Given my passion for France and all things French, it goes without saying that I love swapping French travel tales with anyone willing to share. I could literally chat for days about all the things I love about France and I absolutely adore it when I pick up some new tip or little French secret. […]
Janelle
440 posts
Confession time. There are stacks of things I’m happy to do in France that I tend to studiously avoid at home. Taking public transportation is one example. And climbing copious amounts of stairs is another. I’m always amused at how often we end up taking the stairs while we are in France and particularly Paris, […]
No matter how busy my day job gets, I take every available opportunity to share my passion for France. In that spirit, I have again worked in collaboration with one of my favourite sources of French inspiration, the online magazine My French Life. This time I share my tips on travelling to Paris as a solo […]
France and perfume just go to together – well, at least in my mind they do! Grasse, in the south of France, is famous in the world of perfume and almost all of the great fragrances are French. I say almost because today I have a new favourite fragrance and although it was crafted in […]
Sometimes I marvel at the fact that we ever even made it to France. At the time we booked our very first trip we’d barely flown anywhere, we were anything but savvy travellers and Scott had a pretty large fear of flying. But somehow we managed the 24 hour flight relatively well… We’ve come a […]
When choosing accommodation in France, it seems to me that most travellers go with one of two main choices. They either a opt for a hotel or stay in an apartment. Now let’s be clear. I’d stay in a tent if it meant I was in France (Scott will raise his eyebrows at this. It’s […]
I can’t believe I haven’t shared this one with you all before! Way back in November, we spent a very pleasant Sunday at Melbourne’s Paris to Provence. And, while we were enjoying all things French, I managed to pick up one of the most gorgeous – and clever – pieces of jewellery I’ve ever owned. […]
This year’s supply of Paris Metro tickets arrived at our house on Friday night and naturally, I was very excited. It’s a great service – I only placed the order last Sunday! The tickets being delivered really got me thinking about how quickly have changed since the first time we travelled to France – mostly […]
Regular readers of Distant Francophile will know that I spend a fair amount of time looking for similarities between Australia and France. Well today, I’m deeply saddened by one of those similarities. The tragic shootings in Sydney’s Lindt Cafe and the horror of what’s happened at Paris’s Charlie Hebdo is one connection I just didn’t […]
I’m not much of a goal setter, but I do love the fresh feeling of anticipation that comes with the new year. Anything seems possible on the first day of the year. Personally, I’m looking forward to a year full of French fun both here in Australia and abroad. It’s started off nicely – French […]
Wishing all of Distant Francophile’s readers a Christmas that is more fabulous France – which would, of course, make it very fabulous, at least from our perspective! We really want thank all of you for your support of Distant Francophile during the year. We love sharing all the French things that come into […]
Anyone who enjoys reading Distant Francophile probably keeps an eye out for other sources of French inspiration. As such, you might already be aware of one of my personal favourites – the online magazine My French Life. I’ve been an avid reader for a very long time. Judy and her team of contributors do an […]
Since I shared the fact that I love visiting Paris in winter, I’ve had a stack of questions regarding what stylish bits and pieces you might pack for a visit to Paris when the weather is cooler and the days are shorter. To be perfectly honest, I find it way easier to pack for a […]
I mentioned last week that I first travelled to France as an adult. I’d wanted to visit the country for what seemed like forever and I took the first opportunity – which came in my mid thirties – to get myself (and my husband and son) there. Friends who had already visited were concerned that […]
As a rule, I love the lead up to Christmas, and this year is no exception. Yesterday, we selected and decorated the tree and we are now enjoying the gorgeous, once a year smell of fresh pine. I’ve also started planning the menu – I am always happy leafing through cookbooks, searching for the perfect […]
A miracle occurred this week. In the scheme of miracles, I guess you’d have to say it was a (very) minor miracle, but I’m definitely calling it a miracle.
Over the weekend, I suggested that a Parisian dawn has the power to change you. And I believe that to be true. But let’s face facts here. Spending any time at all, anywhere in France, has the potential to change you.
A whole lot of different ways to think about France, and specifically Paris, have been jumping out at me lately. They are mainly coming from books, but of course, they are also coming from the on-line world too. Quotes. Comments. Questions. And I feel like I really need to dig deeper into some of […]
The French love lingerie. This fact, I know, does not constitute news. Reams have been written on the topic. Brands. Styles. Amounts spent. They all attract interest. But I have to admit being surprised (and amused) when we came across a men’s lingerie store in Lyon.
I love it when I stumble on something unexpected when I’m travelling. My big find during our recent trip to Singapore came as I was hunting down a cool drink in the Fullerton Hotel. And it came in the form of a French perfumery – Fragrance Du Bois.