Express

Over the years I’ve frequented many an
antique store, architectural salvage
shop, galleries, and out of the way
“what’s it not” shops in search of the
cool. The hunt is motivation, to an extent. I must
confess, I do not enjoy sifting tediously through
shelves and cases of stuff. However, perseverance
rewards when one’s eye just happen to fall on
some unique treasure partially hidden amidst a
jungle of antiquated clutter. So, maybe just five
more minutes!
As our 20th anniversary was approaching, my
husband casually inquired where I might like to go
if it could be anywhere in the world. Without hesitation,
the word “Paris” came out. After about
thirty seconds of dreaming, I put the discussion
out of my mind and got on with my day. A week
or two later he brought up the discussion again. As
we were talking, he casually produced two round
trip tickets to the City of Lights and said, “I hope
you’re free during these dates!”
It was an incredible trip! Taking in everything
possible, we toured the city, cruised the Seine, and
visited the Eiffel Tower. In the evenings after dinner,
we would stroll down the narrow streets,
admiring the city’s incredible architecture. A
glance up often revealed a glimpse of an apartment
ceiling with beautifully crafted ceiling
medallions and the rich period detail infused into
the interiors of the historic Parisian flats.
Toward the end of our trip, we took the Metro to
the outskirts of the city in hopes of finding the
Paris flea markets. Armed with a small English-
French pocket dictionary, we set out. Exiting the
metro at the second to last stop on the line we
found a small grocery and stopped in to ask directions.
We quickly discovered that no one in this
section of the city (or at least it seemed) spoke
English. We quickly located the word “market” in
the dictionary and managed to convey it with
enough clarity that the shop keeper pointed us in
the right direction.
From there, we followed a sea of people heading
in the direction of the market (we hoped!). It was
a huge series of connected buildings with several
stories. The ground level was filled with ornate
and expensive antiquities and furnishings. The further
up one ventured, the lower the prices became.
The top level opened to a vast panorama of more
modest furnishings, salvaged ironwork, stacks of
books, baskets, and trinkets both utilitarian and
peculiar. Now on a more budget-friendly level, I
was determined to find something to take home!
Not too far into the hunt, a glow from across the
room caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I
could see that it was a small pendant of some
kind. The iron body of the fixture was perforated
with holes approximately one inch in diameter.
“The question is never, ‘Do I
really need it?’ It is about the
energy of the piece and the
pleasure it brings.”
52
Women’s LifeStyle Magazine • August 2016