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! Coming to live in Paris from a small town in Canada, April first visited France when she graduated high school and her love affair with the French capital began. After more than a decade living there, she still hasn't lost the wonder in her eyes every time she sees the iconic symbols surrounding her. Wandering around the city is still like an outdoor gallery for her, as April s ..read more

Sonja Bajic is a map illustrator living in Paris, specialising in personalised maps. We use maps so often in our lives and Sonja connects with people to tell their story on a map of their own. Sometimes she will create a map with images or pictures of a family's holiday and place it on a map for them to display at home, or perhaps an individual might have their life in two worlds, such as I would hope to have with France and Australia! Sonja can represent that life on a personalised map. I adore losing myself in a map, examining all the streets and reminiscing about where I've been before. It ..read more

Easter for me has always been a time for gathering with family, for eating copious amounts of chocolate, for egg hunts and as a child for going to church with my grandmothers. This is the same in much of the English speaking world, but what goes on for Easter in France? In this episode I chatted to Alex Ganipeau from the French Hack about her memories of Pâques when she grew up in France. There are some traditions that are particular to France, such as the Cloches de Pâques, the Easter bells which depart France on Good Friday and fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope, then returning to France ..read more

Kate Hill has lived an extraordinary life. As a young woman she loved to travel and cook and ended up buying a barge and travelling the regional canals of France until she found her little home which back then was a ruin on the bank of the canal. So she parked the barge at the bottom of the garden gate and continued to live on the barge for her first 25 years in the area of Gascony, until the ruined 300 year old building was eventually renovated 10 years ago for her to live in. Early on in the 35 years in total that Kate has lived there, she built her little dream kitchen and learned how to bu ..read more

Dianne McHugh loves walking through Paris. So much so that she has created 20 walks, one for each arrondissement of the French capital. Dianne has her faves, but one thing she often looks for when planning a walk, is a patch of green on the map. Tha parks and recreational spaces of Paris are food for a Francophile soul! Dianne also likes to make time to have a break and read a book somewhere as well as take in at least one museum or gallery a day. During her last visit to Paris Dianne tried to squeeze all her 20 walks into a 14 day stay, but just fell short. Always leave a reason to  ret ..read more

Bruce and Lisa live near Montreal in Canada and whilst Bruce's French father may have influenced his connection to France, it wasn't until a 20th wedding anniversary vacay that together they discovered their mutual love of France. When visiting the Dordogne, they stayed in Sarlat -la-Canéda and on the last day of their trip they found that an apartment on the top floor of the historic building they were staying in was for sale! And that was it! The journey of French property ownership and renovation began! I've always imagined moving to an historic village and a stone cottage or apartment wit ..read more

Claudine Hemingway is an American living in France. She has an amazing family history in Paris, with her grandparents and of course Ernest Hemingway having a significant impact on her perspective of the French capital. I have spoken with her a number of times on the podcast before and met in Paris, most recently going to one of her faves L’Avant Comptoir in Saint Germain in the Paris summer of 2023. Claudine is an amazing story teller and historian. She has an incredible knowledge of the Louvre, taking tours there often, as well as many other places in Paris. Her depth of understanding about t ..read more

Mandy Murphy and Willo Renehan made a decision after Brexit to buy property in France. What eventuated though, was more than they imagined! After many years of renos, inspired by Dick & Angel on Escape to the Château, they now have a wonderful maison in the middle of the town of Saumur in the Loire Valley.  La Maison Trumeau is an 1850s French period home, walking distance to restaurants and shops and not far from chateaux and wineries in the Loire region. When Mandy and Willo were searching for such a find, they specifically wanted a wine region in France (driving distance from the ..read more

Alex Ganipeau runs French language school "The French Hack" in Melbourne Australia and is our go to Frenchy to chat with about loads of things to help demystify French traditions, customs and culture! In today's chat we hear about the recently celebrated traditions of l'Ephinanie and Chandeleur, plus the ways Valentine's Day is recognised both now and historically in France. Alex tells us about the things that especially connect her to France and feeds my Francophile heart through her words. We discover that it's not necessarily the stuff and things we collect in life that are important, but ..read more

Do you love having French vintage bits and bobs all around to remind you of travels in France? Or do you just enjoy a gorgeous French rustic or provincial style to your home? Perhaps you have just a teeny addiction to brocante shopping... Oui? Yep, me too. If like me, you consider packing light for your vacances en France to squeeze in the French fabulousness found at some brocante markets, then this chat is for you. Jane Hotblack owns French vintage ware business "Vintage Etc" and sources pieces from France to sell in Australia. I love the idea of months on end seeking out vintage paintings ..read more