Market to Market to buy a fat pig (or horse, or rabbit, or pheasant, or pigeon, or cow’s brain)……

We just had the most fun going to our local market, which is only open on Wednesday and Saturday. A market to the French is what we would call a “farmer’s market” with other stuff thrown in.

Today we set out with no expectations; just the desire to see what was available.

In the fruit sections there are every kind of fruit for sale. If a fruit exists, it will probably be there. And it is beautiful fruit too. Fresh and sumptuous and displayed so well.

In the nut section there is every imaginable nut you could find (and some French ones of the human variety thrown in too)!

There are olives by the thousands, dried fruits, mushrooms and vegetables galore. More tomatoes in different varieties than Heinz. There are dried beans, fresh green beans, onions of all shapes and sizes and lettuces that are displayed stem side up and all the leaves spread out like a huge flower. And flowers…….everywhere there are flowers.

There are prepared dishes from potatoes with the chicken cooking over them so the fat from the chicken drips down onto the potatoes and flavors the potatoes, paella, pizza, hummus, and other things that we couldn’t tell what they were. There are different kinds of already produced pasta and raviolis that you just choose and cook

There is fresh fish from everywhere. Any kind of fish, shellfish, or squid is there. Any kind of meat is found there from pork, beef, and livers to HORSE MEAT! I couldn’t believe that we actually found real horse meat because according to Rick Steves' it was outlawed. I guess not—because there was clearly an entire market full of horse meat stuff.

Okay so I was having a glorious time looking and buying like the best of them. I bought flowers from one of the many flower stands, I bought cheese from one of the many cheese stands, and I bought peaches and nectarines from one of the many fruit stands. I also got a fresh baguette from the only boulangerie selling there today.

BUT I couldn’t believe this……at one of the stands they had beautifully draped pheasants with their heads and feathers, mallard ducks with their green or blue heads, pigeons with feathers and head still attached AND rabbits with their head and fur still on!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. It is bad enough to see the dead skinned birds and rabbits in the stores knowing by the shape that that is what they are. But to see those lying beautifully displayed in all their dead glory with their colorful feathers and fur was awful. Now I know where his stand is I will avoid it next time!

The market was packed with people buying their goods for the week. The only thing a person would have to go to a grocery store and buy would be milk and paper/cleaning supplies. Everything else can be found right in the open with added flies thrown in for good taste. A truly unique experience that both Jim and I enjoyed. We really did.

Our apartment has lots of old antique furniture that we have wondered how in the world they got it up 7 flights of stairs. The elevator can only hold 2 persons and the stairs go round and round. Next door to us a guy has been working on his new home and today was moving day. Now we know how they get the furniture into a 6th floor apartment. They move it up on a moving ladder and in through the window. Sadly though the mattress couldn't fit and the movers were carrying the queen size bed up all those stairs, huffing and puffing as they went. Tres sad.

In the afternoon, we went to a park right on the Seine River.  It is one of the largest gardens in Paris that has a zoo, museum and child's play area. We walked along the river and sat and people watched until time to go.

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