When people think of France many will immediately think of the Eiffel tower, the Louvre and the Mona Lisa, Versailles or the Champs Elysées.  Others might think about fashion, architecture, food or wine.   There are so many reasons France has more visitors each year than any other country in the world.

For many years, like so many others, I regularly travelled to France.  Each time I would learn about some fascinating person from French history and it set me off on a journey of discovery so that each time I returned, I had a long list of places I wanted to see.

I realized that I had just been scratching the surface and there was a whole other layer of fascinating places and people that tourists could never access.  The guides I found the most interesting were the historians who could bring to life the amazing characters of French history in the surroundings they lived in.

After many years of working in the media I realized I had found out what I wanted to do when I grew up.  To start my new career I knew I needed the qualifications so I enrolled full time at university to study history.

I finished the degree studying French History at the Sorbonne.  It was challenging but the most exciting thing I had done career-wise.  I did three different periods and was lucky to have the professors whose books I had devoured.   In my tutorial class I took the assignment of presenting the “Policing of Prostitution in the Chatelet in 1770”.  I can honestly say it was the thing I was most proud of.  The other students, who had ignored the old Australian lady until then, stood and applauded.  They all wanted to know my mark, which turned out to be the highest.

If I needed convincing this was my calling, that was it.  The apartment I was renting overlooked the Luxembourg Gardens so that I was a short walk from the Sorbonne.  More than ten years later I was still there, and French Travel Boutique had become a reality.

I was pleased to find that my approach to tourism based on the people and places of French history found a niche.  People who were regular travelers to France were seeing new places and gaining new insights on the old favorites.  Many of them returned each year. 

Five years ago I bought an apartment overlooking the Seine.  It is filled with books on French history.  I decided the time had come to open the doors to share my discoveries and this new website is the start.  At the moment tourism is a challenge but the time will come when we can once again immerse ourselves in the unique experiences we have when we travel.

I’d like to introduce you to the colorful characters of French history and tell you how you can plan to visit them.

The first chapter of this story is the Beds and Boudoirs – a private guide to the seats of power and pleasure of the most fabulous people of French history.

Bon voyage!!