In a week’s time we will be in Paris which is, of course, very exciting. Given I have a massive week ahead of me at work (yes, we’ve decided to work until Thursday night) I really need to sort out my packing list this weekend. You’ll be pleased to know that I finally made a […]
The Distant Francophile Blog
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We loved our unplanned visit to Nîmes. It is such a beautiful town, perfectly located in the south of France, and just full of Ancient Roman history. It is easy to get around on foot, and there is so much to see and do while you are there. Given how much I adored the place, […]
People watching is almost an official pass time in Paris. Parisians are happy not only to watch, but also to be watched. Following on from our recent people watching practice session, I thought I would share my top 10 people watching spots in Paris. Les Jardins du Palais Royal. Easily my favourite place to watch […]
Potatoes feature heavily on French menus. And they can be prepared in so many tasty ways. Dauphinoise. Paris mash. Duchess potatoes. (And I’ve not even mentioned French fries). But one of the true classics is also a cinch to prepare – Boulangère Potatoes. All classics have back stories. And if you look into the legend […]
Hooray – we’ve made it to May. I was very excited to flip the calendar over on Friday…mainly due to the fact that we head back to France on the 22nd of the month. This coming trip is full of long-term wish list items for me – language school, a Parisian photo shoot, a stay […]
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 – […]
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 […]