I don’t know about you, but I’m like a moth to a flame when it comes to French related bits and pieces. It doesn’t matter if it is a book, a seminar, a podcast or a YouTube video. If I stumble across it, you can guarantee that my curiosity will get the better of me […]
Paris
The thing I love the most about creating Distant Francophile is all the fabulous francophiles I’ve met over the years. And one of my favourite fellow francophiles is the very fabulous Jo Karnaghan. I first introduced you to Jo in episode two of The Franco-Files. Jo is the very clever founder of frugal first class travel. […]
‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’ So went the classic and much quoted line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The characters went on to name any number of things the Romans had done. But I feel like they missed one of the more important things the ancient Romans delivered. And that’s the […]
Is it just me, or is anyone else allowing themselves to do a little French travel planning? I have the feeling that it will be a long time before Australians are able to travel anywhere. Let alone as far as the northern hemisphere. But that isn’t stopping me from having a little think about where […]
Do you want to know a secret? I rarely shop for clothing while I’m Paris. I’ll occasionally pick up shoes, lingerie or accessories. But I just don’t find myself devoting time to shopping for clothes while I’m in the City of Light. This is despite the facts that I hold style qualifications and that Paris […]
I absolutely love this time of year. Everything has a fresh feel to it, and the Australian summer days are tailor made for slowing down. For me, it is the perfect time of the year to make plans. And this year, I’ve been having a lovely time planning for September and October – the two […]
Ten years ago this week my family and I were getting ready to return home following our first visit to France. On our last day in Paris, as we prepared to brave the 24 hour flight to Australia, Scott and I splurged by ordering two glasses of champagne. We sipped them, gazing out toward the […]
Thanks to a brilliant recommendation from frugal first class.travel, not so long ago we enjoyed High Tea at the Ritz Paris Hotel. Visiting the Ritz Paris has long been on my must do list, and the experience was well worth the wait. Of course, the elegant afternoon tea was everything you’d expect it to be. […]
I honestly didn’t expect to be writing this post. Following our last few visits, I’ve reported back on what they are wearing in Paris. This time around, I’d already decided that such a post would most likely be a little boring. I was genuinely thinking that it was very unlikely that anything would have changed […]
I love perfume. No, I’m going to go a step further. I adore perfume. So much so that I’ve often thought that if I wasn’t committed to blogging about all things French and style related, I could easily have a site dedicated to beautiful fragrances and the sparkling bottles that house them. That said, you […]
More than a few years ago now, I made my first solo visit to Paris. I learned a lot, about travelling alone and about myself. Later, I shared that initial experience over at My French Life™, along with my thoughts on why Paris is an excellent destination for solo female travellers. Nobody will be surprised to […]
Packing for Paris. Once upon a time, those words made me feel more than a little apprehensive. It’s such a stylish city, and it is easy to feel like you might muck it up. Thankfully, visiting Paris at least once a year for the past decade has removed my packing nerves. But I won’t pretend […]
Now that I’m down to counting sleeps until our next trip to France, it seems very appropriate to be reviewing Katrina’s Lawrence’s Paris Dreaming. After all, I’m dreaming of Paris almost constantly at the moment. Interestingly enough though, I really resisted reading this book, which was released back in November 2017. I have no […]
Our son is travelling with a friend to Paris very soon. Both of these young gentlemen have been working hard to squirrel away funds for their trip. But given our son has just completed the fourth and final year of his university degree and his friend will be continuing his studies next year, the […]
Shopping was our theme last week, and it certainly had a few readers wondering about my own shopping habits. And in particular, the shopping I do when I’m in Paris. Interestingly, while I do whole stack of window shopping during my travels, I don’t actually buy too much of anything. The reasons for this outcome […]
I’ve managed to create a bit more space in my world recently, which has been exciting to say the least. It always feels incredible to have the time to just research and read what ever takes your fancy. And with that little bit of luxury to follow my curiosity, I’ve been able to find a […]
An opportunity to visit New York in a few months means I’m not heading back to Paris until April next year. But the long lead time doesn’t mean I’m not in full on Paris planning mode. I love how there is always something to do in Paris, no matter how many times you have visited. […]
There are lots of things I love in this world. My family, friends and France are absolute givens, as well as being kind of obvious. Any regular reader would have guessed those things with relative ease. My slippers, red wine and getting dressed every morning would probably be a little harder for many of you […]
One of my favourite things about visiting Paris is the opportunity to check out some of the smaller museums. These bite sized gems often give you a focussed insight into Paris and her history. They are small enough so as not to overwhelm your mind, your feet or your budget. And as a general rule, […]
Long time readers will know that people-watching is one of my very favourite pastimes. And I especially love watching the world go by when I’m travelling. While I’m always on the lookout for all sorts of human behaviour, no one reading this will be surprised to learn that I pay special attention to the street […]