Brocante Bliss

Remember when I visited the famed antique markets of Paris
and was a terribly inconsiderate blogger who forgot
 to take plenty of lovely pictures to share with you...

Although in my defense, I was in requisite awe during my visit
to antique heaven and had little time or capacity
to take the amount of photos that would allow
 this blogger to make you feel as if you'd been there yourself...

Which is what I always try to do, ya' know? 

Well, I promise that I have more than made up for those past shortcomings,
and I wanted to share some of my favorite shots of a recent trip to
an antique market in the south of France. 

You might remember that The Reading Guy and I
are currently living in a Spanish coastal town
just south of the French border.
When a few of our new local friends found out that
we (okay, I!) have a love for all things antique,
they suggested that we look into visiting the
small town brocantes held weekly in France.

"Brocante," is just a fancy French word for antique sale. 

They are often held in the form of a street market,
sometimes at a larger market, even in an individual store. 

One thing is for sure, whichever their format,
a brocante signifies nothing less than pure BLISS to me!

So, just before we soaked up sun in Biarritz, we made our way here...

Of course only after a good hour of pretending
that we weren't completely lost
and holding strong to the notion
that it was a good idea we hadn't splurged
on the GPS for the rental car!

 It turns out that aimlessly driving around a small French town,
lowering your window and scaring locals by screaming out
your best attempt at a properly accented

"Brocante?"
(since this is all the antique market related French that you bothered to learn)

Will more than likely always result in the ever disappointing,

"Je ne sais pas."

Next time: better safe that sorry--I'll take a map. And a translator.

:oP

The embarrassment was well worth it, though because we eventually
made our way to the plaza where this particular market is held monthly.
Have a LOOK-SEY
at just some of what I didn't bring home with me
(in spite of my better judgement, hee hee)...

There were plenty of old books to go around...

I won't be able to resist picking up a few at the next brocante...

Quirky little treasures were readily available...

And French flair was in attendance, too...

With something in every size...

And shape...

Everything that glittered at this market really was gold...

And silver, of course...

Even copper, too!

Furniture finds were in abundance...

And around every corner

Seriously, The Reading Guy may have had to pry me away...

The pricing was unbelievably accessible...

It was almost more than I could handle...

And it was oh so difficult to let so many 

little treasures slip right through my fingers...

 

You might not believe this, but I had a rather difficult time
 convincing The Reading Guy that light fixtures indeed
qualified as luggage friendly souvenirs...

I could practically hear our master bath in Texas calling out to me,
begging me to bring these home...

And when I willingly walked away from this beauty I swear that I sensed 
feelings of utter devastation coming from our powder room ...

I'm hoping to soften The Reading Guy on the whole

"how would we even get that home," 

stance he tends to take, between now and June...

UGH, baggage weight restrictions--

mere TECHNICALITIES!

Don't feel too bad, though; next time I'll fill you in on everything

that I DID manage to bring home from the market!

See you then, my friends!

X's and O's