Found Along the Way

Aside from the exhilaration of finding new brocantes and flea markets along the way, all three of us really value the magnificent panoramas that traveling through French country roads offers. It's great that there are such well, maintained and efficient roads in France, and not that we are trying to avoid the toll fees, but when we have time, we prefer to take the small roads. We stop along the way to admire the beauty of the fields and the interesting structures in the villages and cities.

On our way from Ile de Ré we spent a night in Honfleur and from there we left towards the Bordeaux area. Later we decided to spend the night in Bergerac. On our way, we found a small city where there are several antique shops.  It was almost closing time so we quickly pulled over and almost ran inside.  The place didn't look well organized or fancy, but it's part of the fun: digging through it all. Each of us would invariably exclaim an "ooh!" or "aah!" or a "look at this guys!." Johan found a great double-sided sign from an electric utility company, I spotted an old large dore mirror, and Martin spotted some interesting planter and two harvesters.  We also bought a Perigordian confit pot, and a very cool cast iron shield with a beautiful corona on top. The owner of the shop seemed quite excited about making a good sale just before closing and recommended a couple of other places. "You must hurry though," he warned, "as everyone will be closing soon."

 

We quickly loaded up our finds and followed his directions. Further down the street, we stopped at another shop that had quite a selection of finer antiques and brocante, but not a lot in our style.  We could tell they were getting ready to close, but seemed happy to see us arrive.  Among their huge collection, we did manage to find some concrete urns and a beautiful ornate base that I can use as a pedestal for a bust.  The owner was a very pleasant man who spoke Spanish. He spoke it beautifully so I asked him how he learned it and he told us his mother was Cuban and his father Argentinian.  We asked his name and with a smile in his face said, "Perfecto." Perfect!  We said our good-byes and got on the road to Bergerac hoping tho become inspired by the airs of poetry.

Johan has a lot more experience with packing the van so he's usually in charge of deciding where each piece goes so that we can fit as much as possible and to make sure each item is protected. It is not fun to get home and find out some of your precious finds have been damaged along the way.

Martin kept asking, "When are we going to see fields of sunflowers?" and we finally found some fields outside of Bergerac.  We took some photos as we drove to include some structures but also stopped so Martin could have his picture taken surrounded by sunflowers. Both Johan and I enjoy seeing Martin have his first European experience.  He is being such a trooper helping with the hauling and loading of purchases so we try to indulge him. I also enjoy sending photos of the trip to his family every time I can.

 
We decided that on our next buying trip, we will take a similar route and continue to enjoy the villages and small cities, search other brocantes, and yes, stop to smell the flowers. It's fun to be able to combine some vacation time with our buying trip. It's also fun to be sharing this with you and we appreciate all your comments.  We are glad you are enjoying our entries.


Trinidad

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