Marché Aux Puces in English means 'flea market' and is actually where the term originated. Towards the end of the 19th century Parisians would head to the North side of the city to sell anything they wanted to. Hence, old household items, sometimes with actual fleas 'puces', were sold and traded at the market place, which has grown to international fame.
Les Puces is actually a collection of streets and markets that break off into disorganized alleys of jumbled stalls and vendor booths. Us early birds were actually dismayed to discover that the stalls and stores actually opened later than it's American counter-parts (even with thorough planning). I guess the French style of taking things slow and easy also applies to running antique markets.
In all honesty, the Les Puces were a bit of a disappointment. Unless your an interior designer, with clients with deep pockets, there's not much for an individual tourist. Our luggage was already crammed full with other goods for the trip home and the knock-off clothing market on the parameter of the antique section was sketchy and dirty. I am still happy to say we went and have the frame of knowledge of what was there. My advice when visiting, unless your in the market for a crystal chandelier, stay closer to the center of the city.
Christmas in Paris is noticeably different than compared to London. Paris, from the get go, is a beautiful city. Hands down. Christmas was not as pronounced as it was across the channel in London, which was both surprising to say the least. The Champs Elysee was lit up with strings of lights with its famous promenade of trees. Angela noticed that the lights flicked upward much like champagne. We began our quick trip getting hot chocolate from Angelina, took in the view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero plaza, and we explored the fascinating Louis Vuitton flagship store. Luggage, wallets, and more were marked and personalized in a special atrium for people to watch at close-hand. We also strolled through the Christmas market, which had many famous French food dishes, candies, and cheese. I was able to have a crepe and a potato hash dish. Paris will always be special to me. It was so great to see it around the holidays this year and enjoy it with Angela.
Imagine spinning wooden pyramids, baskets of hand-blown glass ornaments, and tidy rows of European vendors displaying their abundant Christmas wares and decorations. It's not Frankfurt or Vienna, but the Christkindlmarket
in Chicago, which is a traditional German Christmas market. Right before
Thanksgiving, John and I headed over to Daley Plaza to check out the
various vendor stalls, market food, and traditional German crafts. We
were able to eat some leberkäse, a
fried dumpling with blueberry jelly inside, and had some hot chocolate in commemorative mugs in
the shape of a small boots. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the
Christkindlmarket and it features crafts and ornaments directly from
Germany that would otherwise be very difficult to find within the United
States. We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at all the wonderful crafts at the market. We can't wait until next year.
