French "ABC's".

Our Sunday adventure took us southeast to Montfaucon, where a "Foire à Tout" was being held.
The literal translation is "a fair with everything".

 

This village provided a wonderful setting for the Brocante, Vide-Greniers, flower market, vendors with their regional products and local artists...painters, authors, potters displaying and selling their works of art.

The sun was shining as we wondered through the stalls at the "Brocante", visited the flower market, and the artisan displays.

Although no antique treasures were purchased today, we did have our eye on an original oil painting which came with the provenance of the artist.
It was a tempting painting of the sea in an attractive frame.

We did make some purchases which included some food items that I will talk about later.

We bought a lovely hand-painted tile which will be useful as a trivet in our Canadian kitchen, a small sachet of Quercy saffron that we will use in some recipes while cooking in France and a hand crafted 3-D note card...who will we send this to?

A is for Apple pie ... actually "croustade aux pommes" the dough/ pastry is similar to the elephant ears that my daughter-in-law's Portuguese Grandmother makes....so delicious!
I have already done a google search for some authentic recipes...this may be our new dessert for our "Family Thanksgiving" in October.

B is for Brocante....you already know what these are if you have been following the blog...this is Monsieur Honey's newest hobby.
We've been to many of these which are also called "Vide-greniers" or in North American / Canadian terms ....flea markets or community yard sales sometimes spiced up with actual antique dealers who travel the circuit.

C is for Cheese....

"Say Cheese"! ... as we were leaving the fair, the cheese artisan caught our attention and offered free samples of his products ... an aged cheese made from three different milks particularly tantalized Monsieur Honey's taste buds, and the words rambled quickly from his lips, "une petite pièce, s'il vous plaît" without any notice of the price....this was like the Golden Egg of Cheeses...at €59.95 per kg....our small piece cost €17.09.
It better be good, Monsieur Honey!

The sunshine and warm temperatures drew me to the Flower Market, where I found some beautiful deep red geraniums, some snapdragons, and other bedding plants to fill some pots at the cottage...and that was my project for the sunny afternoon.

It was a wonderful way to spend the first Sunday in May!

A Treasure Hunt

This week our Sunday excursion was to Flaujac Poujols, a village southeast of Cahors via a winding road with many switchbacks thru several other villages and with views over the vineyards.

We were in search of the 12th Annual Brocante/Vide-greniers being held here.

What is a Brocante ? (French noun) defined as a flea market which predominately comprises of household effects, second hand items and if you are lucky the the occasional treasures &/or antiques.

What is a Vide-greniers? (French noun) Literally it means ... empty attic, so this would be like a yard/garage sale where you sell the things you no longer want or need, but is usually a community event and can include dealers.

Monsieur Honey purchased a book "L'agenda des Brocantes" for the Midi-Pyrénées area which lists all the sales for 2013.

He has highlighted various dates and locations of particular sales that interest him and he would like to attend.

This Brocante/ Vide-greniers was a large event with 180 exhibitors, a flower market, and an agricultural/ machinery market with another 150 exhibitors, and if you were thirsty or hungry there was also vendors to satisfy these needs.

At this particular stall, the Madame had more interesting items including these clogs, that are seventy plus years old wooden soled shoes.

French wartime magazines....

A French motorcycle from the mid 30's.

Monsieur Honey wandered thru the Agricultural section and I spent some time at the Flower Market.

By the time, we were leaving we both were hungry, however the food on offer looked " boar"ing to our eyes!

Seriously, though the organizing committee did have a brasserie and there was a menu de jour in the Salle de Fête which I'm sure was delicious. However, Madame had a commitment to go walking with her nouveau amie this afternnoon, so we opted to have lunch at home.

So, I'm sure you are all wondering what treasures we did find....

We found a wrought iron plant stand for €5 (which I could have resold many times), a terracotta planter, and two French blue cushion covers which were the bargain of the day at €1 each.

Sentimental Journey

"Gonna take a sentimental journey. Gonna set my heart at ease.
Gonna make a sentimental journey. To renew old memories."
...can you hear Ringo Starr singing these lyrics?




"She glances at the photo and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes."~ Frank Deford

Our souvenirs allow us to take a sentimental journey and remember our past travels.

Definition of souvenir (noun)...stems from the French word "souvenir" for a remembrance or memory, an item of sentimental value, to remember an event or location, sometimes a cheaply made item sold for a high price.

Shopping for souvenirs can sometimes be a big event while travelling.

Our caché of souvenirs does not include the usual suspects of knick-knacks, bric à-brac, kitsch or whatever you want to call these type of items.

It is easy to be tempted by vendors selling their wares in the colourful tourist shoppes and market stalls which usually includes the typical shot glasses, tea towels, printed with the name of the location, etc. only to be disappointed when the label reads..MADE IN China and you are visiting Japan as an example.

We always strive to buy something that is made and originates from the place we are visiting and has a special meaning, is useful and will rekindle our memories of our travels.

Our treasures include our collection of photographs, some wonderful pieces of original art that decorate the walls of our home, fabric for a table cloth, woven jacquard throws, CDs with special music, some delectable food items ... olive oils, balsamic vinegars, Herbes de Provence, tins of foie gras and of course any thing lavender and plus some special bottles of wine.

Monsieur "Honey" collects bronze sculptures and is affectionate about anything antique.

If he is aware of a vide-grenier or brocante, it will be on his must-see and to do list.
He has acquired some unusual and beautiful objets d'art.

Here are a few photos of some of our special souvenirs and each has it's own story.



Painting purchased direct from the artist in Florence, Italy

Silver tea canister purchased in Cannes 2010.

Print of poppies ...memories of our time in Aigue Mortes

The owners of the "Appartement Molière" in Pezenas were both talented artists, Karen a painter and Gerard a sculptor.... these Mini Cards were designed and painted by Karen Garcia, and eventually I found the perfect frame to display them..

The bronze polar bear bought at the brocante in Agde, and the marble slab found in Caunes-Minervois ....memories of our 2005 travels in France.

Our prints from Collioure 2012.

There's a "Polar Bear" joining us for aperitifs in Agde.