Explore every episode of the podcast Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles
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| Building a beautiful French life, from Paris to Provence. | 28 Aug 2024 | 01:03:54 | |
Alex Lalak is an Aussie born and bred travel journalist who now calls France home. Growing up in Sydney, Alex was gifted many cook books, many of them French and also studied French at school. A part of her always thought she would live there one day. After a few trips to France over the years, Alex moved overseas in her thirties, first to New York, then London and eventually Paris. She then met Pierre, her now husband and that changed everything! When Alex first moved to Paris, she had only a couple of friends there who both left to live elsewhere not long after. Alex realised she needed connections and made a lot of friends through ex-pat groups and through friends of friends. There was a year of exploring Paris before meeting Pierre and since then they have lived elsewhere in France in Burgundy and now in Provence. Alex’s story of discovering herself is fascinating to me. Her chat about making a vie français and experiencing some of life’s most significant events such as having a baby in France, getting married and buying a house now in Provence, is the stuff that many peoples’ dreams are made of! Now living a gorgeously French rural life, Alex described her local market days, the fresh produce, the local dishes and the different style of living compared to Paris or even Australia. She gave us wonderful tips for when visiting the Pont du Gard and painted a beautiful picture for our imaginations of the balmy Provençal days. But the best part? When asked to describe what a perfect French day would look like for her, Alex was able to chat about her day that happened only yesterday, because she is actually right now living her perfect French life!
Tune in to escape to France with us momentarily.
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| A single woman over 50 taking off to move to Paris? Bien sur! | 17 Aug 2024 | 00:37:43 | |
Elaine Lewis was always interested in books. So when she made the decision to move from Australia to Paris to open a book store on the left bank of the Seine, her family gave full support. Other opinions were mixed, but regardless she moved to France and spent quite a long time preparing for the opening of her Australian book shop.
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| Life in Rural France | 20 May 2024 | 00:36:37 | |
English born Kylie Lang has lived all over the world, but it wasn’t until she gave her husband the next choice of where to live, that she even considered a move to France and now she is fully in loooooove with every thing about her new adopted home. . Kylie now lives in rural France in the Charente department on the border of the Dordogne, 2 hours from Bordeaux. In south-west France, Kylie’s area is known for its sunflowers and is a beautiful part of France (although who am I kidding, all of France is exquisite!) . We chatted in this episode about the ways ex-pats moving to France can find ways to connect with their community. Kylie suggested something I hadn’t considered before, on moving to her village she joined a line dancing class! It’s a little known fact that the French love line dancing or some might call it formation dancing. When I went to the Bayonne festival a couple of years back there were certain songs where the whole crowd would just break into dance, with everyone seeming to know all the steps! It never occurred to me then that the locals would go to lessons to learn this! . So Kylie and and I had great chats about the discovery of her new home and her move from the UK, about how she continued her work in her business from France and how she has become part of the local community (even initially with no capacity to speak French!) I loved that Kyle has even ended up in the kitchen peeling spuds and washing dishes at the local fête!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 63 - Some petit Paris inspo for everyday! | 20 Mar 2022 | 00:31:07 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Kate loves to draw buildings and has a fascination with architecture. Her travel and architecture inspired illustrations often take me away to Paris. She confesses to having a particular affection for illustrating cafes! She loves the shadows, the light and the different colour that buildings exude at different times of day. In this lovely warm chat we hear all about how Kate creates an artwork, about her love of travel and of France and we get transported away with her description of her fave French day. With French recipes and music to quench the French vibes, join us for a little escape to France.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 62 - Montmartre local's tales: Dalida, Bresse chicken & Chamonix solo | 22 Feb 2022 | 00:32:36 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com In this warm and funny chat with Emmanuel he tells me about his life growing up in Montmartre with his grandparents who lived next door to uber famous singing sensation Dalida! Come and escape to France momentarily with us and hear about going solo on the slopes of Chamonix, Michelin Star restaurants near Lyon and naked women in the streets of Montmartre in Emmanuel's childhood memories! Oooh la la! Recettes from renowned chef George Blanc and musique by Dalida xx
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 61 - After the war. One woman's story of the raw, beautiful, real Paris. | 04 Feb 2022 | 00:48:43 | |
www.LoulabellesFrancoFiles.com Tune in to hear Lise talk about her early story in post war Paris, growing up in Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement. Whilst times were tough, she and her siblings never complained or wished for a different life. They had each other. We find it hard to imagine this reality they all lived and whilst Lise says we shouldn't dwell on the difficult times, (one of the strategies she employs which assists her to be such an amazing survivor I think) it is important to remember this period of history to avoid being repeated. Eventually Lise and her little family moved to Australia, but with her husband and her children Lise would visit and go back to France often.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 60 - Rue Dauphine Paris... One woman's dream is inspiration for many! | 26 Jan 2022 | 00:35:11 | |
www.LoulabellesFrancoFiles.com I had a chat with Katherine to find out her French faves as well as some tips from her as an experienced and repeat traveler to Paris. I was very excited to hear that she is headed back there in May so I look forward to her photos once she's there! I asked Katherine what is so special about Rue Dauphine and Paris for her. She also gives some fabulous travel tips. For anyone going to France at the moment it is crucial to talk to a travel agent and to your airline about any COVID rules or requirements. They can change swiftly so ensure you get up-to-date info about your own individual circumstances.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 59 - Escape to the Château! Living life from the Heart ❤️ | 15 Jan 2022 | 00:47:09 | |
www.LoulabellesFrancoFiles.com Julia was born in Australia and moved to England as a young person and the Francophile seed was sewn on holidays to France back then. Julia describes France as a magical place and I completely agree! She always knew when the time came to buy a property in France that it would be an old building. She scoured the internet for over a year and eventually came to France with 2 of her sisters to see them in person. The search started for a traditional farmhouse but rather quickly their search upgraded to château hunting! Beware though! Whilst your dollar will go a long way in purchasing a property, renovating in France is not cheap. Ensure you leave enough in your pot of money for the improvements you want or need to make, especially if restoring an historical property. In this podcast papotage, listen to Julia chat about how she found her dream property, previously owned by a famous French artist, in the Lot region of south western France. Julia felt instantly a warm, enveloping, homely connection to Mas de Pradié and that also comes across in the Escape to the Château series. The most beautiful thing I heard from Julia was how this move to France to restore a château has been so very rewarding for her. Previously she had a lovely life but she was molding her life to fit with other people. Now she feels she is living her true life, the life that is in her heart. I think this is something many more people are looking for inspiration to find, after the COVID period we've lived through... the life we truly want to lead.
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 58 - Harvest, drink, cook! Journey to the vineyards of France 🍇🍷 | 03 Jan 2022 | 00:37:15 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Today I chatted to our fave French correspondent Sarah Zwick from Be My Guest Immersions about the French perspective of wine. Not the expert perspective but how wine is seen culturally by ordinary French citizens. In this gorgeous petite "papotage" Sarah and I chat about the winemakers as artisans, a little about the history of wine in France, and we touch on the way the terroir is of profound importance. Some people look upon French wine as just an investment. I have seen a couple of documentaries that showed how French wine is becoming increasingly popular as an investment purchase, but for me I love to savour and taste it too much to let it sit in the bottle forever! Somethings are worth more than money to me, and the memories created with friends in France or even in Australia for that matter whilst sharing a bottle of wine are often in my opinion, priceless. Regardless of me getting all emotionally connected to the wine, it's a huge industry in France with wine being enjoyed and sold all over the world and employs loads of people. Sarah has family friends with a vineyard and has worked with them before. I loved hearing her chat about that time and I now plan to be in France for les vendanges, the harvest. After a couple of hours work in the morning the workers have a second breakfast with un verre du vin rouge!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 57 - Joyeux Noël, it's Christmas in Paris! 🎄 | 21 Dec 2021 | 00:26:57 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Emily spoke about some of the traditions in France such as Christmas Eve being the biggest celebration and Santa coming that night. I loved hearing her chat about the decorations in all the stores and the famous Christmas markets. From what Emily says the photos I'm seeing on Instagram at the moment showing that every corner of Paris has been Christmas-ified is exactly what it feels like to her! Now as I said to Emily I love Christmas and I love Christmas in Australia as to me it means time spent with my family. But I am longing to one day spend Christmas in France. After chatting to Emily I want to experience the lights and festivities in both Paris and the country French villages. I want to visit the Christmas markets and have mulled wine from a little caravan in les jardins! In this gorgeous festive chat you can hear all about loads of these Chrissy French traditions and more. There is so much on my Christmas list that I'd like to see and do when I eventually spend a Christmas in Paris or France, I may need to go back multiple times! For this year though I will make a mulled wine and dream of future Christmases en français!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 56 - So you bought a house in France online? Pas de problème! | 20 Dec 2021 | 00:40:31 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Miriam and Jon discussed for many years the idea of retiring in France, so they would spend hours scrolling through real estate websites. Eventually they found one, did a virtual tour with the realtor (including a virtual drive through the village!) and decided this was the one! Without even stepping foot on site! The house met lots of their criteria: not too isolated, near a Plus Beaux Villages de France, not too big, not too small, with a lovely garden and in an area with quite a lot of English speakers. Miriam has cousins in the Charente area near to her new home. A bonus is that these cousins have a vineyard! A FrancoFiler's dream! Well this FrancoFiler anyway! Miriam talks about being with her cousins as children, playing in a deserted château. I can imagine with strong family ties and beautiful childhood memories, the pull to move to France would be strong. Miriam is craving the simple quiet life. She talked about being able to walk out the front door to go on a long walk or bike ride. Opening the shutters in the morning and hearing the village come to life. She would like to spend the day wandering the streets of Bordeaux, sit and have coffee and watch the world go by. It sounds beautiful to me. Simple pleasures to fill a FrancoFiler's soul.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 55 - A life changing leap to Paris perfection ❤️ | 28 Nov 2021 | 00:41:14 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Katherine Watt has lived and worked in many countries around the world but it has been Paris that has captured her heart! So four years ago she made the leap to resign from her job and move to France. Where to start with a leap like this?!?! That's what I wanted to find out! Katherine started by drawing a line in the sand with the end date for her job. She planned three years ahead and told her boss she would be resigning. Katherine had stayed in Montmartre and even in the apartment she is in now during the period before she moved permanently. During lockdown, Katherine loved being in the Montmartre area where she found a little community in her 1km zone. Being surrounded by the beauty of Montmartre was food for her soul during that tough time when travel and connecting face-to-face with family was not possible. Moving to a new country across the world is not without its challenges. In this chat I heard about how Katherine has formed beautiful friendships with neighbours and regulars to her fave jazz clubs and local cafés. We hear all about her Paris faves as well as a bit about her book "Ninon and Me at the Grand Comptoir", her cooking and now painting experiences too. I found talking to Katherine quite inspirational. It helped remind me that there is no time limit on finding yourself. No limits on who you can "be" through life and no limit to finding who you truly are. Katherine's more Parisian way of thinking has made her realise there can be a different way to view the world.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 54 - SacreBlue! Loulabelle's is officially on board, keeping our Frenchy vibes going with the Aussie French Embassy! | 15 Nov 2021 | 00:43:41 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com I was super excited that the Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles podcast was asked to come on board for the new platform, which is dedicated to bringing together all institutions, organisations and individuals who create cultural and intellectual bridges between France and Australia. The website will feature regular contributions and highlights of my LFF articles and podcast eps! There will be news, in-depth articles, podcasts and events on French cinema, performance, arts, gastronomy, ideas, science, language, fashion, sport and much more.
Boris works with everything not political and not economic at the Embassy, so all the fun stuff! He focuses on creating opportunities for Australians to know more about France and also for French nationals in Australia to stay connected to their culture. Cultural bonds are important and after talking to Boris I can see that the links being created between the people of France and Australia will be positive and strong. Sacreblue! has the opportunity now to connect Australians with France who have never known much about French culture. In this LFF ep we will hear all about how Boris came from being a boy in his home town of La Rochelle to travelling the world and being a leader in the Embassy. He spent a few years in the US before coming to Australia. He is so widely travelled having been to almost 70 countries!
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| Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 | 12 May 2024 | 01:03:12 | |
Aujourd'hui I escaped into the real world to get my Frenchy vibes fluttering at the Bendigo Art Gallery, chatting to curator Clare Needham about the current Paris: Impressions of Life exhibition.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 53 - Belonging to France - one woman's out of the box experience! | 23 Oct 2021 | 00:38:25 | |
www.LoulabellesFrancoFiles.com Kerry has always felt very connected to Ireland due to her Irish heritage but a punk party in a Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in 1981 changed her world. She met her French husband and started a journey uncovering all the wonderfulness of France from an "insiders" perspective rather than as a tourist. When Kerry's daughter was 14 the little family went to live in France for a year and Kerry has had further stints over there since. Kerry has such a wonderful warmth and genuine transparency. Talking with her made me feel a beautiful connection to "her" France. It opened my eyes and my imagination further to the way daily French life would be for us as Australians if we're ever lucky enough to be living over there. Kerry worried when her marriage to a Frenchman ended that her connection to France would wain. But what she found eventually was that her link to France was a connection of her very own and not just through her husband. She found that she herself belonged to France.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 52 - Baby et Lulu - sexy & sassy avec a French afternoon delight! | 09 Oct 2021 | 00:45:45 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Abby Dobson and Lara Goodridge are the sassy, talented, wonderful women behind the ARIA nominated French singing duo Baby et Lulu. The band name came about from their nicknames as Abby is often called "Baby" and Lara "Lulu", so the name just seemed to fit! They have been described as a sublime faux-French sensation, sexy, romantic and classic. Whenever I’m listening to their latest album, the music transports me away to France in such a gorgeous way. In my mind I can imagine I'm in the Caveau de la Huchette in Paris in the jazz basement or somewhere just as fabulous! I just float away! It was on a visit to Paris that they both discovered their love of the French language. Lara had a just bought a book of "naughty" French stories! Et voilà! A short stint singing together in French at a warehouse party back in Australia and "Baby et Lulu" was born. Both women had found a new love in immersing in chanson and as Abby said to me, she had finally discovered what she wanted to do "when I grow up"! Hear the lovely warm chat about their music, their fave things about France as well as one of their original songs with a wonderfully dreamlike quality.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 51 - Absolutely Champers! Loulabelle, Karen et bubbles galore!🥂🍾🥂 | 27 Sep 2021 | 00:29:00 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Karen is the best researcher I know when it comes to travel! When I was planning the ill-fated 2020 shenanigans and was going to the Champagne Region, Karen was my first contact to find out all her brilliant tips for a stay in that spot. I love the Madame Bollinger quote about champagne… She was asked when do you drink champagne? "I drink it when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it when I’m not hungry. I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I am thirsty…" I also love what Madame de Pompadour is supposed to have said that “Champagne is the only drink that leaves a woman still beautiful after drinking it”. Now that’s good enough for me! The champagne region is the place that conjures images of the bubbles that accompany many of our celebrations. Karen and I had a gorgeous weekend “sweetie darling” in Paris a couple of years ago in 2018 where we worked through a wonderful list of all the places she had researched that we could drink champagne in Paris. So we went to traditional bars, amazing little holes in the walls, pop up restaurants, cafes by the river, and all the time we never more than a glow of wonderfulness, such is the amazing quality of champagne! Recently I have re-watched the wonderful little doco with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley from Ab Fab called Absolutely Champers. They start in London, in the champagne bar at the TGV station at St Pancras which has 120 Varieties of champagne and is the longest champagne bar in Europe. Karen and I have never started a trip there, we’ve always started in Paris together, so I think we will definitely start there some day in the future. Hear all our tips for staying in the Champagne region as well as some fascinating history, plus some recommendations for docos too.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 50 - A Stolen Lady, handmade parapluies, art history & jam! A très beau chat with novelist Laura Morelli! | 21 Sep 2021 | 00:38:47 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Laura shared her story of her first visit toFrance as a pre-teen and how she then returned eventually to study and live there as an adult for 4 years. I was carried away by the story of an old couple Laura stayed with during one period in France. They were in the French Resistance during the war and their story has stayed with her and assisted with her connections to characters in her books at times too. So most French obsessed people I know speak about their love of museums and art when they talk of what they like to see when they visit Paris (and sometimes also broader France). Hearing Laura speak about various museums and artists just made me more determined to get back to France as soon as we can! Hear all the beautiful French details about galleries, artisans, art history and French life in this sweet and lovely chat.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 49 - My next vacances en France. First stop... Loulabelle in Lyon! | 12 Sep 2021 | 00:20:20 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com So why Lyon? Well for regular listeners to the podcast you will know I have inherited much of my love of France from my dear Papa. I even chatted to my dad in LFF episode 29 about some of his fave places to visit in France. One that he often mentions to me that he would love to return to is Lyon and I know I have always loved every place he has recommended to me! Hear about the history of Lyon, the secret passageways or traboules, the gastronomic and famous wine regions, and loads of other wonderful reasons why Lyon should be your next French destination!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 48 - Les Jeux Olympiques! Inspiration now, then and in 2024! | 02 Sep 2021 | 00:33:12 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com I was fascinated to hear in this podcast chat from ma belle amie Sarah Zwick about the main sports that France excels at. This year in the recent Olympic Games France medalled in a variety of events including handball, judo and fencing. Sarah thinks the fencing prowess could be a left over from the Three Musketeers or Les Trois Mousquetaires! It may be the importance placed on fencing through history in France however. It was once a way to become a noble and was also compulsory for soldiers at one point in history too. Good fencers were almost like celebrities in their day! I discovered through talking about this topic with Sarah that the Olympic Games whilst sometimes just referred to as "the Olympics" or even just "the games" in English, in French it is always called "Les Jeux Olympiques". In France, excitement is building for the next Olympics in 2024 in Paris, exactly 100 years since it was last in my favourite city! Hear all about the plans for the next Jeux Olympiques, as well as stories of inspirational French women athletes and the French founder of the modern Olympics.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 47 - Living in Versailles avec vintage Marie Antoinette! With pastries to make a queen swoon! | 25 Aug 2021 | 00:34:54 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Initially the idea was quite scary and Molly thought there would be lots of obstacles but in reality, furthering her training in cooking was more economical in Paris than in the US! She could rent an apartment in Paris, go to the famous Cordon Bleu school in the steps of Julia Child and eat French pastries in Paris every day whilst she was learning to make French pastries herself! For FrancoFilers who are into French pastry, following Molly's adventures will not leave you disappointed! In fact Molly's enthusiasm for everything she does is infectious! I loved seeing France through her eyes. Molly chatted to me about her visit to regional areas including the Dordogne, the Loire and Normandy. Her energy and joie de vivre is just beautiful. This chat really transported me to France momentarily!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 46 - Floating on the Canal du Midi! A barge holiday extraordinaire 😍 | 16 Aug 2021 | 00:27:51 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Kate Bryant has been a friend of my partner Paul for over 30 years and had her first experience in France with a family for whom she nannied back in her 20s. The love of the fresh food, the slower pace of life and all things French has never left her. Kate chats to me about some memories of staying in the Luberon in the south of France. With a special focus on a barge holiday where she traveled from Béziers to Trèbes along the Canal du Midi with 9 friends. I have always wanted to enjoy a barge holiday! I've wanted to do this way before I saw Rick Stein's French Odyssey, but that series definitely whetted my appetite! Kate told us about the intricacies of barge life, with some terrific tips. It is clear that it is loads of fun and relaxing too as Kate painted an idyllic picture, floating along between villages on the Canal du Midi...
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 45 - French Views, Dreaming & Planning for our Vacances en France! | 06 Aug 2021 | 00:52:32 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com We chatted about Chris and Carole's cycling adventures in various regions like the Loire, Provence and in places suitable for beginners as well as more advanced riders. We also spoke about visits both of us have made to Villers-Bretonneux and other shared experiences such as visits to historic markets, fabulous French food and music. A beautiful warm chat between 3 French obsessed Francophiles!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFIles Ep 44 - When Bastille Day is not Bastille Day - c'est quatorze juillet! The history, the celebrations, the music! | 27 Jul 2021 | 00:22:39 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Celebrating Bastille Day/14 juillet is important right across the nation in France, to remember the history but also to celebrate France as it is today with family and friends. Each year there is a theme for 14 juillet and this year it was "La Liberté". Hear about the history as the kids in France learn it, the celebrations, the food (it's summer in France and Sarah is cooking from her jardin!) and the music with a special performance from this year's Paris concert by brilliant trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf.
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| The story of classic French style with Jac Cadeaux founder Claudia Stahl | 05 May 2024 | 00:45:51 | |
Claudia Stahl is the creator of French inspired fashion brand Jac Cadeaux. Claudia lived in Paris for a number of years after inheriting a love of all things French from her mother. She went for a year and stayed for five years!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 43 - Finding dragonflies & dreams, renovating a 300 year old maison in Burgundy! | 17 Jul 2021 | 00:41:05 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Lindy recalls her mother wearing ‘Evening in Paris’ perfume when she was a child. It came in a tiny midnight blue flacon. The label had the French translation, ‘soir de Paris’ and the name ‘Bourjois’. Lindy said, "To me this was the height of glamour and fuelled my desire to visit Paris, so when I had the opportunity to visit aged 17, I was thrilled and immediately fell under her spell." Skip over a lifetime in between and Lindy's daughter requested to have a French exchange student come stay. It turned out to be a cultural exchange with both the teenager and her father who Lindy ended up marrying! They now live between Paris and Burgundy, although Lindy is spending much more time in the country house these days. Lindy has called the house ‘Les Libellules’ meaning dragonflies as the house has a pond with an abundance of wildlife. Lindy chatted to me about her experience renovating her 300 year old home. As an avid viewer of Escape to the Chateau DIY I was hanging on every word! Lindy said, "let’s just say insects feature heavily, as do crumbling walls, and some interesting discoveries." Lindy felt connected to the house straight away, love at first sight, right from when she saw a photo on a property website. Hear Lindy's suggestions for choosing a property in France and more about how her life has changed from a very fast-paced existence in a major city, to living in a sleepy little hamlet where one could walk from one end to the other in ten minutes! The friendships she has made, the sense of strong community in the French countryside, the living without almost all mod cons a whilst renovating the house, living an almost entirely French life married to a Frenchman. Her journey is fascinating and beautifully familiar at the same time. Maybe that's just because I've dreamed about such a life so often in my own mind! With a regular LFF feature of a French recipe and some French music, this is a wonderfully warm chat to help feel as if you've momentarily floated to France.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 42 - Le Tour de France through French eyes! | 05 Jul 2021 | 00:27:26 | |
www.LoulabellesFrancoFiles.com.au
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 41 - Paris time travel - the gorgeous chateaux tell their story ❤️ | 27 Jun 2021 | 00:35:49 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com I have loved following Christine on social media for some time. Her posts connect me to Paris in a variety of ways. She is an author who has written a number of books set in Paris and has a particular style of writing that I find fascinating, with the meshing of historical fact and fiction with a bit of time travel mixed in. Christine mentioned that her stories always have an old building/chateau/maison in the centre of the narrative. I have always felt that historical buildings have "talked" to me. I thought I was alone with this! Every time I'm in France I imagine who has been there before me and feel a lovely connection to the past. I was amazed that Christine started to write when she was only 10, penning her first book at that time. She mentioned in one post I read that she wrote about a friend who had passed to ease the grief, so the loss wouldn't be so complete. As a reader I was quite affected by this one comment bringing me to tears. What a wonderful gift to help readers to find a new perspective with grief...
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 40 - The secret treats found when Spring cleaning and then Summer en France! | 20 Jun 2021 | 00:26:08 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Recently our regular French correspondent from south-west France, Sarah and I talked about her finds when she was renovating her home in the Basque region. The story of how she came across the book of a particular child from over a century ago in her attic and learned of his involvement in the Great War is fascinating. The connection is amazing, especially in her own home! Knowing the periods of history that have occurred over the last few hundred years, and finding info about the people who lived in your home during such times as the Nazi occupation of France or the Revolution is crazy! In this episode we heard of the story of a little boy who lived in Sarah's house a generation or two before her family, as well as how plantings in the garden from that time or earlier are still benefitting her family now! Now that le printemps has turned into l'été the time has changed from cleaning and opening up, to celebrating! Sarah let us non-Frenchies into a little secret of the last night of any summer festivals, the Bal de Pompier! (the fire fighters' ball) The fire fighters originally had to keep manning their post during the 14th July festivities since the Revolution. Back in 1806 they decided they wanted to have fun too! So they started a little party. It became so popular that every last night of a festival is now called Le Bal de Pompier! I love these traditions that have come down through the generations in France and the knowledge of it only comes out when having a relaxed convo with friends, like this one with Sarah. Sarah reported how this is such a cultural phenomenon that grandparents have reported to their grandchildren that they met "their grand-mere at the bal de pompier!"
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 39 - "But You Are In France Madame!" | 09 Jun 2021 | 00:44:17 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Catherine made the decision to only speak French to her infant son which prompted her and her husband to pull up stumps and head to France to live. When her children were aged 6, 9 and 12 they moved to France with no work planned and no support network. They had a house arranged and found a l'école for les enfants but the rest was a fabulous adventure! They chose to live in or around Annecy near the Swiss border, rather than Paris or a main city. They wanted to feel a part of a community and immerse themselves in a town not too big, but not too small. I loved hearing the story of how the children settled into school, how they found houses to rent and the challenges of buying property. Catherine's tips for making such a purchase will prove invaluable to FrancoFilers who are planning to make that leap at some stage! There were some difficulties such as finding accommodation, buying a car, understanding the school stationery list, driving on the right side of the road (but the wrong for us Australians) and even doing research without an Internet connection. But then that was followed up with delightful highlights: being surrounded by mountains, in the middle of which was a lake and a town with canals, old stones, disorder, colourful markets, strange opening hours and different light and smells.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 38 - Thomas Pesquet - French astronaut legend, space DJ & all round nice guy! | 30 May 2021 | 00:22:40 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Pesquet graduated as an Air France pilot first and then studied to become an astronaut. He was selected to train with the European Space Agency in 2008. He spent 196 days in space in 2017 and has returned to the International Space Station earlier this year. We listen to one of Pesquet's favourite tunes from his own Spotify list. He recently released the new Cold Play song Higher Power from up in space, so music is clearly an interest for him as well as photography. Sarah told me how he took over 25,000 photographs of Earth from space!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 37 - Everyday en Paris, un petit peu de France avec "Mon Petit Four"! | 23 May 2021 | 00:29:49 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Beeta Hashempour is the creator of Mon Petit Four, which has been voted as one of the #1 French food blogs in the world and one of the top Parisian lifestyle blogs of 2019! Everyday receiving the très fabuleux emails with recipes and tips from Mon Petit Four brings a sparkle to my day! In my wonderfully warm chat with Beeta it was lovely to hear about her first trip to Paris a decade or so ago. It was also terrific to hear that I'm not alone with my perspective of love at first sight for the city of Paris! Beeta had the same reaction when she emerged from a Paris Metro station for the first time! On that trip Beeta discovered a love of French food and after her return home she started deconstructing and demystifying French food for friends which soon grew to service Francophiles everywhere! Now Mon Petit Four has a vast following and also offers a brilliant membership section Everyday France. Beeta now splits her time between the US and Paris, and looks forward to returning after COVID. She will be returning to Paris in September 2021 with members from her Everyday France membership and I can't wait to follow her travels from here in Australia! This episode includes a number of très délicieux recipes and a brief sojourn into wonderful French jazz!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 36 - One family's journey from Bondi to Paris! | 15 May 2021 | 00:22:00 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com I messaged her and asked if I could chat to her about her French life and got much more than I bargained for! Emily is a warm and generous Aussie originally from Bondi who has moved her family with her three children to Paris. I was fascinated by her story and loved our beautiful chat. With important notes for any FrancoFilers considering moving with children to France, chats about French street food, music from brilliant young French artist Angèle and gorgeous mental images of a French life, this episode will satisfy any francophile who is pining for a French getaway!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 35 - Très beaux rewarding memories, Paris avec my bubbas! | 06 May 2021 | 00:21:52 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com I chatted to my youngest son Fraser in this podcast episode about his recollections of our travels. He is such a keen traveler. He and I are always planning our next trip somewhere! We first travelled to France as part of a big European tour for our family back when he was still in primary school! We met up with 20 of our family in Paris and spent a week together there. We saw all the big touristy things but even though he was only in Grade 5, Fras remembers many more intricate details of our time there. Interestingly other children from our family who attended with us on this trip who were a little younger don't have the same clarity of memory. They also didn't have the stamina to power through the day as Fraser did at about age 10 or 11. That is an important consideration if FrancoFilers are planning to travel with younger children. After a week together, we left Paris by train and travelled with the huge family group to Chinon in the Loire Valley where the little kids all had much more freedom than in Paris. We attended the Motocross of Nations which would never have been considered without a young boy pulling his "one choice of the holiday" card. A brilliant and unforgettable day! We then drove across to Villers-Bretonneux which is a very special place for Australians visiting France. My Fraser had another very unique and significant experience in Paris as a young teenager with the opportunity to explore Paris for a day with some other teens sans parents! How many kids get to hang out in Paris with their mates for the day!?!? Hear some French rap music and get the lowdown on the best food for teens in Paris!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 34 - Take a trip to the Dordogne avec Loulabelle! | 25 Apr 2021 | 00:22:47 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com In this episode of the podcast, you will be guided through the winding roads and petit villages, bringing alive the local rustic-ness I discovered in the Dordogne. This episode will have the most impact listening on one device and accessing Google Earth on another. Or if you’re wonderfully tech-savvy you may be able to access them both at the same time on the same device! Once in each village, pause the podcast chat to get down on the Google Earth ground and have a virtual walking tour around the town, then re-start the podcast to move on! We will visit: Monpazier La Roque-Gageac Domme Rouffignac Cadouin Vézac - Les Jardins de Marqueyssac
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| Returning to Paris and Cannes in 2024! | 21 Apr 2024 | 00:30:21 | |
Ruby Boukabou is an author, performer, tap dancer and Paris resident with whom I have had numerous wonderful French experiences including attending the Cannes Film Festival last year. The films selected for 2024 have now been announced with loads of Aussies set to be gracing the red carpet. (Bonjour Chris Hemsworth & Cate Blanchett!) Ruby and I are particularly impatient for the global premiere of George Miller's new Mad Max movie. Ruby has been reporting on the famous Cannes Fest for over a decade and this year she and I will be reprising our YouTube program The Cannes Couch and this podcast chat touches on what to expect. After Cannes, Ruby will be returning to an Olympic crazed Paris! She will also have some performances with another friend to the Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles, Wendy Lee Taylor. Ruby and Wendy are performing their cabaret show Parisian Time Step on a péniche on the Seine, in the centre of Paris near the Ile Saint Louis. Just imagine the fairy lights in the trees along the river, with wonderful jazz musos on the barge and French food and wine whilst the show takes you through the music and dance of the Belle Epoque of Paris right up to the current day. Last year the show had rave reviews so I can’t wait to see it this year!
For all the links for this episode including our Cannes Couch project, head to the Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles website. Bookings for the Parisian Time Step show and links to purchase Ruby’s books are also on the LFF site at Episode 150.
For details to attend the dreamy Normandy Retreat with Loulabelle this coming September 2024, email: janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 33 - Films de français to keep FrancoFilers' Frenchy vibes fluttering! | 20 Apr 2021 | 00:15:54 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com We have been to opening night a few times before at the Astor, which always has a wonderful party atmosphere and a chance to see one of the best French Films showing during the festival. I love to eaves drop on all the conversations at the after party as there are so many native French speakers there. I can get my fix and pretend I’m at a party in Paris for the evening! The Astor is such a beautiful grand old theatre it makes it even easier to daydream about France when we’re there! This year although we didn’t attend the opening Karen went to see three French movies that she recommends ands we chat about in this episode:
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 32 - Ice cream profiteroles and other treasured souvenirs de France! | 12 Apr 2021 | 00:26:54 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Nathalie was born in Marseille in the south of France, and spent some of her childhood in Saumur in the Loire Valley as well. I loved chatting with Nathalie about her memories of France, about taking her own children back there to live for a time and also reminiscing about our own travels together there. Nathalie spoke about the villages she adores, what a perfect day would look like for her in France and her favourite memories. Her description of the stages of a French lunch is lovely, enabling me to picture it so clearly I felt I was back there momentarily! Just what I needed right now when I can't be there myself!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 31 - Pâques, printemps & celebrating a 600 year old festival! | 23 Mar 2021 | 00:21:01 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Back to the traditions... France has a strong Catholic history and Easter is celebrated avec grand enthusiasm! Hear about the traditions that are particular to France and even to various regions including a festival that is almost 600 years old in Bayonne in South West France. 1462 was the first year of the Foire au Jambon held near Bayonne in the Pay-Basque region near the Spanish border. Malheureusement it was cancelled in 2020 and in 2021 it has been postponed to later in the year due to COVID, the first time it has ever not been held in spring since it commenced. During the Pâques period, the festival would showcase local producers and they would offer their ham to be sampled and a vote would take place. Easter occurs in the spring in France and the spring holidays - vacances des printemps - are synonymous with Pâques.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 30 - Honeymoon en France! Paris for love & Provence for romance!❤️ | 18 Mar 2021 | 00:30:35 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Tammy and Mike from Vancouver Canada were on their Honeymoon which turned into a French odyssey! I met Tammy at the Provence cooking day, a life altering experience and a beacon amongst my memories during this period of history when travel is so problematic if trying to get to Europe from Australia. Tammy chatted with me about her love of French food, she reminded me of the highlights of our cooking day and she shared more tidbits of her holiday with Mike such as their dinner at amazing restaurant Chevre D'Or on the French Riviera. From that gorgeous opulence to the rustic loveliness of L'Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue where we shared aperitifs overlooking the canals of the French "little Venice", the chat with Tammy took me right back to France momentarily. Merci ma belle amie Tammy xx
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| Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles ep 29 - Paris memories, Mont St Michel & more of my Papa's French faves xx | 07 Mar 2021 | 00:28:06 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com On one holiday in Paris, I was thrilled to share an evening with Papa at a jazz club in which my beautiful childhood friend Wendy Lee Taylor was performing. Wendy invited Papa up on stage as he is quite a gifted musician. Being in a jazz club in Paris and seeing my dad and my lovely friend on stage together is a lifetime memory I will always cherish! Papa has travelled to France many times and in this podcast episode he chats to me about a couple of places that are still on my wish list for future visits, the Canal Saint Martin and Mont Saint Michel. We also talk about his favourite region of France, his fave foods and his love of French music which is how his Francophile passion started.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 28 - Finding harmony in Paris - the simple joie de vivre ♥️ | 28 Feb 2021 | 00:32:15 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Something I hadn't thought of before, Ruby mentioned to me that Paris is a future focused city and Parisians are very conscious of their environmental situation in the world. I have often noticed in Paris how they implement a staggered planting program where young trees are planted in between older trees, so there is a plan of succession. I was enthralled with Ruby's new book, The Architecture Lover's Guide to Paris. With chapters on Paris history, train stations, museums, walking tours, itineraries, a variety of architecture styles or as Ruby puts it "a mixed palette", I was reminded when talking with Ruby about concerts in churches (the acoustics are out of this world!) about the significance of Haussmann Paris, about stopping to really connect with our surroundings whether in a large city or in regional France. While I can't travel to France, I'm going to do a walking tour of some of my fave parts of Paris - the two islands in the Seine and the Marais. Using Google Maps or Google Earth to explore at my own pace and focus on the places that feed my soul is something I'm excited about.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 27 - Paris, true love & secret tips for every FrancoFiler to live our dream! | 24 Feb 2021 | 00:33:06 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Krystal's memoir, Paris, A Life Less Ordinary describes her journey to the life she now leads in Paris. I've often imagined what that would be really like... to take off and live in Paris with no idea of when I would return, if at all. I wonder if it might be freeing, or terrifying, or a little bit of both! For Krystal it wasn't all smooth sailing. The memoir mentions dating blunders and some crazy things that occurred. She started out nannying for four children, and at one point ended up homeless and alone. It takes some bravery to continue on, but I got the feeling that she is glad she did.
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 26 - Some musical healing après un COVID Paris. | 20 Feb 2021 | 00:23:05 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Romain Dupré chatted to me in this episode about his life in France, about how Paris is changing through this COVID period, and about his hopes for helping his community to heal after this strange stage of history is over. Romain was concerned about his English, but I found listening to his strong French accent strangely comforting. To me it was as though there is something that this virus can't take away, and that is the strength and spirit of the French people, their stoicness, their Frenchness. There is a rawness in this chat that I don't normally find. Romain was clearly wanting me to hear about the REAL Paris. About how the world actually is for them all right now. I loved hearing about his first experience with rock and roll when his mother put on an album "The Best of The Doors" and how with a broken amplifier it was incredibly loud with the music actually shaking his little child body to its core. He loved it and was sold. Romain is a man who loves to visit his family in Bayonne even tough he's not a fan of travel. He adores and plays with his children, gives extra time to his students he teaches at high school and follows his heart with his music. It takes a lot of courage to do an interview in your second language, as well as a hefty amount of trust. I'm thrilled that Romain agreed to chat to me. This is a glimpse into a real French life, which is rare. Not an ex-Pat, not a tourist, not a francophile. I find talks with all those categories of people to be wonderfully fulfilling and terribly important to our continued knowledge and understanding of France. However, this chat enabled me to see a different Paris, not the history or the excitement we all crave from France, but the daily challenges and conversely the triumphs. The ordinary and simultaneously fabulous. I now more than ever can't wait to return...
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 25 - Paris secrets & stories avec a Hemingway! | 10 Feb 2021 | 00:35:43 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 24 - Paris dreaming - rooftops, petit déjeuner & true lifetime friends! | 30 Jan 2021 | 00:23:29 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com
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| Every day is a beautiful day with April in Paris! | 14 Apr 2024 | 00:35:37 | |
April Pett is a breath of fresh air keeping the Frenchy vibes fluttering for many tourists in Paris. She hosts custom tours in Paris, Versailles, Chablis and Champagne and does so with such a lovely vibrant positivity!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 23 - Escape to the mysterious & fairytale-like Loire Valley avec toute ma famille! | 23 Jan 2021 | 00:28:07 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com Chinon is a place steeped in history and for the most part seems fairly unchanged over the past few hundred years. It has petit ruelles (little laneways) and divine little boutiques which look like magical fairytale shops! There is an amazing farmers market and loads of touristy things to occupy all the generations we travelled with. But the best thing for all of us was the way it slowed down our daily life. The village has a way of enveloping you, and it cushioned all of us in that embrace with a warmth that has permeated the wonderful memories of our "vacances en France". ❣️
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 22 - The delicious hidden nooks & crannies of Paris avec ma belle amie xx | 18 Jan 2021 | 00:27:09 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com In LFF episode 4 we chatted about one weekend we shared where we worked through a list Karen made of all the places to drink champagne in Paris! Karen is quite brilliant with her research and I have benefitted from it a bunch of times. She also has some general tips for travelers to Paris, about how to find some more tucked away nooks and crannies to excite us FrancoFilers. In this ep hear our different perspectives on hotels vs Airbnb and the low down on good Parisian brekkies! Hear our other tips for quirky museums, the best time of day for visiting touristy sites, accommodation considerations & also our favourite café spots!
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| Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Ep 21 - Keeping our French vibes going! Debi Lilly is bringing the best of France to enjoy at home. | 14 Jan 2021 | 00:30:25 | |
www.loulabellesfrancofiles.com
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