Antiquing
Replica of the Paris Opera with Marionettes
Last week I visited Sonoma California. It's a beautiful and quaint town in in the Sonoma Valley and a center for Californias wine industry. All that is well and good, maybe even wonderful but the draw for me is an exquisite little store, Chateau Sonoma. It's always an inspiration to visit there because they have the most unusual treasures. Their vast array of antiques from France are shown throughout their shop in the most beautifull vignettes. Typically they have a yearly 'French Flea Market' at the end of May, near memorial day weekend. They are joined buy other purveyors of French antiques to make it an event you won't want to miss!
It's probably slightly quirky but I have always wanted a Guignol Puppet theater. I came across one in France many years ago. It was in perfect condition, very expensive and forever etched in my memory. You can just imagine my surprise when I saw two last week though not in perfect condition they exuded the charm I love. And THEN I saw that they had an authentic reproduction of the Paris Opera complete with marionettes my heart almost stopped. It was up high and my photos don't do it justice but it is the pièce de résistance of 'magical' replicas. I can't help but wonder who it belonged to. If you are ever in Sonoma be sure to take the time to visit Chateau Sonoma it's brimming with charming objects every where you look.
