Our French Immersion weekend in Montville in November 2019

We just had a wonderful weekend immersion in Montville staying at Montville Mountain Lodge . We arrived on the Friday afternoon and we enjoyed some wine and cheese. We enjoyed some delicious cheeses from Maleny Food and Co. with the beautiful view of the Lake Baroon dam. The students got to meet and speak French from the time they arrived while enjoying some ice breaker games and French singing. We woke up to breakfast with coffee, fruits and croissants from Crust and Co . The morning was filled with different conversation games such as charades and small short plays. We enjoyed a great lunch at Relais Bressan,a French restaurant in Flaxton, where even the waiter spoke to us in French. We returned for an afternoon of French conversation and activities including a champagne lesson with some tastings. The evening was filled with laughter and more French singing. This weekend was a great opportunity to speak French and meet new friends in a fun atmosphere.

Discovering and staying in small villages in France while learning French

Travelling to France and being able to find places to stay which are out of the bigger cities is a great way to discover France and practice speaking French especially when staying in smaller villages where you will meet French locals and you will be forced in a nice way to speak French and being immersed in the language.

I have been lucky to get to know some Australian people that have shared with me their little piece of paradise in some small French villages and regions. All the places mentioned below are owned by Australians with a love of France and everything French.

OUR COTTAGES IN FRANCE

Our cottage in France is located in Dordogne and offers two rental properties run by Neil and Rae-Helen Fisenden who also offer escorted tours to visit the region. The first cottage is located in Beaulieu sur Dordogne in the centre of a medieval village and close to the historical village of Rocamadour plus several of the Plus Beaux Villages de France, including Collonges la Rouge. The village itself is nestled right on the banks of the Dordogne River and is home to historic Benedictine architecture including a remarkable Abbey. Their second property, a stone cottage, is in the charming village of Berbiguières and close to the historic area of the 100 years’ war featuring the Châteaux of Beynac and Castelnaud, as well as the famous villages of Sarlat, La Roque Gageac and Domme. Both properties are over 300 years old and have been lovingly restored to a high standard of comfort but with authentic French features.

CHEZ OLIVIA AND RENE BED AND BREAKFAST

Chez Olivia and René is a bed and breakfast in St-Quentin-la-Poterie near Uzes, less than one hour from Avignon, and is run by an Australian-French couple who also offer dinner to their guests. This accommodation in a small village gives you the opportunity to practice your French with the locals. As the name says the region has lots of potters’ markets which are popular with tourists. This historical village has a lot to offer and is a paradise for hikers and cyclists.

PETITE STAYS

Petite Stays is an Australian-run boutique service offering tried and tested B&Bs in Paris, Portugal and Australia. Regina is a Portuguese native, Australian resident and is a B&B accommodation expert with 10-years industry experience. Regina offers a personalised service and is able to help guests select the right accommodation for their needs. Why not choose a stay in one of these apartments before you continue your trip to another of the smaller towns mentioned on the blog today?

LE CORMORAN TALLOIRES

Le Cormoran Talloires is a village house in the French alps near Annecy, famous for its beautiful lake and its proximity to a multitude of ski resorts. It is available for holiday rental in summer or winter and owned by Catherine Berry, the Australian author of the book and blog “But you are in France, Madame”. Catherine spent 3 1/2 years living in the Annecy area with her family before purchasing their home in Talloires. This is a picture-perfect place to unwind and enjoy nature, swim, go for long walks or cycle whilst being immersed in the French atmosphere and language. A French teacher herself and knowing the area as she does, Catherine is able to advise on specific language courses and must-do activities.

CHATEAU DU JONQUAY

Chateau du Jonquay is located in Normandy not far from Deauville, which is the closest seaside resort to Paris. This beautiful property is owned by a couple, Jane and Steve Hiscock, from Melbourne, Australia who decided in 2013 to renovate both the château dating from the 17th century and the farm house which they have transformed into a luxurious get-away, which easily accommodates larger groups. The chateau sits on 5 acres in the heart of the Normandy countryside and provides privacy but is surrounded by many French villages and farm houses. Jane also runs wellness workshops in conjunction with a health coach.

 Hope you enjoy reading this blog and it gave new ideas of places to stay for your next trip to France!

“Cela rend modeste de voyager . On voit quelle petite place on occupe dans le monde.”

— Gustave Flaubert

Our Noumea Trip in July 2017

We had a 5 days of French immersion ,enjoying the sights, speaking French with the locals and sharing some great memories! The week allowed us to immerse in French and visit the local markets , shop in French ,visit Amedee island,the aquarium and the the Djibaou cultural center learning about the local culture.We stayed 5 minutes walk to the beach and restaurants and the local French patisserie. We did some French lessons to help us get around the city.The trip was great and so close to Brisbane ! less then 2 hours by plane.

French holiday Lessons

If you looking for something to do during the school holidays .I will be running some French lessons for children's at Holland Park from the 3rd to the 5th April. Adult lessons will also be available for adults over the school holidays. The children's lesson will include stories, songs, craft all running in French. The adults lessons will still be running in cafes or another suitable location.Why not get a group of people together to have French lessons ?

contact Let's Speak French for more info 

The 10 Best Websites to help you Speak French

Have you been trying to find sites to learn French and find yourself clicking over and over just to realize you wasted you time as the site is not providing you with any tips or ways to learn French ?

You are not alone !! The internet is an electronic jungle where it is easy to get lost.Choosing the right website depends on your needs and your level of French.

To learn French you will need to listen to audio video, French films or even some small film trailers. You need to speak French to improve it. If you can be immersed in a French speaking country it will help you improve your French quicker. Several apps and sites can help you learn how to pronounce words and learn basic structure of phrases so you are able to be understood. Several websites will help you achieve those goals and below I listed some of my favourites.

1. Apprendre le français avec TV5MONDE

A great site with plenty of resources for teachers and students.You will be able to do grammar exercises on-line, watch films or video trailers with transcript. The site is divided in different levels from beginners to advanced.

2. Le Point du FLE

This great website offers many on-line exercises. A mine of resources for teachers and students learning French. This site covers grammar topics as well as culture topic and songs .

3. Podcast Français Facile

I love this site for dialogue and videos with transcript .The videos are made for different levels of French learning. The video topics varies from dialogue at the restaurant to job interview dialogues.

4. Learn French with French today

You will be learning so much visiting this site. This site covers grammar  topics, audio, common expressions in French, French culture and places to visit in France.

5. BBC site MaFrance

Great videos which are set in different parts of France. Lots of repetitions and dialogues written under each videos.

6. Duolingo

This app has been recommended to me over and over again. The students love it as they can listen to the audio and types the correct phrase and the app won't let you move further until you pass the level. 

7. News in slow French

If you find it difficult to listen to the news in French this site is broadcast with slower phrases to help student learners listen to the news.

8. Learn French with Alexa

 This youtube video is so easy to listen and learn French. Alexa is so funny and engaging and makes French easy to learn . 

9. Le toboggan bookstore

This is a book shop that offer multilingual engaging books for  children from so many cultures. This site has a great  variety of books for children in different languages.It is well worth a visit .It enables you to order some great books on-line.

10. Le forum bookstore

This book store provides great variety of books, magazines, games and music for adults and children in French . The books and magazines and all different products can be ordered on-line.