I haven’t really talked about it that much here on the blog, but it’s not that long now before we head to France for two whole months. (Over on Instagram it’s another story – I’ve been subjecting my fellow francophiles to the longest countdown of all time. But I digress.) We’ve been lucky enough to […]
The Distant Francophile Blog
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I can’t tell you how much I love discovering new sources of French inspiration. A little while back, I came across a lovely blog – {French} Countryside Companion. The creator, Shannon, and her family share their time between the United States and – you guessed it – the French countryside. Shannon strikes me as an […]
If you’ve ever dreamed of running away to France, buying some property and perhaps starting a business, then you must listen to the latest episode of The Franco-Files. Why? Because journalist, author, blogger and fabulous francophile Graham Welch is sharing his story of chasing that exact dream. Together with his partner Damon, Graham moved from […]
A friend of mine, who I met on a Canadian train (of all places) and who we’ll call B for the purposes of this post, wrote to me recently. B was keen to understand how it is that French women always look so stylish. And she was particularly interested in learning more about their hair. […]
I’ll never forget our first visit to Paris. Although we’d travelled extensively within Australia, Scott and I had never left our home country together. And our joint international travel experience amounted to me visiting Singapore with my parents when I was 16 years old. We honestly had no idea what we doing. We didn’t understand […]
It’s time for another episode of The Franco-Files and let me tell you, this time around I have an absolute treat for you. My latest guest is Annette Charlton from the beautiful website, A French Collection. Annette and her family share their time between Brittany and Australia. And Annette has one of the most interesting […]
Well, spring has bloomed in Paris. And, as a result, my social media feeds are full of ‘soon to be travellers’ sharing their plans. For some it is their very first visit to Paris. Others have made the trip many times before. But all are united by the sense of excitement that can only come […]
It’s funny sometimes how travel forces you to try new things. Whether you want to, or not. In our case, a Sunday trip on tourist railway through the Ardèche region of France to the village of Saint-Agrève, introduced us to the French classic dish, Lamb and Beans. The particular railway we were riding on conveniently […]
Welcome to episode two of The Franco-Files. This time round, it’s my great pleasure to introduce you to the fabulous Jo Karnaghan. Jo is the very clever founder of frugal first class travel. Jo’s website has long been one of my go-to sites when it comes to travel planning. From packing tips to hotel and […]
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 am super excited today! Why? Because we just launched our brand new interview series – The Franco-Files. It’s almost five years now since Scott and I created Distant Francophile. Over the years, we’ve had a great time sharing our love of all things French. From travel and packing tips, through to the exploration of […]
One of the great joys of travelling is the opportunity to stretch and challenge yourself. It also gives you a sense of freedom and a chance to try something you might not try at home. These moments of personal growth are multiplied when you choose to travel on your own. I was recently asked by […]
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 […]
Well, it’s been a long time since I pulled together a ‘French Classics’ post.To tell you the truth, I often find them a bit difficult to position – especially the food related ones. You see, it all has to do the with opposing seasons. Often times, the French recipes that might work well in the […]
‘If you could recommend just one thing to pack for a trip to Paris, what would it be?’ This was the tricky question that was casually tossed my way recently by a friend. And it sent my brain into a tailspin. Seriously, did she really want me to narrow the focus to just one thing? […]
This week, an email from a Distant Francophile reader prompted two things: A smile from me; and This blog post. So what was so compelling about this particular email? Well, it reminded me of the challenges travellers face when they try to book almost anything for their visit to France online. Now, don’t get me […]
Scotty and I have recently returned from a fabulous trip to Canada. We loved the people, the food and, of course, the gorgeous scenery. And I loved the opportunity to test how far my French language skills had come since our last visit to France, earlier this year. If I’m being candid, most of the […]
Back in 2014 I purchased my very favourite cropped black leather jacket. It’s travelled the world with me. I wear it to work and for play. And it was the jacket I wore in our Parisian photo shoot with Carla Coulson – which means it has featured regularly on Distant Francophile. Simply put, I love […]
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 […]
Someone asked me the other day about the things that light me up. Once upon a time I might have struggled to respond to that question. But these days the answer flows easily. And while the list of the things I’m passionate gets longer all of the time, two items are consistently at the top […]