finish the second half before a leisurely lunch.  And then we realized we hadn’t even reached the market yet!!  Oh, so much goodness.  Running from vendor to vendor in hurried panic we decided we would simply need to come back the following morning.  Among our bounty: skeleton keys, stamps, embroidered ribbon, egg baskets, vintage cheese labels and tons of menus dating back as many as 75 years.  But my dearest prize was the 2 cooper pots I scored for a modest amount.  I imagined myself just like Julia Child walking around the market with the weighty haul.  Since this little outing was at the beginning of our month long visit to France, I creatively lugged those pots all over the country (Note the photo of handles sticking out of my cute orange carry-on bag!).  Fast forward to the security line at Charles DE Gaulle Airport when my beautiful pots were confiscated for fear I would use them as a weapon!  The injustice of it all!

On a happier note, the many menus collected have since been framed and artfully displayed in our dining room.  My sweet friend, Indelisa braved a New England winter to visit and make her mark on the Phineas Wright House.  She has such a great eye and I love that every dinner in that room reminds me of our fun time collecting the treasures and than finally hanging them up.  The wall also includes menus from fabulous dinners Keith & I have shared over the years as well as an antique framed chalkboard to boast tonight’s menu.  Bon Appetit!