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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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Prepare Your Visit to Paris, France
Suitcase? Check! Camera? Check! Walking shoes? Check! Reading material? Prepare in advance with some book ideas! Language? Brush up on that French grammar! Frantastique is my Wednesday exercise. Then when I go shopping or chat on the street, those proper verbs just slide right out ... still studying though! Some of the books in my library are Paris walking tours. They provide enough material to stroll through Paris and explore. Another prepares you with a story and history for your Champagne tasting. David Downie's books are walking tours of history. Each chapter of each book weaves a tale of discovery. Tilar J. Mazzeo's book whisks you into Champagne history with…
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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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Saying Goodbye to Icons in the Bastille Neighborhood
Living in a small neighborhood of the Bastille, the hardest phrases to hear over the last year have been: "We're closing and retiring" and "They have sold the shop for their retirement": Holmes, the stationery store, and now à la Petite Fabrique, the chocolate factory. Holmes was transformed into an upscale Italian restaurant and word is that Alain Ducasse is buying the Petite Fabrique.... The neighborhood in the area of Hugo's Les Miserables and the French Revolution has gone upscale.
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Champs Elysées Christmas Market No More
Two events will effect somebody this latter part of 2017. Planning on the Champs-Elysées Christmas market? Stuck in traffic? It's like a soap opera or a custody fight in a divorce. Whose side will you be on? Every year Christmas markets attract 30 million people visitors in France. Fifteen million of those visit one or more of the 250 chalets along the Champs-Elysées for the Paris Christmas market. If you are stuck in traffic this week, the carnival operators are conducting an "escargot" (snail) slowing down and blocking traffic with their semi trucks on the expressways. They want to set up their chalets on the Champs-Elysées.
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Bring France Home with Designer Souvenirs
Bring Home France on rue de Birague in the Marais offers unique Paris and French souvenirs designed by a street artist, graphic designers, fashion and home designers. Some products are made by long-standing French firms in Gien, Limoges, by Duralex and Laulhère-France. In the store and for shopping online they have a wide selection of products ranging from gastronomy and jewels to fashion, decoration and toys. Nathalie Crouzet tells you some stories and legends behind some of the souvenirs in my first video story.
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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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Something Different for Christmas in Paris
Looking for something out of the ordinary as you prepare for Christmas in Paris? A reader asked me this question, so here are a couple of ideas: the Swedish Church (Svenska Kyrkan), Affären (the Swedish shop and café) and the AAWE bazaar: Sankta Lucia (Sainte Lucie, Saint Lucia, Santa Lucia, etc.) is a choral presentation and procession filled with candlelight. In the procession, the church choir holds candles and sings; the Lucia wears a crown of candles her head. It is a tradition that I experienced when I lived in Stockholm and one that continues here in Paris. The Swedish Church (Svenska kyrkan) (église suedoise) holds this event every year…
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BHV and Other July Changes in Paris
Every July 1, new legislation and modification to daily routines take effect. This year, the changes include plastic bags, polluting vehicles, contraception, Sunday shopping hours …. These are some of the main changes for 2016 gleaned from Direct Matin . Beginning July 3, BHV/Marais (part of the Galeries Lafayette group) is the first Paris department to open on Sundays as a result of the Loi Macron (Minister of the Economy, Emmanuel Macron) ...
