Need a Louis XVI giltwood bergère or a mid-century modern coffee table? A bust of Apollo or a granite carved sphinx? Want a 18th century sun-burst mirror with real age spots or a marble staircase stripped out of an old chateau? Or just want to wander around checking out the 3,000 or so shops and stalls that make up the incredible Marché aux Puces, or  flea market of St-Ouen, this place is astonishing with exquisite antiques, memorabilia and pure junk over a vast area of northern Paris. When I went it was January and absolutely freezing. I had to keep ducking in an out of cafés to warm up on cups of steaming hot chocolate between bursts of trawling the amazing shops. There is treasure to be found there, for sure, and they will wrap it up and ship it for you anywhere in the world. I had my eye on a beautiful old, fairly ruined elaborately carved rococo writing table with inlay of mother of pearl and ormolu scrolls gracing its elegant frame. It was slightly over my budget, so I let it go, but often I think of what became of it…