Well, July is here. And to be perfectly honest, I’m struggling to believe it. I’m amazed at just how quickly the first half of the year has flown. But despite the fact that I keep shaking my head at the calendar, I’ve come back from our holiday feeling super inspired. This has seen me […]
The Distant Francophile Blog
445 posts
Ok, so a little while ago I shared how we managed to get ourselves to the Champagne region of France, and how we got around once we were there. Now, let’s get to the good stuff – the Champagne houses themselves. Because we were keen to visit the crayeres or chalk mines, we ended up […]
No matter where you are in the world at the moment, it is great time to be reading a book. If you are down our way in the southern hemisphere, it’s winter – a perfect time to curl up in your favourite chair with a great book (and maybe a blanket or two). And of […]
Don’t you love how French women – and men for that matter – just know how to wear scarves? Now, for a long time I really believed that you had to be French if you wanted to wear a scarf well. This was mainly due to the fact that no matter which beautiful scarf I […]
There are so many restaurants in Paris, choosing where to eat can sometimes seem like a bit of gamble. You want to get value for money from every travel dollar, while at the same time finding something authentic and yummy. And you absolutely want to avoid tourist traps. As a result, I’m always on the […]
Welcome to another Frenchify Your Friday! This week, you might like to start your Friday in true French style by choosing to skip your toast and cereal and eating croissants for breakfast instead. Buttery, flaky and especially tasty when served with cherry jam, there is no easier way to Frenchify Your Friday. It’s impossible not […]
While this post is still very relevant, just to be sure, we did Another Do-It-Yourself Tour Of Champagne on our last visit to France. You can check it out here. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve always been quite surprised by how long it took us to visit France’s Champagne region. Especially given how much we […]
Regular readers will have guessed that I spend a fair bit of time researching all things French. I have a number of favourite magazines, Facebook pages and websites that I regularly keep an eye on – and one of these is the extremely helpful site Free in Paris. People are always quick to tell you […]
Well, the French part of this trip is over, and while I can’t say I’m thrilled to be leaving France, I am looking forward to visiting Barcelona for the very first time. Everyone says it is an amazing city. And, I’m incredibly grateful to have spent the past few days in the ancient village of […]
Friday night is definitely my favourite night of the week. Work’s done and two days of relaxation stretch out in front of me. I can’t even begin to describe how good Friday night feels – but I seriously wish I could bottle it! And an easy way to bring even more pleasure to an already […]
While we were in Paris, we were lucky enough to spend an unforgettable day with three amazingly creative, beautiful and intelligent women – all of whom actually live in Paris. Now, we all know just how fabled French women, and particularly Parisian women, are. Entire libraries have been written on ‘how to be Parisian’ or […]
We’ve said à bientôt to Paris for now and have headed south to Tain-l’Hermitage, the stunningly beautiful town which sits comfortably on the banks of the massive Rhône river. Scott and I both fell in love with this part of France during last year’s trip – and we just couldn’t wait to come back. I’m […]
This week, I’ve got a sweet little way to Frenchify Your Friday. Buy yourself some macarons! Very small and very sweet, these colourful confections are simply beautiful. They are virtually guaranteed to bring a smile – and some French inspiration – to your day. In fact, sometimes I think they are almost too pretty to […]
Welcome to June everyone. I am writing this month’s inspiration post from Paris – and seriously, you can’t get any more French inspiration than by spending time in Paris. I’ve found some great new vantage points for people watching and have come up with a stack of other French themed bits and pieces to share […]
Regular readers will know that Scott and I have been staying in the picturesque, medieval French village of Sancerre. Situated on the very edge of the Loire Valley, perched high on the top of a hill, Sancerre is about two hours from Paris by train. Our primary reason for visiting Sancerre was to enrol in […]
Why not ‘Frenchify Your Friday’ this week by serving French cheese with your meal? The French are famous for their many fabulous cheeses. And they certainly love them. French cheese is on every menu in France – even the most basic. I’m always fascinated by the number of diners I see ordering cheese while we’re […]
While some would argue that Paris is overrun with tourists there are still secret places to found – if you know where to look. One of our favourite secret walks in Paris is a path that runs along an abandoned railway line. This walking path gives you a unique look into a part of Paris’ industrial history, […]
It’s official! Immersion is the only way to learn French. Apologies that I haven’t given you an update sooner, but it’s been busy here in Sancerre, with lessons, cultural activities and homework (of all things). But we are absolutely loving it. Well, at least I am. Scott is loving bits of it – he’s never […]
I’m so excited to let you know that we are back in Paris. We’ve checked into one of our favourite Parisian hotels, on Rue de Rivoli. Rooms here have the most spectacular views of the Tuilerie gardens and we know from our time here last year that it a perfect hotel for one night’s […]
Apart from working flat out, dealing with technology issues, sorting out what I’m going to pack and organising all the last minute bits and pieces before our trip (we head to Paris tomorrow), I’ve also been thinking about new ways to inspire all the fabulous supporters of Distant Francophile. So tonight I’m introducing a brand […]