Join Us in France Travel Podcast

Today Annie Sargent brings you a conversation with Elyse Rivin  about Jean-François Champollion the man who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics. We talked about the places he lived, the positions he held, and how he became obsessed with languages. The period of the late 1700s early 1800s was a fascinating time in French history and this episode will help you see why. We talk about the places you can visit if you want to learn about Champollion and his work, we talk about the circumstances of his upbringing just as the French Revolution was brewing. His older brother was also very interested in languages and young Champollion followed in his footsteps and showed great interest in exotic writing systems. Table of Contents [00:00:38] Today on the podcast [00:01:23] Podcast supporters [00:01:41] Annie’s Cookbook: Join Us at the Table [00:03:27] Places related to Champollion [00:03:58] Museum of Writing [00:06:01] Museum in Vif [00:07:32] Early Childhood [00:10:14] Jean Francois Champollion and school [00:10:48] His older brother [00:12:35] Interest in Languages and writing systems [00:18:50] I am Egypt. Egypt is me. [00:19:16] The Egyptians wrote on everything [00:21:21] Champollion gets a copy of the Rosetta Stone [00:25:20] Reading the Rosetta Stone [00:31:03] Cracking open 3000 years of Egyptian history [00:32:06] Writing systems invented to bring Christianity to first peoples [00:35:51] Egyptomania in Europe [00:38:16] Orientalism in art [00:38:53] The definitive translation of the Rosetta Stone [00:39:58] Champollion assimilates Egyptian culture [00:42:52] Outro [00:45:28] Preparing a trip to France? [00:46:28] Self-guided tours [00:46:59] Christmas decorations in Paris in 2022 [00:51:57] Related episodes [00:52:42] Thanksgiving at Annie’s house [00:55:51] Show notes [00:56:07] Next week on the podcast #France, #Champollion, #Hieroglyphics, #FrenchHistory Episode Page

Do you dream about following the Tour de France in person? Perhaps you'd like to ride where the professionals are going to battle it out? Maybe you want to see the finish line on the Champs Elysées and get an autograph from some of the riders? My guest for this trip report, Tammy McKibben did all of these things. She even did something that can complicate your life a bit: they brought their own bikes to France in the belly of the plane! Listen to her experiences so you can plan your own adventure following the Tour de France in person. Table of Contents for 'Following the Tour de France' episode [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:35] Today on the podcast [00:00:53] Follow The Tour next year [00:01:49] Supporting the podcast [00:02:27] Following the Tour with Tammy McKibben [00:02:45] Have things changed since the last time? [00:03:53] Advice in following the tour [00:04:30] Grand Depart for 2023 in Spain [00:06:37] Which stage was she in? [00:08:57] Planning stages [00:09:35] Find a hotel [00:11:21] Riding the same road before the caravan arrives [00:14:10] Arrive early [00:16:10] Booking hotels very early [00:20:43] Rent a bike or bring your own bikes? [00:22:17] Bring your own bike – Airport experience [00:27:17] Clubs or bike associations [00:29:22] With the bikes on the train [00:31:24] Renting a van [00:31:51] Renting a vehicle from a grocery store would be ideal but probably not doable [00:32:59] There are companies that can arrange all of that for you [00:33:41] The finish in Paris [00:35:35] Team and rider victory lap around the Champs Elysées [00:36:30] Watching the Tour on TV [00:43:11] Outro [00:43:32] New patrons [00:44:09] Supporting Elyse [00:44:33] Preparing a trip to France? [00:45:22] GPS self-guided tours [00:45:57] Amazon recommended products [00:46:58] This Week in French News [00:49:38] Personal Update [00:50:25] Show notes [00:50:44] Next week on the podcast   More episodes about active vacations in France

Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassat are the only two Impressionist female artists that regular people (sometimes) know about. Berthe fought tooth and nail to be recognized in a select group of Impressionist artists without ever seeming too strident. For the times, this was revolutionary because that group included Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and many more men. Women were left out like they didn't matter at all. Most of the male artists she worked with didn't see any problem with that. Argh!!!! Elyse Rivin of Toulouse Guided Walks does a wonderful job telling us about the life of Berthe Morisot, her art, and how she fits in her historical context. Episode Page | Show Notes | Transcript

On this trip report, Calee Spinney shares her experiences in Normandy, Brittany and Paris; starting with the Mont Saint Michel and Saint-Malo then moving on to Paris. They were going at a fast pace, but still had some surprising  experiences and learned some lessons that will be helpful to other travelers. More episodes about Normandy and Brittany Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Discussed in this Episode Mont Saint Michel Saint Malo Mussels and Fries The Catacombs The Rodin Museum The Cluny Museum and the Lady and the Unicorn Table of Contents [00:00:14] Intro [00:00:46] Today on the podcast [00:01:09] Podcast supporters [00:01:36] Thank you, patrons [00:02:50] France bootcamp [00:03:06] Next week on the podcast [00:03:31] Interview [00:04:21] Mont Saint-Michel [00:05:52] They were just like us [00:07:02] Where to stay, sleep, eat when visiting the Mont Saint Michel [00:08:39] Stay at the hotels row and take the shuttle to the mont [00:09:54] Visiting Saint Malo [00:12:18] How long to stay in a specific place [00:13:50] The catacombs [00:16:36] Don’t try to get tickets too far in advance [00:17:34] Buy your tickets with an App [00:18:01] The Rodin Museum [00:21:41] Rodin Museum [00:22:01] The Cluny Musem [00:25:20] Standing Stones in Carnac [00:26:12] About Twin Rooms in France [00:30:54] Merlin’s Tomb and the Fountain of Youth [00:33:03] Finding a pharmacy [00:35:32] Trip summary [00:38:01] Look for the train number Episode Page | Guest Notes | Episode Transcript

Eleanor of Aquitaine or Aliénor d'Aquitaine as we call her in French is a woman who wanted to rule. She lived through pretty much all the of 1100s and to be both a woman and a ruler, she had to go against the grain at every turn. By birth she was a Duchess, which is as high as any woman could get. But she wanted to more. How did she become a Queen of both France and England? What surprising decisions did she have to make? Find out by listening to this episode of the podcast. Eleanor spent a lot of her life in Poitiers, the city most associated with her name. She is buried at the Abbaye de Fontevraud where she lays next to Richard the Lion Harted, her favorite son. Because of her marriage to Henri II who became King of England, she brought a lot of the western half of France into the possession of the English King, which is one of the things that led to the Hundred Year War. She inherited Aquitaine because her brother died and in the custom of the south of France she was next in line. Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Louis VII Eleanor's life had a rocky start. Before he died, her father married her off to Louis VII of France because they were close in age and she needed to be spoken for before his death. But Eleanor and Louis were a bad match. She was too flamboyant for him and they did not get along. It took her 8 years to get pregnant with her first daughter. Soon after the birth of this first child, the couple went on a crusade together and during that crusade she wrote to the Pope to ask for an annulment. The Pope did not grant the annulment and asked them to work things out. She got pregnant again and had a second daughter and then Louis VII also wanted an annulment because she was not giving him a son. The annulment was granted after 15 years of marriage and two daughters. Marriage to Henry II of England Eleanor had met Henry II while she was still married to Louis VII and had fallen in love with him. After her annulment she decided to marry him despite the fact that he was 10 years younger than her. They were married 8 weeks after the annulment, proving once again that she knew what she wanted. This is a period in her life where she gave birth to a lot of children, only 1 of 10 died at a young age which was impressive at the time. These were also the days of troubles with Thomas Becket and the terrible turmoil this caused in English history. Imprisonment and outliving her husband Henry II had Eleanor imprisoned at various chateaux towards the end of his life. He was trying to get her to stop plotting against him, but it didn't work very well. He got sick and died and Eleanor of Aquitaine finally got to rule parts of England and France late in life. Her son Richard was only preoccupied with the crusade and left his mother to make many decisions. But Richard died soon after coming home from a crusade and Jean sans Terre (John, King of England) became the King. He was her least favorite child and she wasn't happy that he became king, but in the end she supported him. Despite her tumultuous life, Eleanor of Aquitaine was the mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother of all ruling families in Europe. She left an enormous life on the history of England and France. Table of Contents for 'Eleanor of Aquitaine, a Tumultuous Life' with links to the text transcript   [00:00:00] INTRO [00:00:32] Today on the podcast [00:01:06] Podcast supporters [00:01:35] Thank you, patrons [00:02:34] Newsletter [00:03:10] Next week on the podcast [00:03:35] Annie and Elyse [00:03:55] Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine? [00:04:58] Who is she associated with? [00:07:07] Why is Eleonor of Aquitaine so important historically? [00:08:28] How did she come into power? [00:10:01] Marriage with Louis VII [00:12:14] The flamboyant personality of Eleanor of Aquitaine [00:13:56] Eleanor of Aquitaine lived in the times of the Troubadours [00:15:03] Ill matched marriage [00:15:29] Eleanor’s first child [00:16:24] Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII go on a Crusade [00:18:42] Rumors about Eleanor beeing unfaithful [00:20:05] Eleanor asks for an annulment from the Pope [00:21:25] Second daughter [00:22:05] The annulment [00:23:42] Henry II Plantagenet [00:25:22] Marriage to Henry [00:25:57] The richest man in Europe [00:27:01] Eleanor of Aquitaine kept her lands when she divorced [00:31:19] She wanted more power and he didn’t go along with it [00:34:35] She tried to turn her sons against their father [00:35:19] The Lion in Winter [00:36:22] The power over Church [00:38:41] Alliance with her ex-husband Louis VII [00:41:32] Henry tries to have the marriage annuled [00:42:01] Eleanor is imprisoned for 15 years [00:43:47] Henry dies and Eleanor is released [00:44:13] The King of France takes back Normandy and Brittany [00:44:54] Richard is King of England and King of Aquitiane [00:45:23] Eleanor becomes the de facto ruler of England and Aquitaine [00:46:24] Richard dies coming back from a crusade [00:47:04] King John of England [00:48:10] Eleanor dies at the age of 82 at her chateau in Poitier [00:49:23] EleShe anor is the mother, the grandmother, and the great grandmother of every ruling family in Western Europe. [00:50:01] She had a stong interest in Maritime Law [00:51:03] How did Eleanor look like? More episodes about French History FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Discussed in this Episode Abbaye de Fontevraud A Lion in Winter movie Thomas Becket Support the Show Tip Your Guides Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise

Sean and Melinda Cool decided they wanted to watch a stage of the Tour de France in France rather than on TV. It took quite a lot of preparation and they were kind enough to come on the podcast to share how they pulled it off. It's a lot of preparation, so take a listen, take out your pen and paper because 2023 could be the year you do it too! They were in person for the stages of Carcassonne, Foix and Peyragudes, so they did this 3 times! They did not bring their own bikes, but rented bikes locally and that worked out for them as well. There will be another episode soon with folks who brough their own bikes over from the US to follow the Tour. Why watching a stage of the Tour de France in France is wonderful You don't get to chat with fellow Tour enthusiasts when you watch the Tour on TV They had good luck with a bike shop called Evadeo in Carcassonne, recommended You can ride along the Canal du Midi Getting stuff like shirts and hats from the Caravan Use the Tour de France App Ask Tourist Offices about road closures, they'll know a few days before the Tour People following the Tour in their RV   Table of Contents for 'Watching a stage of the Tour de France in France' with links to the text transcript   [00:00:14] Intro [00:00:37] Today on the podcast [00:01:00] Supporters of the podcast [00:01:31] Thank you new patrons [00:02:55] Join us on Patreon [00:03:55] Show notes and transcript [00:04:21] Next week on the podcast [00:04:39] Supporting Elyse [00:04:58] Feedback and newsletter [00:05:56] Melinda and Sean [00:06:48] The difference between being there in person and watching it on tv [00:09:00] The stages they followed [00:10:16] Why Carcasonne [00:11:16] Shakeout rides [00:12:13] Bike rides from Carcassonne to Trèbes [00:13:34] Gravel bike for rides along the Canal du Midi [00:16:03] Tips for Riding Bikes Around Carcassonne [00:17:25] Be Careful with Google Biking Directions [00:18:16] About Restaurants in Carcassonne [00:20:24] Everyone is more relaxed in Carcassonne [00:20:50] Eating too much foie gras while waiting for the Tour to come by! [00:22:23] Boulangerie in Carcassonne [00:23:53] Public transpot in Carcassonne[00:23:53] Figuring out the local bus company [00:24:44] The Caravan of the Tour de France [00:27:02] Getting the good stuff as the Caravan goes by [00:27:49] You can buy official jerseys at the start and finish lines [00:29:07] Watching a stage of the Tour de France in Foix [00:29:36] Beware of Road Closures around the Tour de France [00:31:53] Made some friends [00:33:56] Last stop [00:34:54] Chasing the cyclists [00:36:20] Following the race action on the app [00:36:24] Following the race live with the Tour de France App [00:36:51] Staying informed about road closures [00:38:18] Was it all they had hoped? [00:39:03] Tips for riding the tour yourself [00:41:05] The route of the 2023 Tour should be announced soon   More episodes about active vacations in France FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Support the Show Tip Your Guides Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise Read more about this episode Transcript  Categories: Active Vacations in France, France How To

Annie and Elyse chat about their favorite classic French soups. Some are famous (Bouillabaisse, French Onion Soup, Vichyssoise). We are sure you've never heard of many of them (Garbure, Bourriquette, La Rotie). Get ready to go on an exploration of lots of soups you might want to make at home! Long ago, French people ate a lot of bread and they made all sorts of soups to get them through the winter. You'll see by listening to the episode that they used the vegetables that keep easily through the winter in every region of France. And that makes a lot of sense. One thing that doesn't make too much sense is that soups are not on the menu often in French restaurants. If you go to a starred restaurant, they might serve you a small serving of a delicious soup as part of the experience, but it's never the main meal. The exception to that is French Onion Soup that's served as a main meal in a lot of restaurants. You'll find Bouillabaisse on the menu in Marseille and in Provence. But it's unusual in France to find soups on the main menu. Our recommendation? Make these classic French soups at home! You'll find several of Annie's recipes in her cookbook Join Us at the Table. Another way to get Annie's recipes is to become one of her patrons. Table of Contents for 'Classic French Soups' with links to the text transcript [00:00:13] Intro [00:00:34] Today on the podcast [00:01:37] Thank you, patrons [00:02:20] Newsletter [00:03:10] Annie and Elyse about classic French Soups [00:03:56] Soup and Bread [00:05:27] How much Bread a French person eats? [00:07:43] How many boulangeries we have in France? [00:09:07] How do you get good soups in France today? [00:10:27] Classic French Soups you should try at home [00:10:54] Chestnut Soup [00:12:51] Vichyssoise [00:14:41] Garbure [00:16:05] Bouillabaisse [00:17:33] Consommé [00:19:04] French restaurants usually don’t serve soup [00:19:32] Tourin [00:21:06] Aigo Boulido [00:22:06] Bajana or Badjana from Cévènnes [00:22:39] Bourriquette [00:23:34] Bréjaude, root soup [00:25:02] One pig per year [00:26:26] Le Brésou [00:26:50] La Cousinette [00:27:36] Elzekaria [00:27:58] Jimboura [00:28:44] Moiuyzillars [00:29:00] Panade [00:29:32] Patranque [00:30:28] La Rotie [00:31:33] Soupe a l’échalote [00:32:02] Soupe à la bierre [00:32:22] Soupe de Bricolin [00:33:54] Faire chabrot [00:35:21] Carrot soup by Elyse [00:36:58] Mushrooms soup by Elyse [00:38:29] Soups in restaurants [00:40:19] Cold cherry soup [00:42:14] Thank you, patrons [00:42:38] New patrons this week [00:43:06] Preparing a trip to France? [00:43:49] Self-guided tours [00:44:36] This week in French News [00:47:46] Personal update this week [00:48:54] Should you rent an electric car in France? [00:52:05] Clean air zones in France [00:53:26] Next week on the podcast More episodes about French food and wine FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Read more about this episode Show Notes Transcript  Category: French Food & Wine #frenchfoodie #frenchsoups #frenchfoodiesgirls #frenchfoodlovers #frenchfoodunplugged #france #podcast #joinusinfrance

The big question for today's episode of the podcast is, when a French professor visits France, where does she go? The other question is, how do you make progress in French when people in Paris all speak English? Brooke Koss is a French professor in Texas. She's spent a lot of time in France and her visits are a sort of whirlwind of activity going from friend's house to friend's house all over France. She calls herself a "Stéphanoise" which means someone from  Saint-Etienne. It's very much off the beaten track for most visitors and yet has a lot to offer. Listen to this episode to find out why! More episodes about traveling through France with children FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Discussed in this Episode Brittany (Bretagne) Paris Saint Etienne Lyon The Rhône Alpes area Toraine Dordogne Roscoff Ile de Batz Les Jardins Suspendus de Marqueysac Saint Etienne Museum Museum Pilat Sainte-Maries-de-la-Mer Camargue Auvergne Issoire Lac Pavin (an eerie circular lake) Vulcania Le Puy de Sancy Le Pal Le Chateau de Val Michelin tires museum Support the Show Tip Your Guides Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise

The mysterious Standing Stones around Carnac make a strong impression on most people. Why would anyone line up so many huge stones over such a long distance? What was their purpose? How did they do it? We don't have all the answers in this episode of the podcast, but we can help you plan a great trip to the standing stones of Brittany! What we can say for a fact is that large alignment of stones such as the one we see in Carnac are evidence of purposefulness. The people who created this structure were capable of planning a complex project. In a world that was still largely natural, this set them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Perhaps that was the whole point? Affirming their human nature as thinking, planning people? Table of Contents for 'Standing Stones around Carnac in Brittany' with links to the text transcript   [00:00:14] Intro [00:00:38] Today on the podcast [00:01:04] Podcast supporters [00:01:22] The Newsletter [00:02:21] Annie and Elyse about the Standing Stones [00:02:33] Why the stones were made [00:02:59] The towns in the area [00:04:00] What are the Standing Stones? [00:05:15] What’s a Menhir? [00:05:56] There are different kinds of standing stones [00:07:03] How they put them together [00:08:38] The orientation of the stones [00:10:28] Associated with the first farmers [00:11:32] Carnac, a World Heritage Site [00:12:35] Visiting Carnac [00:14:29] What could you do with the stones? [00:17:19] Standing stones are as mysterious as painted caves [00:18:12] The stones are marked, named, and described [00:19:12] The Dolmen as burial stones [00:19:40] How is a Dolmen different from a Menhir? [00:22:26] Cairn of Le Petit Mont in Arzon [00:24:46] Other places not to miss in the area [00:29:07] Perfect area to visit for people who like to be outside [00:31:24] The legend of Saint Cornely [00:34:14] Biking around Carnac [00:35:25] Riding Your Bike in France [00:35:53] This part of Brittany is great for slow travel [00:37:43] Weather in Brittany [00:38:50] Outro [00:39:22] New patrons and video update [00:39:59] Bootcamp [00:40:32] Preparing a trip to France? [00:40:53] Itinerary consultant [00:41:52] VoiceMap Tours [00:42:28] Travel question of the week: Train Conductors and getting told off [00:47:09] Personal Update [00:47:42] French people are not used to paying for medical care [00:51:30] Next week on the podcast More episodes about Brittany Episode Page | Show Notes | Transcript

Jennifer Gruenke became an accidental Francophile when she had an opportunity to spend a month in France through a Rotary Club exchange program in her twenties. This program took her through the heartland of France with cities like Montluçon, Saint-Julien, Périgueux, Rodez, Aurillac, Le Puy-en-Velay, and Anvers. This was a long time ago, and she enjoyed it so much that she learned French using cassette tapes! On her first trip to France, Jennifer found French people open and welcoming. She finds that is still the case today. She realized that while average French people don't have as much money as the average American; they take the time to enjoy a simple life. That appealed to her a great deal. She earned enough to retire early, sold everything, and moved to Paris with two large suitcases. She's now been in Paris for a year and she plans to stay because she loves both the lifestyle and the city. Her story will give encouragement to folks who aren't wealthy but would love to enjoy living a simple life in Paris. Jennifer shares the names of companies that helped her move successfully. Among them Interactive Brokers (to move money around with low fees), Mondassure (for health insurance), and LCL (but she could not make any French on-line bank accept her as a customer as she explains in the episode).   Table of Contents for 'An Accidental Francophile Moves to Paris' with links to the text transcript   [00:00:00] Intro [00:00:36] Today on the podcast [00:01:09] Podcast supporters [00:01:28] Join Us in France Newsletter [00:03:16] Accidental Francophile [00:04:03] Exchange Program and Trip [00:04:50] Learning French [00:06:27] Arrived in France with Stereotypical Ideas [00:07:45] Montluçon [00:08:47] Aligot [00:09:22] Anvers [00:09:51] La France Profonde [00:10:48] People are Hospitable [00:13:03] Joining Associations Helps [00:14:33] Conversation Exchange [00:16:02] How did the move happen? [00:16:27] Making money from the housing market [00:18:56] Applied for a visitor visa first [00:20:15] The cost to get a visa [00:21:27] Necessary income to live in France [00:22:40] In Paris, rent is the biggest expense [00:23:12] Lodging [00:24:17] You need local pros to help with rentals [00:25:38] The first apartment [00:26:51] Found a better studio apartment [00:29:05] An small apartment in Paris can be as much as a house in the French countryside [00:30:07] Keeping a US phone number with Google Voice [00:33:11] Banking and getting a French bank account [00:34:07] Opening account with N26 [00:34:59] LCL Bank [00:36:40] Brokerage [00:40:09] Cost of healthcare [00:40:14] The cost of healthcare in France [00:40:17] Marker [00:42:25] Why French doctors are so cheap compared to American doctors [00:43:08] What Americans pay to get into the French healthcare system [00:44:04] Is France an Expensive Place to Live? [00:44:35] Season fruit is not so good at Lidl [00:46:02] What happens when the tourist visa expires? [00:47:25] Does she intend to stay for several years? [00:51:29] Thank you, patrons[00:51:29] Outro [00:52:12] Bootcamp and Patreon [00:52:25] Elyse’s Patreon [00:53:15] Preparing a trip to France? [00:54:36] Self-guided tours [00:55:06] Travel News – Weekend du Patrimoine 2022 [00:56:20] No cars allowed in Paris weekend [00:57:27] Jean-Luc Godard [00:59:04] Personal Update [01:00:22] Something wonderful and unexpected [01:01:38] Show notes More episodes about Moving to France FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter