A trip to France can be big investment. Both in terms of time and money. Particularly if you are leaving from a far away land like Australia. Given this investment, you’ve got to make the most of it. See as much as you can. Squeeze everything in. Isn’t that right? No, it’s not right – […]
Janelle
440 posts
One of our favourite things to do in Paris – and all of France for that matter – is watch the passing parade of people going about their day. Whether it is the chic French or the occasionally not so chic tourists, we can lose hours just people watching in Paris. Paris is well set […]
I have a confession to make. It took me a very, very long time to learn anything at all about French wine. In fact, I didn’t really get my head around it until about 18 months ago. You see, in Australia wine is labelled by grape variety first, and then the region of Australia the […]
The weather turned decidedly cold in Melbourne today. And when the weather turns cold, I immediately want to cook that French classic – cassoulet. Cassoulet – a hearty mix of meat and beans – originated in the south-west of France, and is particularly associated with the towns of Carcassonne and Castelnaudary. We first discovered the […]
Over all our trips to France, we have now spent 35 nights in Paris. So I’m not all surprised when people suggest that there could be nothing left for us to see. But Paris is such an amazing city, I have a funny feeling that we will never get our entire ‘Paris To Do List’ […]
It goes without saying that there are many cultural differences between Australia and France. And if I didn’t think that you would know most of them already, I could provide you with the longest list of examples! But I know you are aware of most of them already, so today I want to highlight only […]
As a rule, I like to enjoy my champagne without embellishment. It has a very refined taste, and I consider champagne to be perfectly drinkable on its own. As a result, I’m generally not a fan of the well known champagne cocktails – a Bellini has never cut it for me, and I’d never consider […]
Welcome to April! April is one of my favourite months of the year. The Melbourne weather is usually pretty good and Easter is a great excuse to catch up with family and friends – which is exactly what we are doing over the long weekend. And it’s also time for me to catch you up […]
Are you a fan of rail travel? I am, as long as I am in France! However, I’m also aware that railways can be daunting, particularly if you are not used to rail travel and happen to be in foreign country. It’s also true that many travellers to Europe are more familiar with hire cars […]
I must admit that I’ve never been great at applying my own makeup. Don’t ask me to try a ‘smoky eye’ or a ‘cat eye’ – neither ends up looking right. And I find the French woman’s ‘no makeup look’ just plain hard. But the one thing I can do is a perfect red lip. […]
Last weekend, I shared one of my first luggage dilemmas. For the record, I’m still sorting myself out on that one. But there is one bag I know I will definitely be packing for France when we next visit…no questions asked. That’s my small, cross body bag by Dior. I bought this gorgeous little thing […]
Happy Birthday Distant Francophile. Yes today, Distant Francophile is celebrating its first birthday. And to be honest, while I love our website to bits and pieces and happily work on it for creative expression, I’ve been both surprised and delighted by the amount of interest from others. It really is our great pleasure to add […]
Our next trip to France is getting closer and for the first time ever, I’ve hit a packing dilemma. For all of our previous trips we’ve followed the advice of a close friend and travelled with large backpacks. While the flash hotels aren’t quite sure what to do with packs – we actually had a […]
Over the weekend I suggested that, if you are new to Paris, it might be worth considering a city day tour. I’m happy to take that suggestion a step further and go so far as arguing that day tours are worth considering even when you’re a regular visitor to France. Over the years we’ve […]
People seem to either love or hate guided city tours. But to my mind, there is no better way to get your bearings in a new city. And this includes Paris. Many travellers seem to avoid Paris tours. I think it might be because Paris has such a long list of must-see highlights…if they choose […]
I’m counting the days until June, when we will be spending a few days in Provence. When compared to the time we’ve spent around Paris and Lyon, we’ve not spent much time at all in the south of France and I am really looking forward to returning. This time, we are headed to the village […]
It’s March already – I know it is a short month, but I seriously can’t believe how quickly February flew by! Given it’s the start of new month, it must be time for me to update you on some of the French inspiration I’ve been finding on the internet recently. It’s funny – no matter […]
I have a nasty little obsession with packing light. My goal is to one day leave Australia with less than ten kilograms of luggage. My record so far is just a shade over 11 kg. But I am also a realist, And I know that I will never achieve that goal when I am travelling […]
We adored our time in Lyon. It really is a magical French city. Lyon somehow manages to combine the romance of Paris with the endless charm of the south of France. And then there is the food! Lyon is a perfect the perfect place to sink your teeth into French culture and I firmly believe […]
I’m excited. It’s three months today until we next head to France. The ‘three months until we go’ date is always a special milestone for me as it signals two things – firstly, that I am officially allowed to start the countdown and secondly, that what I like to call the ‘booking window’ is about […]