September in Annecy & Vide Greniers

I love Annecy this time of year. The days are warm - warm enough for bikinis on the beach - yet the bulk of the tourists have left, so the old town and lake are blissfully quiet, except on market days or weekends. I plan on coming back to this now-deserted dock now that all the boat renters have left. Maybe drink some vino and watch the sunset with hubby? Ahh sounds dreamy.

North Americans may be used to garage sales in the Spring, but in France, September is the time for Vide Greniers, which are essentially the UK equivalent of car boot sales crossed or North American flea markets but translate into "empty attics."

Basically people rent tables and get rid of their stuff. There was one in the main city square a few weekends ago, so I popped in to have a peep. There was a lot of junk not worth buying in my opin - cheap mass-market clothing etc - but if you dug around you could find quite the deals as many items were 3-4 Euros each.

I spent a grand total of 15 Euros and walked away with a few good finds, including this rock n' roll necklace with a cute Swarovski heart for 5 Euros.

I should have bought the big golden-tone ring in the corner for 2 Euros, and the matching gold-tone bracelet, which could also be worn as a choker. The woman selling the bling bought it in India.

You know my obsession for tapestry bags. Lately I've been haunting Etsy for ethnic bags. I found this fab leather and Ikat purse on Etsy for around 34 Euros if memory serves. I've been looking for more bags of a similar ilk but am too much of a cheapskate ....

... so finding this leather and fabric bucket style bag for 3 Euros at the Vide Grenier was a super treat!

I bought some designer jeans, not pictured here, for 4 Euros, but my absolute finito buy: these leather booties, made in Portugal by Minka Design, for 3 Euros - love! (They'd probably sell for 100+ Euros as I've seen tall boots of the same mark new for 200 Euros).

My French look, with the boots: thrifted 7 For All Mankind Jeans; thrifted Teenflo blazer (how apt that it's a Paris-based label ... but found the blazer and matching skirt in Toronto!) in a glorious brown and neutral velvet; cashmere sweater gifted; new scarf and sunnies; and 'everything bag' purchased on Etsy.

They're just the perfect booties to wear around Annecy: flat so practical for uneven, cobblestone streets, yet also possessing a certain amount of chic (the French here aren't obsessed with heels, and it makes sense!). Thanks to my darling hubby for snapping the above two shots and for making this one artsy, with his shadow in the foreground and the glorious French Alps overlooking Lac Annecy in the background.

I leave you with a photo of a very elderly couple - both with walking canes! - I spied sitting on a bench around the Lake the other day. I thought they were so sweet, and they're not an uncommon sight: there are a lot of old, yet very fit, couples in Annecy and you can often see them out walking together. You tend not to see this type of thing in Canada. The climate, diet and lifestyle is so wonderfully different here that people stay active into their elderly years. I am sure people live longer here (I have read that people on the French Riviera live an average of ten years longer than the average American). I'm staying put!