Explore Cognac starting at No.3 The Château for wedded bliss!

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 with my romantic-rose-coloured glasses on. So when Bruce and Lisa described some of the challenges they worked through, I began to realise  the enormity of such a decision to purchase your very own piece of French history. Issues such as getting rid of the refuse, taking it all down a tiny spiral staircase, or having ordinary items such as a sofa delivered when living in a village that is for pedestrian traffic only... Just a couple of important considerations before purchasing.

Luckily Bruce and Lisa have loved every step of their journey which is not finished yet. They've enjoyed the DIY aspect, but they also retrospectively appreciate the various glitches that popped up along the way. These are the situations that make up the journey which for them is the fabric of their beautiful French story.



To find out more details of the Normandy Retreat as mentioned in this episode, email Jane Hiscock at Château du Jonquay janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com 

  

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Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

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 the history of Paris provides her tour clients with an authentic experience tailored to their needs.

I loved chatting with Claudine about her life in Paris, the upcoming Olympics, the re-opening of the Louvre planned for this December, plus her faves to visit in Paris including the incredible place she and I caught up at in the Latin Quarter last year.

If you ‘re planning on heading to Paris, tune into this chat for loads of tips, but even if Paris is a distant thought for you, I found my chat with Claudine was a wonderful petit virtual escape to Paris!



For details of the upcoming 2024 Normandy Retreat mentioned in this episode, email janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

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 UK). This is not just about the wine however. I hadn't considered a perspective that Willo made clear: if buying in a wine region, there will be a number of boxes ticked or checked just because these things go hand in hand with a wine making region. Good weather is needed for the grapes to grow = check! A wine region encourages a fabulous food and restaurant scene = check! The rolling hills and terroir for wine making also provide a gorgeous backdrop for meandering around the French countryside = check! Together with all of that, the Loire has a châteaux around almost every corner! What's not to love!

After this chat with Mandy and Willo, I can see how they team all of that Loire Valley loveliness with the French style living at La Maison Trumeau which has been fully renovated and restyled to it's original French elegance including antique furniture, vintage style furnishings and plenty of space to relax and unwind. It's definitely on my list of future plans for visits to the Loire Valley and France!

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

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 rather the moments shared with those we love and times we spend in certain places that connect us to our soul.  

Come and escape momentarily to France with us.


To contact Jane Hiscock regarding the Normandy Retreat mentioned in this episode email: 
janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com 

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

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, kitchen items, furniture or antiques. But for the professional vintage sellers, it's not all swanning around vide-greniers in regional France. This is a serious and competitive business! 

Tune in to hear Jane's tips on where to go for the best brocante and how to get it back to your home country without breaking the bank!


If you're interested in this September's Normandy Retreat mentioned in this episode, email Jane Hiscock for further details: janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com 

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

Andrew Prior, host of Fabulously Delicious, the French Food Podcast has now released a book!

Paris: A Fabulous Food Guide To The World’s Most Delicious City is Andrew’s first book and is about so much more than just the best restaurants in Paris. 

Andrew has visited and sampled the wares of, or dined in,
all 379 venues in the book! You will find recommendations for boulangeries,
patisseries, cafes, bistros, bouillons, restaurants and wine bars. But also
gourmet food stores, fromageries, department stores, and so much more. 

Chatting with Andrew in this Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles podcast episode, we touch on loads in his book but also get some of his secret tips, such as how to get a more affordable Michelin starred meal!
Perfectly timed for the big year for Paris with the 2024 Olympics and
Paralympic games coming up, this podcast episode is a must for anyone planning a
trip to Paris this year or just for lovers of French food who want to join in for
a laugh and natter with us, and a petit escape to France momentarily! 


If you're interested in joining Loulabelle for the Normandy Retreat in September 2024 as mentioned in this episode, email Jane Hiscock: janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com 

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

The Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles has an exciting 2024 planned. Grab your beverage of choice and sit back to escape virtually to France on a road trip across the north of France through Normandy and Brittany! This is the topic of the first French Road Trip E-guide to be released soon in the new LFF online store. Also hear my chat about the wonderful intimate, boutique Normandy Retreat planned for September where listeners can join me for one of a kind experiences that will fill a Francophile soul! Even just dreaming about them will keep your Frenchy vibes fluttering! Guests will stay at Château du Jonquay and will be involved in collaborations with a Molly J Wilk cooking class (pastry chef extraordinaire) and a Michelin star chef lesson in the beautiful château kitchens as well as loads more that Normandy offers which only a local could uncover. 

If a Normandy Retreat is what you need, email Jane Hiscock: janehiscock@chateaudujonquay.com 

If a dreamy virtual escape to France is more your style, then tune in now and join me on my magical French road trip xx 

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

Joyeux Noel and Bonne année!

Currently I am sending you wishes for a gorgeous Chrissy from my home in the Aussie bush surrounded by the sounds of kookaburras in summer, with kangaroos joining us for our morning coffee and returning for apéro in the late arvo! A far cry from last year when I was in France on my wonderful Noël roadtrip through the French alps and the Alsace region. 

I have a number of tips for travelling in the type of weather that can be expected in France in December as it is winter! This is the time of mulled wine, big coats, warm open fires and rugging up with fabulously filling French comfort food! 

Tune in to hear Loulabelle's top 5 tips for travelling during the Christmassy period in mountainous France. Really practical advice about what to pack or leave behind. I'll also take you through a number of divine villages I either stayed in or visited briefly in the Beaujolais and Alsace regions in the lead up to  Noël as well as the excitement of Christmas in Paris!

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

Julia Fulford Kirby lives in a most magical place, Château Mas de Pradié in Foissac in the Aveyron region of southwest France. I first saw her story on the Escape to the Château DIY show and then chatted to her on the podcast in January 2021, but nothing prepared me for the magic before me when I visited her home in the hot summer of 2022. Mas de Pradié took my breath away. Julia has done so much work over her time there but she has made every effort not to ruin the spirit that made her fall in love with the "mas" in the first place. The majority of the work that has taken place is invisible, but necessary for lining in the 21st century. Many châteaux I have seen renovated look like a modern place within an historic shell. Julia seems to have been able to make modern conveniences such as bathrooms, look as if they have always been there! The renovations are so sympathetic to the history of the property.

Living in and renovating an historic property is not for everyone, but luckily for the rest of us, there are brave and adventurous people like Julia who are willing to live a life dedicated to restoring these châteaux that feed the souls of the rest of us Francophiles. I firmly believe that without people willing to take that leap and take on a life of non-stop hard labour, the historic buildings of France may in 50, 100 or maybe 200 years be a pile of ruins. It seems that in some local communities there aren't the people willing or with the funds to get the required work completed. I don't have the capacity to go to France and restore a château myself, but I'm very happy to go there and enjoy the work of people like Julia! 

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website

Texan native Molly Wilkinson moved to France to follow her dream of French pastry cooking and baking a number of years ago and since then has met her fiancé, moved to Versailles and now has an amazing business bringing the opportunity to all of us to cook like a French pastry chef, with her online French pastry cooking school.

Molly is so down to earth, patient and accessible. Perfect attributes for a teacher! She has a fabulous cooking space in Versailles which is where all the magic happens online, but also in person for anyone heading to the town.

Recently there is another exciting project that Molly is now sharing with us all. Molly has collaborated with author Mandie Davis and illustrator Pete Williamson and the result is a kids' book that is bright, colourful and fun, as it tells the story of Molly in Versailles! As well as having some of Molly's recipes in the book, it is a way to open up iconic places like Versailles to children. Often the story of historic places can be a bit dry and fact heavy, but this gets kids interested in history by making it fun and accessible.

**
Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
**
Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website