France is the most visited country in the world. A majority of those visitors are heading to Paris, the most visited city in the world, but there is much to discover for travellers who venture into the French countryside – which is defined as anywhere outside of Paris’ city limits, according to Parisians. French cuisine was the first cuisine to enter the UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a “world intangible heritage”, and French culture has been the fascination of the English speaking world since the English and French began sparring across the channel.
UPDATE: This post has been updated with useful information about where to find the best gelato in France, Italy & Greece, here. Forget your daily bread, in France & Italy it was all about the daily gelato for us! From fruity to creamy to organic, we put as much as we could to a taste test. It took our mind’s off our blistered feet, cheered … Continue reading France & Italy: The Gelato Diaries
I’ve been a bit quiet lately because I’m currently travelling – I’m enjoying five weeks of France, Italy and Greece. I won’t be posting until I get home ( living every moment while overseas) but you can follow my adventures by following me on Instagram: genevievehassall I’ll be posting again in late September. Happy travels! Genevieve LaurenHello! I’m an Australian travel blogger, living in Melbourne, … Continue reading Follow me on the road: Italy & Greece
Wander through the labyrinth-like streets of the Latin Quarter in Paris and you’ll be spoilt for choice, if not a little overwhelmed. The narrow, winding streets make it difficult to retrace your steps but despite this, don’t stop at the first restaurant that catches your eye. I like to go before I get desperately hungry, so I can have a little wander and enjoy the … Continue reading Eating in Paris: The Latin Quarter
Every time I looked out of the window at our apartment in Passy, Paris’ 16th arrondissement, I was greeted with a different kaleidoscope of colour. I could wax lyrical about the different hues splashed on the skyline and the neighbouring apartments, but I’ll leave the photographs below to do the talking. Want more like this in your inbox? Subscribe for updates. Join me on Instagram, … Continue reading Postcards: Sunset over the Paris rooftops
It’s one of the most treasured institutions in Paris, but I didn’t enjoy my visit to the Louvre. I risk sounding like a uncultured brat and there’s no arguing that the works inside are magnificent but I found it overwhelming. It’s a labyrinth where every square inch is covered in art and there’s no room to breathe. I found it hard to concentrate on one … Continue reading Why I didn’t love the Louvre
Sometimes the smallest stars shine the brightest. I visited Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in December 2011 and I’ve never been so in awe of anywhere. It is smaller than Notre Dame, but in my opinion, it is so much more beautiful. There isn’t a square inch of the interior that isn’t painted, coloured, carved or adorned with gold leaf. The lower chapel was beautiful, but I was … Continue reading Sainte-Chapelle: A 13th century treasure
Visiting the famous Chateau de Versailles is a popular and worthwhile day trip from Paris. Built by the lavish Louis XIV, the Sun King, the palace is one of the most extravagant in Europe. The palace itself is impressive, but in my opinion the best part of the estate is the garden. My favourite part of the sprawling garden is Marie Antoinette’s little village at … Continue reading Don’t miss Marie Antoinette’s fairytale village in Versailles
Part reward, part an opportunity to put our French to the test, when I was studying in Paris, my French teacher took our whole class to L’Atelier des Chefs. It is one of my favourite experiences from the trip because it was an unusual experience that I didn’t expect to have, and because I love cooking. The class was conducted in French, but luckily the … Continue reading Paris Cooking Class: L’Atelier des Chefs
If I had a dollar for every time I heard “But the French are so rude!” I would finally be able to fund my dream of living in Paris. Paris is perfect, it’s just the people. Right? I disagree. I’ve met rude French people, but I’ve met rude people from all sorts of cultural backgrounds. People are rude, it’s not a domain the French rule exclusively. In … Continue reading Why the French are rude (to you)
Paris, like many European cities, is bursting at the seams with museums and galleries. Admittedly, I struggle to justify spending time indoors looking at ancient artefacts from Egypt, for example, when I’m in Paris. As fascinating as they are, how can I learn about Paris and experience the culture when I’m looking at mummies? Generally, my museum count is fairly low. There are some that … Continue reading Exploring the Middle Ages at the Musee National du Moyen Age, Paris