What might be the last one for the summer

A glimpse of the Tour Montparnasse

The city is almost empty now. Everyone is away but for a few hardy souls and visitors of course, but a lot of stores and restaurants are shuttered down.  Little wonder then that the brocantes have dwindled in number as well.   The last one I went to was in the 14th arrondissement, literally in front of the Tour Montparnasse.  Now I just have to say that nothing riles Parisians more than the Tour Montparnasse. It is universally decried as the ugliest building in Paris. People are fond of saying that the best view to be had of the city is on top of the Tour as its the only place where you can't see it

That said, the brocante itself was one of the most interesting ones I've been to this year. It was a good mix of individuals selling their wares, antique dealers and professional brocanteurs. There was a wide variety of beautiful, interesting and quirky objects for sale.   I took some pictures of the more memorable items to show you.

First up was this wonderful set of Limoges porcelain plates (model Goupy) from the 1930s. It was in pristine condition, hardly any nicks or scratches and no yellowing to the plates.  And at 20 euros for the set of 12, it was a real steal. Unfortunately I hesitated, told the guy I'd come back as I had just arrived and when I came back, he had already packed up and left! I guess I should've bought them right away but there were just so many distractions....

For example, look at this pretty tea set from the end of the 19th century. Again, in pristine condition, it looked like it was hardly used.

Then came this lot of vintage biscuit tins that must have been someone's collection.  They would certainly add a decorative touch to the kitchen wouldn't you say?

This antique stove really caught my eye. There's something so pleasing about its design; its sturdy yet beautiful. I love the idea of having something like this warming us during the cold winter. Unfortunately, I don't think our living room would accommodate this particular antique!

Something about these antique toy pianos really called to me. Maybe its air of being someone's well loved possession. When I tried a few keys, a tiny melody could still be heard.

I'm seriously still asking myself why I passed up this wonderful Gladstone bag. It was in perfect condition, the leather new with nary a scratch and the locks worked like a dream. Sigh...maybe I was trying to be reasonable?

If you are wondering if I did get...this next picture is it. A great set of Basque table napkins.  100% handwoven cotton, worked in the traditional Basque pattern and best of all, never been used!

I guess this might be the last brocante till the rentree (in September) . Till then, I just have to be patient.