Whenever I go to a flea market or swap meet in LA, when people talk about having something old from the turn of the century, they usually mean 1999. Okay, I exaggerate. But what is old in LA, or really old on the more traditional east coast is nothing compared to what you find in the flea markets of Europe.
I always love to go to the famous Marché aux Puces in Saint-Ouen just on the outskirts of Paris. It is the most well-known of the flea markets and is a mix of stalls surrounded by high-end antique shops. So for a change of pace, I went to Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves, a weekend flea market in the south of Paris.
While the quality and selection is not as good as Saint-Ouen, there are still plenty of books, antiques, clothing and paintings, some of which date to the 19th century. For a souvenir, it beats the tourist shops on Rue Rivoli.
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