The French Christmas compromise
Spending the Christmas season in France is a dream come true for many. And yet, this Australian still finds white Christmases slightly unnerving.
23
12, 2013
8
10, 2013
The one price the French won’t pay
From high rental rates to exorbitant tax charges and inflated hotel room prices, Paris is an expensive city...
15
07, 2013
The French in Paris: Rude or just misunderstood?
It’s not that Parisian waiters, metro ticket sellers, bakers, and supermarket clerks don’t want to serve you. They do. But they just don’t want to be your friend.
18
06, 2013
Paris: France’s creative capital
Perhaps there is something about occupying the same physical space as creative greats who have gone before, that makes us believe that we too can be great. Maybe Paris reminds us of the people who accomplished more, with less, and thus inspires us to be better.
4
04, 2013
From mademoiselle to madame: Finding my place in France
And just when I was starting to get used to being addressed as mademoiselle, I went and got married, and overnight, without anyone asking my permission, I became madame. Where mademoiselle implied a certain mystery, and fancy-freeness, madame seems concrete, serious, and somehow makes me feel old.
1
03, 2013
An unlikely French heartthrob
Gad Elmaleh is not your typical heartthrob. His skinny frame, generous nose and slightly bulging eyes are not the ingredients for conventional beauty. And yet, his ability to make people laugh renders him startlingly attractive.
5
02, 2013
Is Paris’ short-term rental market under threat?
It's no secret that the short-term rental market in Paris is particularly lucrative. Recently, however, it is becoming understood that such rentals are in fact, illegal. Will newly enforced laws spell the end for Paris' short-term rental market?
19
12, 2012
On life in France
Before moving to Paris I had a whole host of ideas in my head about what Paris was like. It was a place where everyone was effortlessly slim. A city where people drank only fine wine, with restraint. Un endroit full to bursting with excellent home cooks, where frozen food wouldn’t be tolerated.
3
12, 2012
Liveability: France versus Melbourne
As blogger Alan Davies says: “The strange thing is I have quite a few friends living in top-ten cities who would, if they were given the chance, elect to live in lower-ranking cities. They say they’d love to live in a global city like New York, Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or London.”
23
10, 2012
Dangerous liaisons: the secret lives of French politicians
The French claim not to care about the private lives of their politicians; rather they profess to judge them only on their leadership ability. By contrast, almost every action a politician takes in Australia is scrutinised, and sensationalised by the media.
