Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles

Marloes Halmans moved her family from the Netherlands to Burgundy in France prior to Covid and loves sharing all that she loves about her adopted home! The greenery, the wildlife, the rural farming, the wine, the food... I completely agree with her, there is something very special about Bourgogne! There always seems to be something happening regardless of the time of year for a visit. Marloes and I chatted about some cultural differences between the Dutch and French, things that would impact the manner in which new people are accepted. We also discussed some of the quirks of moving to France including having her young children start school with no French fluency at all! Marloes and her family were also renovating an old farmhouse when they first arrived, so there were lot's of challenges! Marloes and I had a lovely chat about French style in this podcast chat. We ponder that what we as non-French people usually describe as French design is actually not much at all like a common French home. But there is a style that we often consider evokes a sense of Frenchiness and I must say, that often helps me to feel connected to France. They have overcome any issues and now have a beautiful home and a wonderful YouTube channel sharing their French life as well as places and homes that Marloes visits all over France. Marloes has only one goal and that is to bring people into the warmth and calmness of her home, to help people around the globe to escape by sharing happiness, beauty and peace. Marloes is living a beautiful French life and has reminded me to live life intentionally, with purpose. Tune in and escape to France with us 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

There's no way to lead into this gently... Jane Bertch inspires me! Jane has lived for decades in Paris. She left Chicago until work brought her to Europe in 2000. After not naturally having Paris on her radar, Jane eventually found her way there and almost by accident she started her cooking school. The success of La Cuisine Paris is no accident though! Hard work and determination has got it to the amazing place it is today. Years ago I did a class at La Cuisine Paris and absolutely loved it, so it is no surprise to me that it is a raging success! Speaking to Jane in this episode uncovered some great musings about Paris, France, how we get to where we are and considering the big decisions in our life! Even so, it's the little things in France that can make a difference. An invitation for coffee is sometimes not just a request to join for a cuppa! As well as discussing cooking in Paris, Jane and I touch on how we can be tolerant and understanding, how we as women can lift each other up and how we can find joy in our own lives, which at my place involves fun times in our Shenanigans Shed! "This is not the waiting room for death!" Tune in and escape to France with us 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

Chiara Benedetto came to live in Paris with an internship in a science field and has now built a life there. Growing up in a simple Italian town, Chiara always felt connected to French culture and language, so it felt a natural progression to head to a Francophone country like Canada, Belgium or France for her work. In this Loulabelle's chat, I was fascinated to hear about Chiara's work, as well as her Parisian life - from the practicalities of sharing in university accommodation, to her own apartment, to having a "melting-pot" group of friends coming to live in Paris from all around the globe. Chiara helps others now with the paperwork required when migrating to France. Her assistance is not based just on her own experience, but on the needs of each individual, as everyone's situation can be different. Chiara doesn't sugar coat the immigrant experience in Paris, but she describes how those who move and stay in France develop a "grit that no filter can capture". Tune into this chat and escape to France with us 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

Elise McLeod is a film director and acting coach who has called France home for over 30 years. After travelling there as an exchange student in her high school years, Elise made a decision: once she knew what she wanted to do with her life, she was going to return to Paris to live it there! Elise has a film Reclaim the Night in competition this week (on 6 June) in the St Kilda Film Festival. The film is set in Paris telling the fictional story of two best friends, one had the best night of her life and one experienced the worst. Reclaim the Night was originally a movement that started in the UK in the 1970s, protesting about safety for women. Elise also has another film she made in the late 1990s, Last Drinks which is playing this Friday night (5 June) at The Astor Theatre in St Kilda, Melbourne. Last drinks is a doco telling the story of the 90s closure of the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda, a landmark many Melbourne people will know of. Elise and I have been to the Cannes Film Festival together and this chat gives us a little insight into the amount of work that goes into her industry. To escape the busy-ness of her professional world, Elise and her husband Charles have bought a rundown property in the Burgundy region of France. They have now renovated and soon will open for guests to stay, also transforming a huge old shed into a party room, a salle de fête . Elise and I chatted about finding brocantes, connecting with nature in Bourgogne, taking the back roads through France as well as our fave regions and the wonderful quirkiness of those pockets of the French countryside. So pour a cuppa, or a glass of something French and close your eyes as you sit back and escape to France with us, to hear all about Elise's beautiful French life. ** 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

What a milestone! 200 episodes! And what a great way to celebrate by chatting about the Cannes Film Festival, both this year's event as well as the times Loulabelle has attended with Ruby Boukabou in the past. Lou and Ruby have had a number of Cannes highlights over the years, walking the red carpet, meeting iconic actors, or just immersing in the Cannes craziness! We chat about the memorable moments we have experienced there including an amazing speech by Robert De Niro, as well as a beautiful escape from Cannes to the islands off the coast which are full of history and charming calmness. Ruby Boukabou is an accomplished author as well as a tap dancer extraordinaire, a journalist, a photographer, just a wonderful creative soul. We chat about the ways listeners can connect with Ruby in Australia as well as back in France with her new book The Movie Lovers Guide to Paris. Head to the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website for the links discussed in this ep. Come and escape to France with us momentarily x ** 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

People often say that Paris left a mark on them, even after one visit. Sometimes that mark can be a healing one, especially after the not-so-long-ago Covid years. Tune into this beautiful chat with artist Kerry Lucas and uncover how she found a way to connect to other creatives like her whilst connecting to the place she loves, Paris and also healing her creative soul within. Come and escape to France momentarily with us 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

Katherine Burns loves Paris and shares her love of all things French through her Insta account @rue.dauphine.paris. She chatted for the second time on the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles in this episode, about how she keeps connected to France. Katherine first found that France was definitely the place for her when she discovered French food and cooking. We chatted about where she likes to visit when in Paris to get her foodie fix as well as some other iconic places from her last French trip which was only a few weeks ago for the Foire de Chatou brocante fair and a pop in to Château de Chantilly where she happened upon a polo match. If you like travelling slowly where there's time to allow for magic memories to happen, then you'll love to escape to France virtually with us in this chat. ** 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 has chatted with me on the Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles previously with her husband Willo Renehan to talk all about her gorgeous home La Maison Trumeau in Saumur in the Loire Valley. Mandy and Willo were inspired by Dick & Angel on Escape to the Château, and made the decision after Brexit to buy property in France, which they are making their permanent home. Mandy introduced me in this podcast episode to her colleague Camilla Degerth who has made 12 international relocations (so far). Camilla shares her knowledge of what it takes to move from one part of the globe to another. She shares a global mindset, but she also brought up some of the main issues that relocation can bring, and it's not all about the French bureaucracy. This year Mandy and Camilla are hosting a coaching retreat for those thinking about or already making the move to Europe to work through the issues that intended relocators face. Camilla says one of the hardest challenges people face when moving internationally is loneliness, especially if there's a language barrier. In their retreat that focuses on landing in France successfully, attendees will delve deeply to find what they really want and they can do that in France. Sometimes what we truly want isn't clear until we start making the dream a reality. So come and dream away with us as we escape to France momentarily. ** 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

Paris is a city that lives in the hearts of people from around the world and has so many movies set there. I've also found loads of movies or shows that use Paris as a backdrop and I love searching as I watch for glimpses of places I've been in the French capital. If you love Paris and love films, Ruby Boukabou has a new book out The Movie Lover's Guide to Paris , which takes the reader on a journey through Paris, exploring the city through the lens of over 200 movies. Discovering Paris with this book, you'll find cafés, cinemas, streets, iconic landmarks, as well as the hidden corners that have appeared on the silver screen for over a century. In this episode of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles, Ruby takes us on a petit meander through Paris along the Seine, highlighting the sites that have appeared in a number of well-known movies. Go to the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website to blogpost 196 to find the link for Ruby's dedicated Google map, then follow along as you listen to the chat! Join us and escape to France momentarily... ** 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

Elisabeth Perotin is French, having grown up in the Champagne region and still currently living in Reims. Elisabeth is a photographer specialising in travel and food photography, with only French themed pics on her Instagram @frenchglimpses. Tapping into Elisabeth's local knowledge during this chat uncovered a number of places in Paris and France that I'd not heard of, but I am now adding to my list! If you want to find quirky but yet authentic places to add to your itinerary when planning a French visit then tune into this episode for lots of inspiration! ** 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

Catherine Berry is an author who has chatted on the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast previously (eps 39 & 112) about the life changing decision to move her family to the French village of Annecy for a year when her children were young. We come back to chat again to Catherine to hear how that stay has made a positive impact of the lives of her whole family, but also about a new experience she had staying in the Italian village of Lucca for 3 months. Loulabelle and Catherine chat about the experience of being non-fluent in a foreign country, about the cultural similarities and differences of Italy and France, as well as how Catherine made arrangements to stay and live like a local in Italy for 12 weeks. Hear about Catherine's new books (she now has four!) including one about how to play with your child (or grandchild) in French. ** 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

. Donna Guest is the Co-Founder, CEO & Creative Director of fashion house Blue Illusion, which is a French inspired brand bringing fashion, homewares and all sorts of French connections to their customers everywhere. In this chat Loulabelle delves underneath the brand to find the woman and uncover what inspires her and keeps her connected to France. We find out about her fave experiences in France including a surprise stay in a medieval chateau, attending Le Diner en Blanc with 30,000 other diners and even getting into a sold-out Beyonce concert in Paris! Donna tells us her go-to French food whenever she's over there, plus her way to keep her Frenchy vibes fluttering here in Australia. Come and float away to France momentarily with us 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

On 19 October 2025, thieves wearing high-vis work wear, used a stolen furniture removals truck to get into a top floor of the Louvre in Paris, stealing pieces of the French Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon ('Apollo's Gallery'). The amazingly swift robbery took place at around 9.30am on what seemed to be a regular Sunday morning. In this podcast chat, hear Loulabelle discuss the situation with historian and Paris resident Claudine Hemingway who knows the Louvre like the back of her hand! Claudine was interviewed on USA Today the day after the heist and gives us the low down on all the details from a local perspective: what happened on the day, what is the impact on the Louvre, what's happened since and how George Clooney is involved! **Chat recorded - Sunday 2 November. ** 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

Canadian author Patricia Sands is so connected to France, through her novels which are most often set there in Provence. Coming out on 15 November, 2025 is her latest book The French Effect, set in Paris with the story heading down to Nice on the Cote d'Azur as well. I loved my "petit papotage" with Patricia about her experiences in France. We chatted whilst she was in Antibes in the South of France, this time road-tripping with friends, but over the past few decades she and her husband have done 17 house-exchanges to live like a local in France and Patricia has also taken tours of women to Provence to follow the paths of her wonderful characters in her stories. Listening to Patricia talk about her travels took me straight back to France, so come and join us for a tres beau momentary virtual escape! Head to the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles instagram page to comment on the post announcing this episode, to win an ebook copy of The French Effect once it's released on 15 November. ** 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

Pierrick Boyer is a celebrated French pastry chef who has earned the French highest honour of the Chevalier Merite Agricole for his services to France and French culture through his pastry work and he has called Melbourne home for over 20 years. . Paula Nikita has come to call Melbourne home for the last 5 years and is now being mentored by Pierrick to succeed as the inaugural Viennoiserie World Cup winner ad the first to represent Australia! . I was fascinated to hear their stories and to chat about how scientific the process is when creating the perfect croissant! Tune into to this chat to hear what makes the perfect croissant, but even more interestingly to hear about Paula's Aussie influence with the upcoming competition, including VEGEMITE! . Anyone wishing to assist the Go-Fund-Me to cover half the costs of competing in France, click here: Support the Aussie team's Go-Fund-Me to head to France . To attend a gala event this coming weekend on 18 October 2025 at Reverie Café Prahran, click here: Tix for the Pastry Party at Reverie Cafe, Prahran - 18 October, 2025 ** 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

Earlier this year I road tripped around France and spent a couple of weeks in Burgundy with friends of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast, Kate and Nathan Veach. Kate and Nathan had a French restaurant in Melbourne prior to making the permanent move to France just after Covid after buying a place on the internet during the Aussie lockdowns. Since that time I have stayed in the cottage they renovated originally which was a wonderful experience. Kate and Nathan exude a warmth that makes every day with them a joy. I'm thrilled to see that they now have sold up and bought a bigger project still in Burgundy, an historic house dating to the 1870s which was in a state of severe disrepair, in Paris l'Hôpital. Chatting to Kate about my recent time in their village made me just want to go back. They were still renovating during my visit but have now reached a point in the project that they can start to share it with others. The house looks incredible, decorated as only the French can, from brocante markets and eclectic pieces found in exotic places! The colours and sights of Burgundy now in autumn with the harvest are amazing. I have visited the region previously at this time of year and found there were less crowds, less heat and much more opportunity for life time memories! Tune into this chat to hear the exquisite life that guests can share with Kate and Nathan, to find out all about what the tastes, scents and sights of Burgundy have to offer. From market visits, to cooking classes in their own kitchen, to wine tasting as well as authentic Burgundian life, there is so much gorgeousness to look forward to when heading for a stay with this beautiful couple in their French home. ** 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

I love road tripping in France and I aim to get there and meander the roads less travelled as often as I can! In the April/May of 2025 I took a "vacances" in France for a couple of months and embarked on 3 separate road trips with separate groups or individual friends. . Author Katherine Watt and I became great friends after she was interviewed on the Loulabelle's podcast a number of years ago and I have spent much time with her on previous visits to France where she now lives in Saint-Malo, Bretagne. Both Katherine and I were excited to road trip through a part of Provence that neither of us had been to before. We agreed on a rough outline of the route we might take, but importantly we both were happy not to lock in too much of the detail and just go with the flow! I normally plan much more than this, so it was oddly refreshing or even freeing to make decisions about where we would stay and what we would do at the last minute! I had a car for the full 6 weeks of the road trips I took, which made the last minute decisions a bit easier as we didn't need to factor in public transport. . Our journey started in Lyon, with the first day comprising a 5 hour drive to Aix-en-Provence to commence the road trip. After this day though, we stayed off the motorways and took only the back roads. We also opted to stay in Airbnb style accommodation so we could cook in our own kitchen sometimes and we would have the capacity to store and enjoy local produce we bought along the way. We also decided that we wouldn't drive for more than an hour or so each day to allow time to immerse in the local area we found ourselves in. . Tune into this episode and escape to Provence momentarily with us. Head to the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website for more info on some of the places mentioned in this papotage de podcast aussi. . ** 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

Eva Bonnet knew from a very early age growing up in France, that Australia was going to be a very special place for her! Eva didn't plan to come to Australia directly, but as she says, "life brought her here". Eva chatted to me about how she ended up living a French life in Melbourne. Since making the permanent move down under, Eva has found love, had a cancer diagnosis and beaten it, brought two bubbas into the world and most recently taken the socials by storm with now almost half a million followers joining in the French connection she shares with everyone. At the moment Eva is giving away a trip to Paris for a lucky subscriber to her Bonjour Mate French classes (subscribe before 31st August to be in the draw which will be announced at the end of September!)** Bonjour Mate is open to all countries, so not just for an Aussie community, with current subscribers hailing from all around the globe. Chatting with Eva so frankly about her story, put the priorities of life into perspective for me. Her beautiful rawness and honesty are quiet an inspiration. I often wonder for French people not living in France, what do they miss, what things do they try and recreate in their new homeland. Throughout our chat, Eva described her thoughts of France so clearly, that I felt I had been on a lovely petit sojourn to my fave place. Her description of the road trips she took with her maman as a child especially helped me to float away. Find all the details from this chat on the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website, including the current Bonjour Mate Paris giveaway. ** 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

Harriet Churchill and her husband Henry are originally from England, but spent many years living in Australia based in Melbourne originally, working in the area of sustainability, but eventually moved to regional Victoria right near me! I first heard of their story and their vineyard in the Macedon Ranges Zig Zag wines , when I was hanging out with other locals around the fire during happy hour at my local pub! I'm thrilled that I followed her up for a chat as I found our discussion about her life thoroughly inspirational! If you're wondering about making a change in your life, whatever that change may be, have a listen to Harriet and you will just want to grab life with both hands and shake it up! Harriet described their life in Australia, which seems to me to be quite "French country" in the manner in which they operated. I also got a beautiful insight into their life now in France. It was fascinating to hear Harriet talk about the difference in the way the winemaking successes, as well as the challenges can pop up in Australia and now France. She also talked about the difference between being "good" or "fluent" with her French, as she can get by with most exchanges, until she gets to the other mums with the school gate gossip and she's got no idea what's going on! This is such a wonderfully warm and heart-filled chat about immersing in life's experiences as they present themselves. In this episode I was introduced to a new concept when Harriet talked about what the heart needs and what the heart wants. Her heart wanted to stay in Australia, but it needed to move back closer to her family in the UK and the Languedoc region in France was the perfect fit for them all. Come and escape to France with us through our chat 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

Italian born Vittoria Busetti had a dream for many years of moving to Paris, so she worked a way around the obstacles in her path, packed up her Milan apartment a few years ago and took the leap to her new Parisian life! Moving all alone to a new city with a new job is not without its challenges, so after navigating through loads of situations where she struggled to find helpful info, Vittoria put together a guide for people moving to Paris as well as an Insta group which has become like a little community for people to connect about current Paris events like the recent Fete de la Musique. Vittoria has loads of tips for surviving alone in Paris either as a traveller or as a new resident as well as ways she found to make friends. Chatting to Vittoria about the various arrondissements and lots of our Paris faves made me feel like I'd had a momentary Parisian sojourn. Come and escape to France with us 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