Festival d’Avignon et le OFF, the biggest theatre in the world (‘Le plus grand théâtre du monde’)

To be perfectly honest I remember almost nothing about my long-ago visit to Avignon, a pretty but sleepy medieval town in the south of France. I never imagined I would return, let alone to attend the city’s major performing arts festival, Festival d’Avignon, and its fringe, ‘Le OFF‘. Although the festival is now in its… Read More Festival d’Avignon et le OFF, the biggest theatre in the world (‘Le plus grand théâtre du monde’)

29 July, 201413 August, 2015 elephantwoman2 Comments

A wander through the ancient city of Lyon

Leaving Marrakech, I knew I was on a plane bound for France because every second person on the plane had a duty free bag with a carton of Gauloises or Camels. There were also plenty of Moroccan families returning home to Lyon, which gave me some new, though vague thoughts about French multiculturalism, especially following… Read More A wander through the ancient city of Lyon

6 September, 201316 August, 2015 elephantwoman1 Comment

The Four Seasons in Paris and Bergen

It’s the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and thinking about the changing of seasons, a memory floated into my mind today of going to Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in 2011 to hear the Four Seasons by Vivaldi in an evening concert. It was towards the end of our stay in Paris, and I wanted… Read More The Four Seasons in Paris and Bergen

21 March, 201315 August, 2015 elephantwomanLeave a comment

Searching for Amélie in Montmartre

We stepped out of Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro station, where Amélie Poulain held the arm of a blind man and vividly described the street life around them: We wandered the streets of Montmartre, where she lived: Found Café des Deux Moulins, where she worked: Came across her favourite grocery store, where she shopped: And walked up the steps of the… Read More Searching for Amélie in Montmartre

25 September, 201219 August, 2015 elephantwomanLeave a comment

The art of travel

My parents never took me to galleries and museums while I was growing up, so art is something I’ve discovered for myself as an adult. I regularly visit the big galleries in Sydney, but it’s really through travelling that I’ve developed my own tastes and ideas about art. Whenever I’m on the road, I end… Read More The art of travel

19 September, 201223 August, 2015 elephantwoman6 Comments

France, multiculturalism, and the radio…

…these are three of the things I’ve been thinking about lately. Lately I seem to be to be learning even more about the places I travelled to last year by just being here in Sydney. During a cigarette break last week, I had an in-depth and funny two hour conversation with a visiting Parisian (he actively… Read More France, multiculturalism, and the radio…

15 September, 201223 August, 2015 elephantwoman2 Comments

In the footsteps of the most romantic film in Paris

If there’s one thing that French films have taught me over the years, it’s that the French seem to have a hard time believing in romance. Certainly not the Hollywood kind anyway. So perhaps it’s not so surprising that one of the most recent romantic films set in Paris isn’t actually a French one. I first saw… Read More In the footsteps of the most romantic film in Paris

19 December, 201123 November, 2015 elephantwoman5 Comments

The Travels of Elephant Woman

Tag: France