who’s that girl?

Bonjour mes chères amies and happy labor day. i hope you’re having what’s left of a great weekend. here in france the day is coming to a close but i wanted to stop by and share ours before a new day dawns and the weekend fades away.

claudia and i decided to take roadtrip to one of the biggest flea marktets in france. sadly no, this is not our car, but trucks like this are de rigueur for vendors who descended on the little ville de lille this weekend.

we’ve talked about going for years but there was always something else to do.  so we finally hit the road for what was a legendary experience.

it’s known as a braderie, and it’s been going on since the 12th century on the first weekend of september. ten thousand people gather for what can be described as no less than a fleamarket and mussel fest. it’s a gentle takeover of every single street, nook and cranny and is lined with vendors whose treasures continue to astound and amaze me.

we got there a day early since we heard that setup started early and the crowds weren’t there yet.

but it didn’t take long and by sunrise it was on overdrive.

the sheer magnitude was almost incomprehensible. hard to believe it could be so organized in hundreds of tiny streets and parks. but then if you’re doing it for a few hundred years it’s probably child’s play!

of course there was something for everyone and i had to keep focused for what to shop for.

i’m a sucker for all things boudoir so bikes and sleighs were out unfortunately. but sometimes it’s just as much fun to have the pics as the real thing since, as my guy says, you can’t buy it all!

we had rolling carts and bubble and when they were full, we were way done. we think we walked 10 hours both days!

it was worth it, cause tonight we’re going through our stash and it’s a little like christmas.

as i started putting up pics tonight i realized that for me the fleas really tell a story. and they tell a different one to each of us.  it was crazy what some people were carrying out! for me it’s about that girl. the one who lived a life i romanticize for it’s beauty and detail.  i love to imagine the things she had and did, from an era that seems like a mysterious and glamorous dream.

i wonder about what she wore (or didn’t)!

her friends

the pretty powder boxes that every chic femme fatale had.

her dressing table and what the bottles held. was her life so different from ours?

her compacts

her attitude

the way she traveled

and where she went

how she decorated

and what she read

whose call she waited for

the letters she wrote

and who she loved

and what made her happy?

and how did she end up in my hand?

well that’s enough dreaming for tonight. it’s such a gift that the people of france preserve so much living history. i’ll never get over the markets and every single time i go it’s both fresh and old. can’t wait to do it again tomorrow, we’re shopping the dealer day at clignancourt. et alors, ic’est midnuit. have a bon nuit and sweet dreams!

http://www.mairie-lille.fr/en/discovering-lille/braderie