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Inventions and Fun at Foire de Paris 2023
Where can you see 400 inventions for 2023 under one roof? My first stop at the Foire de Paris, the Lépine Competition (Concours Lépine, Pavillon 1 Porte de Versailles). My favorite inventions this year involved reading with an LED light and page holder held with your thumb, silicon fabric storage bags, phone holder for taking notes, the petanque ball retriever, device to attach a bracelet with one hand, and the sweatshirt backpack. The Lépine competition has been active for 122 years. On the Lépine website, step back in time for all the inventions since 1901, including the braille typewriter, the washing machine, ballpoint pen, lawn mower, air humidifier, artificial heart,…
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Foire de Paris-shopping for home fashion
Making the annual pilgrimage to the Paris Home Show (Foire de Paris) is now mission accomplished. However, we are going back for more. Last year we made contact with the interior architects and chose the style for the new, smaller sofa bed (canapé lit) and chair. After numerous vacations and conferences we are about to squeeze in and firm up our renovation plans to upgrade the nearly hundred year old electricity to accommodate the......
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Jounaliste, Influenceur or Pigiste for Foire de Paris
It is time to prepare for another gigantic Paris home show. While applying for my 2018 Foire de Paris press accreditation, I found a new category. Joining the list of journaliste (journalist) and pigiste (free-lancer) is the influenceur*. Usually I think of the marketing influencers for Fashion Week. But if you love to cook, design, check out the future through inventions, are curious about appliances and world cultures you probably follow an influencer on social media. The first Foire de Paris, was held in 1904 at Carreau du Temple in the third arrondissement. The annual event moved to its present location at Porte de Versailles in 1924. You can read more about…
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Foire de Paris Finding Tickets
The Foire de Paris (parts of website available in English) always has something new to discover. To enjoy a day’s activity, especially if it’s a cloudy day, plan on at least 4 1/2 hours of walking, escalator and people mover riding, eating, drinking and gawking. Be tempted to try a product or the food. Be careful though; you could be sucked right in and buy something you might not need so make sure it’s not too expensive in the first place: At the Foire, it’s a “you buy it, you own it, no return” policy. (Foire de Paris 2017) How do you get in expensively for all this fun? Planning ahead Planning ahead…
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Foire de Paris 2017-Successful Treasure Hunt
Each year it seems I have a list of items to look for at the Foire de Paris (Paris Home Show) until May 8. This year was no different. I list of treasures to hunt for. Every year nine out of ten of the 500,000 visitors buys something from one of the 1,700 stands. One third of the visitors have a home improvement project in mind when they walk through the entry gates. This year my list included: A new shopping basket because my handles pulled away from the threads. Found it in the Madagascar
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Always Something New at Foire de Paris
For me the Paris Home Show (Foire de Paris until May 8) is like no other. There is always something new to discover. ... This year I discovered something new: My desired desk style fell out of style, the water filter people did not show up, I experience old-fashioned French blasé customer service looking for the chair cream (ahhh! the good ole days!) and the food truck did not have places to sit. Instead, the new discoveries were going with someone instead of alone, learning about the powers of stones, spending more time in the Tropics and World, Madagascar and Asia......
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Paris Travel Around French School Holidays
While trying to decide when to make a visit to the States, my first question is “when are the school holidays”? The second question should be “when are any of the holidays” Although summer holidays are a well-known battle for air travel space, spring holidays are numerous and vary year to year. When is Easter? Will the US have holidays at the same time as Paris (Zone C)? It is a mixed bag. This year I thought April would be the perfect time to travel. In looking at the French school holiday calendar , Spring holidays generally last practically two weeks in April – the US National holiday guide. While…
Enjoy Paris Through My Eyes
