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Ready to learn about Christmas with a French flavor? In this episode Annie talks about the real story of Christmas as far as French people are concerned. And because it’s Christmas and we all want a nice giggle, I will also tell you about the French film classic about Christmas called “Le Père Noël est une Ordure”, definitely not your average Christmas movie and I’ll tell you why it’s been such a big hit in France for decades! Christmas with a French Flavor: Le Père Noël est une ordure Le Père Noël est une ordure. This movie came out in 1982 and it wasn’t a big hit at first because it is quirky, and I should probably say extremely quirky! But, seeing that it’s one of the few movies about Christmas made in France and it was cheap to buy, TV stations started showing it every year and it grew on us. American Remake: Mixed Nuts There is a remake of it called Mixed Nuts with Steve Martin and that one came out in 1994. It’s a similar story line, but not as gritty as the French version. The preview is really funny, it’s on Amazon Prime. It wasn’t popular for a Norah Ephrom film, but we’ll watch it on Christmas day because it seems fitting for 2020! La Troupe du Splendid Pere Noel est une ordure is from the same group of folks who brough us Les Bronzés, they were a theater troupe who started making movies and all of them became cult movies. Les Bronzés came out in 1978, Les Bronzés font du Ski in 1979 and Le Père Noël est une Ordure in 1982. It started out as a play with the same cast and that’s why almost everything in the movie happens in the same room. The actors didn’t think anybody would like this movie because it’s so over the top, but it did! And all the actors in the troupe got extremely popular individually leading to the group splitting up and reuniting only on occasion. Santa Is a Piece of Garbage The title Le Père Noël est une Ordure means Santa is a piece of garbage. Can you imagine the big ads in the metro with that title? There are a lot of kids reading the ads in the Paris metro! The RATP refused to advertise it with that title so they toned it down and they advertised it as Les Bronzés Fêtent Noël which is Les Bronzés (the ones who are tanned literally) celebrate Christmas. That was based on their first two movies that had been big hits. Volunteers at a Suicide Help Line The premise of the show is a group of people who volunteers at a suicide help line on Christmas Eve. Suicide help lines were brand new in France and there were a lot of ads with the phone number on TV and radio and all that. Christmas movies are typically feel-good but this is a cast of people who are all miserable. Not just the folks who call the suicide help line, they are all miserable and misfits of one sort or another. Basic Plot of Le Père Noèl Est Une Ordure The movie opens with Pierre is a stuffy, self-righteous volunteer at a telephone helpline for depressed people. He has a well-meaning but naïve co-worker called Thérèse. They are stuck with the Christmas Eve shift in the Paris office and they are not happy about it. The building's lift is malfunctioning, and they receive visits from unwanted callers: Katia, a depressed transvestite who tries to hit on Pierre, M. Preskovic who lives in the same building and always turns up unexpectedly to offer them various unappetizing pastries and Josette, a heavily pregnant woman on the run from her violent fiancé Félix. Félix (the violent husband) is working as a Santa Claus during the season and turns up on her trail in costume and brandishing a gun. Félix and Josette, a caricature trailer trash couple, end up struggling over the gun and accidentally shooting dead the lift repairman, whom they then butcher and feed to zoo animals. Cheerful Christmas movie, right?! Classic Lines The way classic movies work in France (and anywhere really) is that people memorize some of the lines and use them at opportune moments. One such line is “c’est fin, c’est très fin, ça se mange sans faim » It’s a play on words in French between homonyms “fin” which means fine or delicate and “faim” which means hunger. The guy who keeps bringing them horrible foods from Hungary brings them Christmas chocolates from his country. They look awful, he tells them they are hand made the traditional way and rolled under the armpit and she says c’est fin, c’est très fin, ça se mange sans faim”. So, we’ve been saying that ever since about anything we don’t want to eat. Tasteless Jokes Another joke which they kept in the American version is the guy who calls and says I’m at the end of my rope what shall I do and the woman Josette can’t hear him right and wants him to press a button. So, he pulls the trigger. Dark humor indeed. There’s the woman who volunteers to make gloves for unfortunate people in India who suffer from leprosy. The Red Cross asked her to make gloves with only 3 fingers and she complains that it would be easier to make mittens. So, Pierre jokes why don’t we just send them socks instead? Ah ah ah very Parisian laugh that makes the rest of France laugh at them and their haughty ways. But once they’re done laughing, the viewer may understand that they are making fun of well-meaning entitled Parisians who say horrible things because they have no idea about poverty and they are a little bit crazy themselves. Anyway, I’m not going to tell you the whole story, but this is a definite satire of both well-meaning volunteers and of poor people. Generally speaking in movies, the poor are depicted as good unfortunate folks. In this movie they are jerks! They thieve, lie, and kill. The poor are not nice because they have to fight for their survival. It’s a crazy story and French people love it! Maybe you would too, just keep in mind that it’s a crazy story that violates a lot of norms and makes us laugh about it. A Brief History of Christmas Nicolas de Myra in Turkey was born of wealthy parents called Epiphane and Jeanne in the year 270. They say he stood up in his bath on the day of his birth, which gave them great hope for his future. As an adult he turned away from all entertainment and loved to spend time in churches. He memorized the Holy Books. These were the early days of Christianity where it was spreading from Jerusalem towards Europe and to the East. Many new churches sprung up all over and were the source of great interest everywhere. We know all this from a book written by an Italian author Jacobus de Varagine who wrote a book called The Golden Legend in the 1200s. His book chronicled the life of saints and martyrs of the Catholic church. Among them was Saint Nicolas whose life can be summarized in one word: generosity. Having inherited much wealth from his parents Nicolas decided to do good in the world. One day he heard about a poor desperate man in his city had decided to sell his 3 daughters into prostitution so they could all survive. In secret, Nicolas threw gold pieces into the family’s window. But the destitute man saw him and ran to him to express his gratitude. Nicolas made him promise to keep the whole affair a secret. When the Bishop of Myra died, Nicolas was chosen to become the new Bishop. Despite getting the great honor of becoming a Bishop, Nicolas remained humble and faithful. He also performed several miracles. The most famous is when he saved 3 princes who were visiting from Rome and were the victim of a terrible injustice. The Golden Legend We learn from the Golden Legend (the book that chronicles the lives of Saints) that the 3 princes asked for Nicolas’ protection and put themselves under his benevolent care. Nicolas prayed so ardently for the welfare of these princes that he appeared in a dream to the Emperor Constantine the Great asking why these princes were held unjustly. In the dream Constantine heard him command that he should get up right away and set them free or else he would ask God to bring war to Constantine, a war that would destroy him. Who are you exclaimed Constantine to appear in my palace and dare speak like that? Nicolas replied that he was the humble Bishop of Myra, that’s who. Setting the Birth of Jesus to December 25th Let’s stop for one second on Constantine the Great. He was the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. He did it on his death bed, but he was the first. And during his life he made laws to allow his people to worship as they saw fit. He is the one who called the Council of Nicaea in 372 that set many rules for Christianity, Nicolas attended this council. The purpose of this council was to smooth over the differences between all Christian churches and unite them under one set of beliefs. The credo they wrote was adopted by most Christian churches even if interpretations differed over time. This council is where the date for the birth of Christ was set and they all agreed on December 25th. At the time it was rare for anyone to celebrate a birthdate. Emperors and Kings did it, but regular people had no idea what day they were born and did not celebrate birthdays. Up until then Easter was the major Christian celebration, it is the holiday that marks the resurrection of Christ. Christmas Taking Over Saturnalia Why did they pick December 25th? Because of the established holiday called Saturnalia this was a holiday during which it was forbidden to execute a prisoner or start a war. For Romans, December 25th was the date of the winter solstice. Saturn was a God of agriculture. This was a time period (which lasted a week or so) during which masters could behave like slaves and slaves like master. It was a time of freedom and celebration when one could speak their minds and be themselves. December 25th was the day of the invincible sun, the day when days start to get longer. OK, we know now that it’s Dec 21st, but let’s cut them some slack. The Religion of Mithra Loses to Christianity The religion Mithra-ism was also a major player in the early 300s. This religion came from Persia and was spreading rapidly through Roman soldiers who went all over Europe. Mithra was the divinity of light and truth and the divinity called Mithra was born on December 25th. The birth of Mithra was celebrated by slaughtering a bull and spilling his blood on the ground to bring better harvests. Mithra-ism was in direct competition with Christianity, but choosing December 25th as both the birth of Christ and the birth of Mithra would bring Jesus forward as the sun of justice and light of the world as decreed by the Council of Nicaea. So if you’ve heard that Christmas was set in order to celebrate rebirth and fight against pagan rituals, you were correct. But it is more than that. Christmas is an anchor in time that repeats every year, as immutable as the seasons themselves. Miraculous Oil of Saint Nicolas Nicolas is said to have died form a fever on December 6, 343. And the amazing news spreads to all his followers: an oil is coming out from the body of the Bishop. It is a magical oil that health all disease. December 6th is now became a holy day marked in the Catholic calendar as Saint Nicolas Day. This is a day when he is worshiped and praised. In 1087 Italian sailors went to Myra and took his reliquary back with them. This increased the importance of worshiping Saint Nicolas. The God Odin The stories of Saint Nicolas also coincided with other miraculous events, such as the story of the God Odin in the north of Europe who moved through the air on a horse and wore a long white beard. The Christians in these regions integrated these stories into the story of Christmas where it gained a lot of symbols that are familiar to us today. They also integrated the symbol of the yule log which was a special log you burned for special occasions at the beginning and is now a tree you bring into your home or a cake decorated as a log if you’re French. The Nativity Scene Christmas is a sponge for symbolism coming from stories from all over Europe and the Middle East. One more example: the Nativity Scene also started in the Middle Ages with Saint Francis of Assisi who was the founder of the Franciscan order. He introduced the living Nativity scene in churches and that had to get more discrete and was represented as small figurines around the time of the French Revolution because at that time you could get in serious trouble for being overtly religious. Le Père Fouettard Saint Nicolas developed a reputation for being the protector of children. He comes down the chimney on Dec 6th to bring gifts to faithful children who left their shoes out to dry near the hearth. And soon in Germany, Saint Nicolas got a side man called Knecht Ruprecht which in France got twisted into Le Père Fouettard who looked like Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. This character appeared in 1522 after the siege of Metz. Père Fouettard, aka the German Emperor, punished unruly and ingrate children. He was supposed to frighten children when Saint Nicolas was all kindness. They traveled together, one taking care of the good kids while the other whipped the bad ones (fouetter means the whip in French). Dec 25th Wins Over Dec 6th But in the 1700s the stories of Saint Nicolas came to a sudden stop in much of Europe because protestants didn’t like the worship of saints. But the good Protestant people in Holland decided that they would just hang on to just one Saint. They called him Santa Claus in their language and his feast was celebrated on December 6th. Methinks they had Saint Nicolas in mind, don’t you? Santa Claus made its way from Holland to New Amsterdam, to be renamed New York later. Many Dutch settled in New Amsterdam in 1625, they brought in their suitcase the tradition of celebrating Santa Claus on December 6th. From there it spread to English settlers of America and many preferred to associate this happy winter celebration with the birth of Jesus than to a Catholic Saint. That’s how Christmas moved to December 25th. A Visit from Saint Nicolas Now Santa started delivering his gifts in the night of December 24th instead of December 5th because that didn’t feel so Catholic. In 1823 an American pastor called Clement Clarke Moore, he was an Episcopalian who, as far as I can see seem like the American version of Catholicism or Anglicans. He published a poem anonymously called A Visit from Saint Nicolas also known as Twas the Night Before Christmas. The story came to him one day as he went shopping using his sleigh which was his usual mode of transportation. He borrowed story elements from a local Dutch handyman as well as the historical Saint Nicolas that he had learned about in Divinity school. He made up the reindeer, but he probably knew about Odin and his magical horse and long white beard. By the time Moore admitted that he was the author 8 other people had claimed authorship because this was a huge success.  People are still arguing about who was the author and I’m in no position to take a side in this hot burning topic. Drawing Santa 40 years later, a who talented caricaturist called Thomas Nast who also drew Uncle Tom with his tall hat and stripped pants drew Santa who now got rid of his Bishop attire and now wearing a red cape with white trim, a big belly and a wide leather belt. In the same series of drawings he represented two children who follow the path Santa takes between the north pole and the US. Santa as we know him today was born out of the imagination of Thomas Nast and he is definitely a character from the North. Santa and Coca Cola This figure became popular all over the western world through advertising. Waterman pens used him in 1907, then Michelin in 1919 and Colgate in 1920. This jolly character was great for advertising products! And the Coca Cola brand refined Santa as we know him today. In 1931 Haddon Sundblom  drew himself as the jolly Santa we know today. A large jolly man dressed in white holding a Coca Cola bottle. I’ll point you to a blog post where you can see all these images in the show notes because I don’t have rights to them. The whole idea was to inspire people to drink Coke in the middle of the winter. Before then Santa was pictured with snacks or cakes, Sundblom changed all that. French Christmas Traditions What a long way Santa has come since the early 200s! The reason why this happened is because we all love a wonderful holiday, be it religious or commercial. And a story that comes back around every year gets richer every time it is told. Of course in France we have our traditions that are different from what I experienced in America. For one thing, I had never seen a glut of gifts the way I did in American families. In France gifts are mostly for children. Grown ups may have one or two gifts, but kids rake in dozens. In France when there are little kids in the family we don’t put any gifts under the tree, they all get revealed on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning when someone declares they heard some strange noise in the other room, let’s go see! In my family we sing the old classic Petit Papa Noël to make Santa come. And we don’t use stockings, presents appear next to our shoe. We also dress a beautiful table. No eating out of disposable anything on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. What are the foods of Christmas in France? Oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, duck, turkey, bûche de Noël (which I buy), lots of chocolates, lots of Champagne. Activities include playing with new toys which these days often include video games, chatting, cooking, drinking, dancing around like fools, you know, same-old, same-old. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas because this holiday has become so big that almost everyone celebrates it all over the world. It’s not about a Catholic Saint so much is it? I’m told they do big celebrations in Asia and in Africa, everywhere really. Christmas by now has become a world-wide feast, and in a year like 2020 we could all use a few days of celebrations! Paris fined for having too many women in charge: news article. More episodes about Christmas in France FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter     Category: Christmas in France

This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon. When you live in Toulouse, as Elyse and Annie do, taking a trip to Gaillac wine country is quite easy. But should you do it next time you visit France? Listen to this episode and decide for yourself! On this drive, Elyse visited two small towns, one is Rabastens and the other is L'Isle-sur-Tarn and in between they stopped along the Gaillac wine route. A lot of this follows the gorgeous Tarn river and it can easily be done as a day trip from Toulouse. But you need a car or bicycle or wheels of some sort to do this. About Gaillac Wines Elyse is not a big fan of Bordeaux wines and Bourgogne are generally too expensive. But she loves Gaillac wines because they are quite unique. But, of course, when it comes to wine you should drink what you like! Gaillac wines are the oldest ones in France. When the Romans arrived in this area they soon found out that they made good wine here with their own grape varieties. Some of these grape varieties are still around, most are not. The Romans were really good at creating trading routes. But when the Roman Empire fell, a lot of the wine economy of this area fell into great difficulties and they didn't export wine for a long time. Later when monasteries were established all around the South West, they started making wine and selling it. They used the ancestral grape varieties and brought in new ones. Starting in the 800s and 900s Gaillac wines started to make a name for themselves. Even kings wanted to import this wine! It helped that you could navigate the Tarn and the Gironde using a boat called a "gabare". This made it possible to take the wine by boat all the way to the ocean in Bordeaux. Once the people who controlled access to the port in Bordeaux started to impose taxes they made Gaillac wines too expensive compared to Bordeaux wines and people forgot about Gaillac wines over time. But it's since made a big come-back and it's wonderful to see how many small producers make great wine in this area. Grape Varieties Used in the Gaillac Region In this area they use grape varieties called Loin de l'oil, and Mauzac and they are both unique to this area. They also use Muscadel and Sauvignon Blanc. Duras and Braucol are used in reds  and are unique to this area. You'll also find a little bit of Servadou noir. They make every sort of wine including whites, reds, a little bit of rosé, and a few sparkling wines. A very good bottle of Gaillac costs much less than a good bottle of Bordeaux or Burgundy. Why Are There So Many Pigeon Towers in the South West? There are pigeon towers all over France, but you'll see them especially in the south west of France. Some have fallen into disrepair, but many are being renovated. Even the broken down ones are protected and look really nice. Pigeon towers are there because the Counts of Toulouse and later the King of France decreed that to make Gaillac wines you needed to fertilize the land with pigeon poop and not cow manure. Bird fertilizer doesn't leave any specific odors or acidic taste in the soil, so it was the best way to fertilize. This is why piegon towers popped up all over the countryside so they could gather up bird excrement and use it on their land! Driving Around Gaillac Wine Country Elyse started her visit in the town of Rabastens then hopped on the D18, see map below. Along the way there are 5 chateaux that are open to the public. In the winter they are open by appointment and on week-ends, but in the summer months they keep longer hours. They drove a small section of the local wine road. When you visit you'll see signs directing you to the many more places. They went to Domaine de Mazou, Domaine Sarrabelle, Mas de Rious, Michel Issaly and Château de Saurs. It's lovely countryside driving surrounded by vineyards. Château de Saurs is special because they have an actual old château and this is the oldest wine producing chateau in the Gaillac area. It's a large wine producer, they have an italianate style garden and you can taste the wine. Elyse got to meet the "chatelaine". She's from the same family that created the Entrecôte and they supply Saurs wine to the restaurant. The chatelaine came across as a tad "hautaine" which means that she knows she's the cat's meow. Rabastens, L'Isles-sur-Tarn and Gaillac When you drive this route you should stop at these two charming towns and take a look around their historical center. Both Rabastens and L'Isle-sur-Tarn are dynamic because they attract younger families. The attraction is that they are pretty towns with reasonable real estate prices. From those towns you also have easy access to Toulouse via the freeway. Rabastens Rabastens is a cute town. Part of it is buit-up high up on cliffs above the Tarn river. There are wonderful old houses that are well-taken care of. The church, Notre Dame de Bourg has a facade that's classified as a UNESCO World Heritage. It's on the route de Compostelle. It's a charming small town with a funky little museum with a section on wine-making, archeology, roman ruins,  crafts, painting. L'Isle-sur-Tarn You might think from the name that this town is on an island, but it's not. It's called that because it's on a bend of the Tarn river. This is a bastide built in the middle of the 1200s on a grid system. The bastide center is lovely, has a huge open square and market. Like most bastides, the church is not on the center square. There are local houses called "pontet" where the houses connect from one side of the road to the other. Gaillac Gaillac itself is not particularly pretty or charming. It used to be somewhat decrepit and is trying to find its second wind. It is the center of wine distribution. You can visit the Abbey Saint Michel wine producer. The building is no longer an Abbey. They offer tasting of all the different wine producers of the area. More day trips from Toulouse FOLLOW US ON: Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter     Discussed in this Episode Rabastens Lisle-sur-Tarn D18 Chateau de Saurs Domaine de Mazou Domaine Sarrabelle Mas de Rious Michel Issaly Loin de l'oil Mauzac Muscadel Sauvignon Blanc Duras Braucol Servadou noir The reason why we have pigeon towers in France Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Champagne Region, Episode 11 Wine Museum in Paris, Episode 124 French Wine Q&A for Beginners, Episode 162 The Saint Vincent Tournante Burgundy Wines Festival, Episode 98 Wine Touring in Beaune, Burgundy, Episode 128 French Wine Regions and Loire Valley Wines, Episode 28 Burgundy Region and Wine, Episode 57 Categories: Day -Trips from Toulouse, Toulouse Area

This episode of the podcast is a conversation with Suzanne Saxe-Roux about buying and renovating houses in France, and not just anywhere in France but in the beautiful south-east! Renovating a house in Provence has been a dream for many people since the books by Peter Mayle. You should listen to this episode so you understand how the French real estate system works because it's not what you're used to! Suzanne and her husband wrote a book about their adventure and it’s called Courage and Croissants and while I haven’t read the book and we don’t talk about it much in the interview, having published my first book myself, I have renewed admiration for those who complete the task! Renovating Houses in Provence Real estate prices being what they are in Provence, finding a lovely fixer-upper is a goal for a lot of people. They fell in love with the town of Uzès and they ended up finding a place to buy in a village 4 kilometers away from Uzès. It is  called Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie. Village House in Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie They were young, didn't have a lot of money and split their time between France and the US. The first house they were interested in was a horrible mess, so it's just as well it didn't work out. But they persisted and Suzanne's husband came back to France in the winter when there are better deals because real estate slows down a lot. He found another place in the same village that was also in terrible shape but they were able to buy it at a good price because the sellers needed cash fast. They could only spend some time there in the summer. Each time they would chip away at one project or another. One year they hired a plumber to redo a bathroom. They trusted this person to do the work while they were away and he did an amazing job. And every year they did that with a different room and a different project. This was an old "maison de village" where long ago the animals lived on ground level and people lived above. It also had a "cave" which means a cellar. This sort of house is generally basic. A gas stove that runs on a gas canister, a small kitchen table, a couple of plugs and that's it. This was a lovely house for them to visit in the summer, it was pleasant, neighbors were friendly, great area. Then they decided to move there to stay year-round for a few years. That's when they realized that a north facing house is great in the summer, but not very nice in the winter when it's dark and damp. Suzanne thinks that village houses are wonderful, but they are not for everybody. Space is limited and you probably won't have much of a garden or room for a pool. You generally only have natural light coming in from the front and the back so the middle section of the house is dark. But these sorts of village houses are great if you love to walk to get your every day necessities. The Advantages of Acquiring French at a Young Age Both Suzanne and Annie's daughters went to French school in the early grades and learned French between the ages of 5 and 10. As a result, they don't have an accent either in English or French. Americans don't know they're also French and French don't know they're also Americans. Five to ten seems to be  the sweet spot when a child is able to acquire a second native tongue. Most children who start learning a second language a little bit later (say at 13 or 14) can get to a high level of fluency, but many will never sound like a native. Suzanne can get by and do everything she needs to in French, but she has an accent. That's not a problem in France as French people think that Americans speaking French have a cute accent. When Suzanne's daughter got to high-school age, there wasn't a high school in the village. Most people sent their kids to a high school in Aix-en-Provence with an "internat" which means the kids spend the whole week at school. Suzanne didn't want to do that so they decided to sell their village house and buy an apartment in Montpellier. Sites for Buying and Selling Properties by Owner in France Suzanne sold her village house by owner and it sold pretty fast. She used French sites like Paru Vendu and Le Bon Coin. She also used Green Acres. To her it was worth the investment to list her property in a lot of places to sell by owner. They were able to recuperate everything they had invested in the the home and buy a new place, which was great. Buying an Apartment in Montpellier They were interested in the Montpellier area because it has great quality of life with the beach nearby and great public transportation. They found a 4 bedroom apartment two tram stops away from city center. It was see through with nice parks on both sides and a small terrace. It needed a lot of renovating, but they were OK with that. Their daughter then decided she'd rather do high school in San Francisco, so they decided to keep the apartment for summers and rent it out during the school year. They were able to rent it out well through Sabbatical Homes where they kept some of their stuff in the cellar and had a property manager to handle requests. They loved being in the city and near the beach at the same time. This was a great opportunity to decide if they wanted to live there long-term, but they decided they are country people. Renovating the Montpellier Apartment They had a friend who was renovating his house in France and he also took care of theirs as well. He took out a wall, renovated the kitchen, repainted the whole apartment. He did all in 5 months this while they were away living in San Francisco. You  have to remember that renovations in France never go fast. To renovate a kitchen for instance, you pick out some cabinets you like. To decide which cabinets exactly fit in your kitchen you'll need to talk to a kitchen designer. That'll take at least 2 weeks before you get an appointment . Then there's design time. The cabinets may take some time to be made. Then they won't measure for countertops until your cabinets are in place. You'll have wait until your countertops are manufactured and installed. Then there's a wait for the plumber, etc. If you're not a patient person, do not renovate anything in France! Ikea can get things done a little faster, but it has its drawbacks. Moving to a House with a Garden and a Pool While they were going back and forth between San Francisco and Montpellier, they started looking for a house that met all their criteria. They wanted things like: Sun (south facing) Fenced Pool Big enough Needed to include a cottage they could rent out Garden Walking distance to a village Price point No Multi-Listings in France There is no Zillow or MLS in France. You have to go to every realtor (agent immobilier in French) and see what they have for sale. She started with the Uzès area but prices were getting too high. They had to increase their geographical range. In the winter of 2018 they found a house in their old village they liked but it was going to be too much remodeling. There was another house Suzanne liked a lot on a site called Espaces Atypiques where they only take certain homes. They make people clean up and fix up before they list (this is not the case with most realtors in France!) Buying a House in Sauve French realtors are extremely weary of people who want more information about where the house is located exactly because they fear you'll use them to go information and not make the purchase through their services. But Suzanne found a realtor who understood that Americans are used to knowing where the property is. This was really important because Suzanne was flying to France to see these houses! Once this trusted realtor found a house that met 99% of the criteria Suzanne came to see it. In France if you offer full asking price they have to take it. They can't pit one potential buyer against another. This home is in Sauve between Montpellier and Alès. The area is great and they haven't been able to explore as much as they would like to because of Covid-19, but they live there full time now. Their biggest challenge is the garden because it's big. They don't want to remodel, only paint and decorative changes. Pools introduce some complications and you need to learn a lot of new skills and go to "piscine university". General Recommendations for Buying Property in France Rent in an area first Pay attention to local politics Be super clear on your criteria Be prepared to go to a bit of a different area if it meets the criteria Electric bikes are a good option if you're a little further from the stores (because in most villages parking a car can be difficult). Find a Realtor who will listen to you and look for criteria that matter to you Realtors can be pushy and think you owe them a commission just for signing up for their newsletter In France now you can also buy a house through a notaire directly and there are some advantages to that. If you know the village or town you want to be in, go to the notaire and ask if they have any houses for sale. They won't advertise them, but they probably have a few that you can go look at. At least that way you know exactly where the house is! The way French people look for houses is they ask around. Ask the notaire, ask the boulanger, ask the hair dresser. French people typically sell because they are getting a divorce. So if you hear about a couple divorcing keep your ear to the ground. It is best to make a cash purchase because Americans are not likely to be able to secure a home loan in France. Don't be adverse to moving. You can only step up if you're willing to suffer through the move. More episodes about moving to France Follow us on... Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter     Discussed in this Episode Uzès Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie Montpellier Paru Vendu Le Bon Coin Green Acres Sabbatical Homes Sauve Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Tips for Visiting Montpellier, France, Episode 105 Suzanne and her husband enjoying a Monaco Categories: French Customs & Lifestyle, Moving to France, Provence

  This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon. Aigues-Morte is a fortified city near Montpellier and Sète. It is part of the Petite Camargue. It is a marshland that is the delta of the Rhone river. This part of France used to be quite poor because there were no industries besides the salt trade. Aigues-Morte had its glory day in the 1100-1200 under Louis IX who was canonized and became Saint Louis. Aigues-Morte and Saint Louis Saint-Louis was extremely religious and that's why he brought back the Crown of Thorns to France and built the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. He went on several crusades, including the 7th crusade. He had departed to the crusade from various ports that belonged to the Italians. For the 7th crusade he decided to build a city that we talk about today. Building the Fortified City of Aigues-Morte Aigues-Morte is not on the Mediterranean sea directly, but it links to it through man-made canals. This allowed Saint-Louis to bypass Italian waters. There was a tower there built by Charlemagne in the 8th century. This was merely a tower to observe the arrival of possible assailants. The name "Aigues-Morte" means stagnant waters or more literally dead waters. It is the French Bayou without the aligators! It's only 20 miles from Montpellier and it's easy to get between the two cities. The original tower by Charlemagne is not there any more, they replaced it with the Tour Constance. It was a look-out tower and also a prison. The Constance Tower is 30 meters high and the walls are 6 meters thick. Louis IX decided to go on the 7th crusade in 1244. This particular crusade was not to "liberate" Jerusalem but rather to attack Egypt. They left for that crusade from Aigues-Morte when they could have used Marseille. Marseille was under the leadership of the Count of Provence, brother of Saint-Louis. But Louis IX didn't want to pay his brothers their due, which is why he developed Aigues-Morte. The city looks today very much like it did originally. There are ramparts and medieval buildings and streets. It is very quaint and pretty. There are little shops and it's pretty touristy. A Fortified City Aigues-Morte now has two towers. The second one came later, it's called Tour Carbonnière and this is where Louis IX's grand son, Philippe Le Bel, burned the Knights Templar. The city looks like what you'd imagine a fortified city should look like. They have towers, gates that lock, crenalations, etc. The vibe is very similar to what you find at Mont Saint Michel or Carcassonne. It normally attracts a lot of tourists because it is beautiful. Just walking around you get the feeling of what it was like. It is strange to have a city build out of nothing in France. Most places in France grew over time and you can tell that they've put old stone on top of old stone. But not there. This city was built out of nothing all at the same time. You'll find a lot of boutiques, shops with local specialties geared towards visitors. In the 1400s the build a port closer to the city so they could shorten the canal and access became easier. In the late 1700s the city almost disappeared because there was no economic activity in the area. Sel de Camargue The salt industry is huge in Camargue now. Fleur de Sel de Camargue is a great gift for you to take back after your next visit to France. It's inexpensive in France (between 3€ and 4€ at the grocery store) and it really makes a difference on steaks for example. You don't want to use it to salt the water for noodles (any old salt will do for that!) but it's great as a condiment on your table. It's super expensive online right now, possibly because of the pandemic, wait to get a few on your next visit. The Massacre of Italian Workers in 1893 Italian immigrant workers were the victim of racism and class warfare in 1893. This had to do with the salt business. There were two big salt businesses that started up again at the area but because there was an economic crisis many people were looking for work. The company went looking for cheap labor in northern Italy and this created tensions between the French and Italians. This led to riots and a massacre within the walls of the city. Aigues-Morte with Children This is a nice place to visit with kids who enjoy running around the fortified city. Walking around the city at night is lovely. You can take a boat that will take you to the Camargue to see the horses (it's called a "Manade") and you'll see beautiful birds. If the kids want to go to the beach take them to Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer nearby, it has a lovely long sandy beach. Louis IX aka Saint Louis He is the only French king to be an actual Catholic saint. "Saint Louis" is not a nickname, he was made a saint. This is because of his deep belief, the fact that he brought back the Crown of Thorns, and he also died during a crusade. He was religious in the extreme and so was his mother. More episodes about the Montpellier area Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price. Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Camargue and Gard Trip Report, Episode 115 Tips for Visiting Montpellier, France, Episode 105 The Best of Sète, Episode 107 Categories: French History, Montpellier Area

This episode of the podcast is a trip report about running a trail race in the Alps with lots of details about how trail races go in France. We also talk about learning French as an adult and how to put together a great family vacation in France. Annie's Favs on Amazon   My guest is Mollie Cummins from the beautiful alpine city of Park City, UT. She's used to running trail races at altitude, and yet the Trail du Tour des Fiz in the French Alps was definitely a challenge. Let's talk about what made it so. Hint: the weather had something to do with it! Mollie's Trail Race in the Alps Mollie would love to circumnavigate around the Mont Blanc aka Tour du Mont Blanc. But that was difficult to organize with children because it takes 5 days and the kids are too young for it. They knew they could only come to France in July, so she looked for races taking place in the Alps in July and found the Trail du Tour des Fiz that starts in a ski resort called Passy. It's in an area just north west of Chamonix. The race itself is at very high altitude. You shuttle to the start of the race from a large store and parking area (Mountain Store Decathlon). There Are Multiple Distances Offered There are multiple distances you can enter. There is a lot of vertical gain, more than what runners in the US are used to, it's very steep.  But if you're not up to a long steep race, they also offer a kid's race, a 15K (9 miles) up to 84K (50 miles) which is the full tour plus other races in between. Those Races Fill Up Fast! Mollie normally runs ultra races, she intended to run one of the longer races but it was full. So, she had to go with the 15K. This is a popular event, the longer one fills up within a day or two of opening up for booking. She was on a wait list for the 8 refuge tour (39 miles or 64K), but she didn't manage to get in, possibly due to a computer problem. Balcon des Fiz 15K Race But there was still space in the Balcon des Fiz race, a 15K. Her husband decided to join her for that race as well. It's nice because it doesn't take up the whole day. It's still very steep, you run up the ski slopes and go the various chalets. It's lovely, for instance you get to see the cows with the bells around their necks. Bad Weather Bad luck, it was a muddy and rainy day. Mollie doesn't mind running in the rain and playing in the mud, but she didn't get to see the scenic landscape because it was overcast that day. Mollie and her husband Brendan were the only two Americans in the race. It is uncommon for Americans to sign up for this race so they fussed over them when they crossed the finish line, which was lovely. When you finish the race they give you a special beer for racers and there's a meal catered by a local restaurant called La Poêle Géante that was the best post-race meal she ever had. It was cheap too around 10€. Mandatory Certificat Médical for Racers In France you need medical clearance to enter a race. They take this very seriously. If you don't submit the medical paperwork you will not run. Mollie found the form here. Some of these races also have mandatory lists of gear. In this particular race they had a list of gear but they didn't get checked. But in the longer races they do get checked and if they don't have the gear that will keep them safe they are booted out of the race. Rating the Organization of the Race The race is really well organized, well-marked. There are a good number of people ready to jump in just in case runners experience difficulties. But this is a long race, anyone who stops running for any reason needs to get dry clothes and stay warm. Runners should not abdicate their own responsibility when it comes to running this trail race safely. They shouldn't rely only on markings. They need to look at maps  and get familiar with the turns and terrain. They must have proper equipment. Ravitaillement: Water, Fruits, Small Cakes In the shorter race there were points where you could get water, drinks to replenish electrolytes, fruits, small cakes (gâteaux). For longer races they probably provided hot drinks and hot food. This was similar to what you normally get in an American race. Trail Races Are a Great Way to See France and Mingle with Locals Mollie recommends English-speaking runners sign up for races in France for the following reasons: Trail races in France are affordable Running such races puts you around locals Races give you an opportunity to practice your French It's a great way to see a lot without worrying too much about the logistics Pay attention to how steep those races are in the Alps if you're not used to it (the terrain was similar to the Wind River Mountains in WY). You may need to power hike up with poles. Unlike what Mollie has seen in the US, hiking poles are allowed in the Alps. Learning French as an Adult Mollie's daughter is in a French dual immersion program at school. But it seemed strange that the only person who could speak French in the family was only 8 years old who is in the 4th grade. So, Mollie decided to learn French too and she started listening to the Michel Thomas French language learning series while she runs in the morning. Learning was really enjoyable and she kept it up. She also hired an on-line tutor. She learned enough French that the people she talked to in French in France did NOT switch to English. That was encouraging and she has continued with her lessons through the University of Utah where she works as well. All the Alliance Française classes in the US have switched to Zoom lessons and you can take classes from all over the country now. French Learning Resources There are so many resources to learn languages now! You can read French newspapers from anywhere in the world and if you get stuck you copy and paste into Google Translate. You may want to listen to News in Slow French that you can get as a podcast as well and they provide transcripts. France Inter podcasts are great. For example Le 7/9, a morning show with news and music. Hondelate Raconte is true crime. Ça peut pas faire de mal which Annie has since started to listen to and is WONDERFUL! Actor Guillaume Galliene reads classic novels. Family Vacation in France Their daughter wanted to visit Paris and see the Eiffel Tower. Her husband and sons wanted to see the landing beaches in Normandy. In the end everyone loved the landing beaches in Normandy. The kids were enthralled by the stories and the magnitude of the events. The capability of human beings to do unfathomable things in horrible circumstances. They hired a private guide who came along with them in their car and was fantastic. His name was Christophe Rault. Mollie and her husband read Steven Ambrose's D-Day so they were familiar with the events, but the guide brought so much more to it! They were staying at a small farm and the guide met them early in the morning and stayed with them all day.  This allowed them to accommodate the kid's needs. The children were tired after 9 hours of touring Normandy, so they dropped off the kids at the farm and the adults kept going with the guide. The farm was called Englesqueville-la-Percée – Ferme de la Rouge Fosse. Canicule in the Loire Valley The day they were in the Loire Valley was really HOT and they were staying in the 3rd floor attic of an old house. They went looking for a swimming spot and they found one called "Baignade Naturelle" it was a wonderful cold spring fed pool. They couldn't let them in the pool with board shorts, so the boys swam in their underwear. Pools in France mandate tight-fitting swimwear. At the beach nobody cares, but public swimming pools do care. This is definitely a French idiosyncrasy: no board shorts or baggy shorts in French public pools. About the Mont-Saint-Michel The Mont-Saint-Michel is mobbed during the day and it is not a pleasant experience. They arrived late in the day, toured the monastery right before it closed. They spent the night on the Mont and left in the morning. They expected that the food wouldn't be the best of the trip. Mollie realized starting at 2 in the morning why this is so. People have to haul hand-trucks full of food and drink up the mountain for thousands of visitors each day. It's great to experience walking around the ramparts for the kids. Annie recommends people do not sleep on the Mont because it's difficult to haul a suitcase up there. But for Mollie and her family that was not going to be a problem. It's also mobbed and noisy. There's a bus that will take you to hotels off the Mont until midnight. They walked on the sand in the evening and enjoyed it. They found a fairly hard surface. Favorite Place in Paris The kids loved the Musée de l'Armée and it's walking distance to the Eiffel Tower and it's good to combine the two. The collection of armor is amazing there! Ask for the treasure hunt for the kids, it's fun! The WW2 exhibit is wonderful too. As is Napoleon's Tomb.   More episodes about active vacations in France Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price.   Discussed in this Episode Tour des Fiz Balcon des Fiz French learning resources Swimming in France Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Tour du Mont Blanc, Episode 206 Read more about this episode Guest Notes  Category: Active Vacations in France

I've always loved cooking and now that we can't eat out because of the pandemic, I am definitely cooking at home at lot! Aren't you? I would guess that most of us are in the same boat and can't go out to restaurants much. So we might as well make the most of it, right? Buy Join Us at the Table   As you probably know by now, I was born and raised in France. I moved to the US for college and ended up staying for 16 years. If I wanted genuine French food I had to cook it at home because the only French restaurants around me were silly fancy and not my style at all. In Salt Lake City they have this French restaurant called La Caille that has male waiters wearing silly shorts and women wearing sexy milk maid outfits. As if! These people wouldn't know a normal French restaurant if one hit them in the face. Maybe it's changed by now, I haven't been in at least 20 years. So I practiced cooking French meals using American ingredients. That's why I can tell you how it's done! I'm a regular French person and a good home cook. But French food still has this reputation of being fancy and difficult to make. Some of that is reputation is warranted. Trained chefs who compete for attention and Michelin stars go to great length in their professional kitchens. The super star of French food in America, Julia Child, trained at one of the most prestigious cooking schools in Paris. These people go to great length to make amazing food because it's their job. For the rest of us mere French mortals, we don't cook like that. We still love our classic French dishes, but we make the streamlined version at home. That's what I wanted to share with you in my new cookbook. I even put it on the cover: Easy French recipes anyone can make at home. I didn't shy away from the classics, they are achievable as well! My intention is to show you that you can do it, it's not rocket science. Have you met a French person? It's not like most of us go to cooking school! We learn at home and through practice. In the book I recommend you read the recipe you want to try in advance and make sure you have the ingredients you'll need. But that would be the same if you were cooking Chinese food or any other food. I think cooking failures come from the lack of attention. Maybe we've seen our mothers cook and they make it look easy, surely we can just wing it, right? Not really. So read the recipe all the way through once, decide when you want to make it, and jump right in! What's in Join Us at the Table? When you first open Join Us at the Table you see the gorgeous book cover. I must say thank you to my friend Brenda who was on episode 124 for pointing me towards that provider and cover. When I first saw it, it really spoke to me. And even though I went looking at other covers, I kept coming back to that one because it spoke to me. Brenda is an author herself and she has been pushing me to write a book for YEARS. Thank you, my friend. I must also thank the folks in the Secret Facebook Group who saw all the covers I was considering, voted on their favorite and told me why. I took all of that into consideration and made changes based on their comments. I decided to call the book Join Us at the Table as a tie-in to the name of this podcast and also because that’s exactly what I’d like all of you to do! Join us around a French table at least in spirit. The subtitle is Easy French recipes anyone can make at home. I chose that because that’s really the book I wanted to write. Classic French and yet easy enough for the average person to make at home. I have listeners all over the world too! Who knows where you are! But I know from listener stats that 95% of you are in the US, then Australia, Canada, France, then India, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Singapore and South Africa. But there are some listeners in most countries in the world. Imperial and Metric Measurements That’s why I included both imperial and metric measurements. Very few cookbooks do that by the way and I understand why, it’s a pain. I had to measure everything different ways and keep track carefully. I also had to round things up and down and make choices that made sense. There’s one recipe where I said use 1 cup of noodles and two testers told me that was either too much or too little. The truth is it depends on the shape of noodles you use. So, for that one I changed it to a weight measurement because that’ll work every time. The other reason to have metric measurements is that I hope you’ll bring this cookbook to France with you when you visit. And if you rent an apartment here you won’t find cups and teaspoons measurements. Your kitchen may have a scale and a graduated container with milliliters and centiliters, but it won’t have cups. And speaking of having different measuring standards in different countries, you know what else is different? Book publishing standards! I’ve released the book on Kindle as an eBook today. In the next few days I’ll make more versions available through Apple Books and Kobo and for the print version. But if you listen to this as soon as it’s released you won’t find all of them available just yet. Give it a few days. But if you buy the book on Kindle you can open it on your phone and your tablet and your computer. And of course, on your Kindle reader too. The advantage to opening this cookbook on a tablet, phone or computer is that you will be able to see the photos in color whereas most Kindle readers don’t display color. You can get the free Kindle App for your computer for instance and open the book there in full color. Adapting Classic French Foods to Various Dietary Requirements Back to what’s in the book. After the cover, you get to the table of contents. I chose to keep the French names for these recipes. Not because I’m stuck up snob, but because French is my first language and also because I know many of the book buyers will also be Francophiles and podcast listeners. They know these recipes by their French names! The other thing I did that I’ve never seen before is that I list variations on given recipes. There are a ton of vegan cookbooks and gluten-free cookbooks. But I know from experience that there can be people following different diets in the same household. Many of the recipes I share in this book can be made gluten-free or vegan or vegetarian just by making a few changes. I point those out as variations on a theme. So, underneath the normal TOC you’ll find a table with all the variations. So if you’re looking for a classic French dish that can be made gluten-free or vegan you can go straight to it. Then there’s the introduction where I tell you more about me, about my mother, about my influences when it comes to food. I also talk about French children and food. I talk about Terroir and why that matters. And I end with more practical consideration like a tip on how to protect your hands when you’re chopping vegetables. Some thank yous to close, and then we get into the recipes. Easy French Recipes You Can Make at Home Join Us at the Table is not a long cookbook. I didn’t want to deluge you with recipes you’ll never try. I wanted to give you just a few (28 made it to the final cut) that you can try within a few weeks. And I’ll assign a recipe per week that we’ll discuss on social media and then I’ll report on the podcast. That will start next week. I want cooking from this book to be an experience more than a thing you buy and forget. Salad Recipes So, the book starts with 3 salad recipes. Salade de Chèvre Chaud which I’m sure you’ve had at restaurants because it’s a classic. Would you like to have it at home? I tell you how in Join Us at the Table! Next is the classic French vinaigrette. Have you noticed how small the salad dressing isle is at French supermarkets? That’s because we make our own salad dressings at home and I share my favorite there. Then we move on to Salade Niçoise. Ooh, that one is marvelous and it’s one of those people like to argue about what goes in it and what doesn’t. I definitely have an opinion about that! Then we move on to Fish. I start with Moules à la Normande, you know the lovely mussels with a creamy sauce from Normandy? Those! And it’s easy to make! And then we go all the way across France to Nice in Provence with the Pissaladière which is a sort of pizza with lots of onions and anchovie. But it’s good also without the anchovies for vegetarians. Easy to make and not something you’ve had a million times I bet! Appetizers Then we move on to appetizers and I include a discussion about escargots de Bourgogne. And, one of my favorites Pain à la Tomate. I bet you’ve never had this classic Mediterranean dish and yet it is so good! Really easy, looks great to bring to a party, or when you want a special appetizer at home. French Regional Specialties And then the bulk of the cookbook: French regional specialties. Like I said, I do not shy away from classic French dishes because they are delicious and they’re not that hard to make at home. Cassoulet I start with Cassoulet. I was born and raised in Toulouse, I had to start there, didn’t I? The version I give you preserves the flavors of this wonderful dish but is a lot lighter in calories than the restaurant version. Blanquette Blanquette. This one is funny to me because the way chefs on TV make it, you’d think it was voodoo. It’s not! It is one of the most adaptable French classics ever! Flammekueche or Tarte Flambée How about we go to Alsace now with Flammekueche or Tarte Flambée? That’s one that can be made meaty or vegetarian and yum yum! Poulet Basquaise Now let’s go to the Basque Country together! Poulet Basquaise which you can make the classic way with chicken or if you make it without chicken it becomes Piperade. Probably the healthiest recipe in the book. Weight Watchers would approve! Hâchis Parmentier Hâchis Parmentier. This is the French version of Shepherd’s pie and it’s so delicious! This is one where I delve into a the history quite a lot because it’s really interesting. Boeuf Bourguignon Boeuf Bourguignon: this one is so famous that there are restaurants in France that serve nothing but! It’s so good some families serve it on Christmas Day. And, let me let you in on a little secret: It’s not hard to make at home! Galettes Back to Brittany and Normandy with Galettes Bretonnes. This one might require a bit of practice, but once you get a feel for it you can transform your home into a creperie and make Galette night the same way you’d do taco night. Really good and really versatile. Pot-au-Feu Pot-au-Feu: ah, this one is a personal favorite of mine. I love everything about this dish. The way the beef is cooked, the vegetables, the soup you make with the amazing broth. And, you know what? You get the same flavors if you make it vegetarian. I kid you not! Try it at home, you’ll see! Tarte aux Blettes Another one that I make all the time at home: Swiss Chard Pie. Swiss chard is easy to grow, it’s pretty easy to find a the store too, and it makes for a wonderful quiche-like dish that you can serve with a side salad or take to a party or make and eat over 2 or 3 days if you live alone. My daughter asks for this one all the time. Soupe au Pistou Then back to Provence with Soupe au Pistou. It’s the Provençal chili and is equally good with or without meat. Honestly, I don’t think the pork adds that much to it. You’ll love this one on a winter’s night! Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame Croque-Monsieur and Croque-Madame : so easy to make and so delicious! Turn you kitchen into a Paris bistro and make oven fries to go along with it if you’re feeding hungry teenagers. Side Dishes It’s time for some side dishes now! Gratin Dauphinois How would you like some Gratin Dauphinois? Do you know where the Dauphinois is? It’s above Provence and all the way East up against Italy. This is the French version of Potatoes au Gratin that you’ll find in America. But the French version has no cheese in it. And you know what? It’s amazing. You should make enough for 2 days because nobody ever turned their noses up at those leftovers! Soupe à l’oignon OK, this is one where there’s a big difference between the onion soup I ate at home growing up in France and what they serve at restaurants. I go into details in the cookbook and give you both versions. But I like the simple home version better. You should try it! Ratatouille And back to Provence we go with Ratatouille! That’s another one that lots of recipe authors over-complicate. It’s so easy to make! You don’t have to slave away in the kitchen for hours to eat well. Just follow my instructions! Tian de Légumes Tian de legumes. This is ratatouille for fancy people. It looks wonderful! It’s a little bit more work, but great for when you have company and you want to show off. Béchamel Then a cooking basic. How to make Béchamel. I give you 3 options: with flour, with cornstarch (which makes it gluten-free) and with broth (which makes it vegan). See, it’s all about being adaptable! Gratin de choux fleur This is one I make all the time. You’ll get your vegetables in and I even tell you how to not stink up your house with the cauliflower. Salade Juive This is in honor of my mother who made this a lot and so do I. It’s chock full of vegetables, my version is vegan, but there are lots of variations on this that I explain in the cookbook. Desserts And then desserts! Classic French desserts we make at home. Clafoutis I start with Clafoutis with its wonderful fruits. Crêpes Maison This is something your kids will ask for this over and over again. And it's so delicious and easy once you get the hang of it. Crème Brûlée I am sure you’ve had at restaurants and is so easy to make! It’s best to make it the day before you serve it, but other than that it’s so fast! Tarte Tatin That’s for those of you who want to impress your family for Thanksgiving. Beautiful and delicious! Gâteau au Yaourt And, last but not least, the cake French people make with their kids and grand kid, Gateau au yaourt. Are you ready for easy French recipes you can make at home? Get the book and get cooking! More episodes about French food and wine       Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price.   Subscribe to the Podcast Apple Google Spotify RSS Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): 50 Must-Know French Phrases for Hungry Visitors, Episode 161 Traditional French Recipes for Thanksgiving, Episode 172 Pastries of Northern France, Episode 35 The Auvergne Cheese Route, Episode 303 Castelnaudary, Cassoulet and Canal du Midi, Episode 300 Summer Lunches in France, Episode 295 Annie's Cassoulet Category: French Food & Wine

This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon. On today's episode of the podcast Annie Sargent brings you a conversation with Elyse Rivin. As we celebrate then end of WW1 it is also important to remember that the Spanish Flu killed even more people than the war that had just ended. We also talk about how the Spanish Flu changed Europe forever especially how Europeans understand the need to extend health care to everyone. I also want to do a quick review of a book about WW1 that I absolutely loved called All Blood Runs Red by Henry Scott Harris about Eugene Jacques Bullard the African American born in Georgia who enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and served with great honor in both WW1 and WW2. An extraordinary person and a well crafted book that brings WW1 and this person to life for me. I will also read you a bit of The Plague by Camus right before the end music. If you're interested in learning about virology today, Annie recommends you add This Week in Virology to your podcast line-up. Remembering the Spanish Flu Unfortunately talking about the Spanish Flu is the right way to celebrate WW1 in 2020 because we're in the middle of our own pandemic right now. It is called the Spanish Flu, but it had little to do with Spain. This flu didn't start in Spain. They had no part in spreading it any more than any other country. What happened is that since they weren't involved in WW1 Spanish newspapers were not the victim of censorship. They spoke about the pandemic freely in Spain and so they got associated with it for no reason. It is more likely that the Spanish Flu started with a farmer in the US who then went to serve on a US army base. As American soldiers were shipped out to help end WW1 they spread the virus all over the world. The first place these soldiers landed was in Bordeaux and it spread from there in France. The Spanish Flu was a very effective virus and spread quickly. Viruses affect humans with zero care for their nationality. That's why it's unfair to call it a Spanish flu or an American flu or a Chinese flu. Humans are subject to viruses and that's what matters. The first wave of Spanish flu (May 1918) was not particularly deadly, the second wave was awful (the fall of 2018) and the third a bit less virulent. But by then the flu had spread all over the world, which is the definition of the word pandemic. The Spanish flu killed about 4% of the people it infected, and it was mostly younger people who go sick with it. In the US there were pro mask cities and anti mask cities and, predictably, the cities like San Francisco where masks were seen negatively had more deaths. The Plague by Camus Every time there is a pandemic there is a great temptation from political leaders not to scare the public and brush it under the rug. Albert Camus was writing about a fictional plague but he brought that fact into his famous book. Annie reads this part of the book at the end of the episode. The local press, so lavish of news about the rats, now had nothing to say. For rats died in the street; men in their homes. And newspapers are concerned only with the street. Meanwhile, government and municipal officials were put- ting their heads together. So long as each individual doc- tor had come across only two or three cases, no one had thought of taking action. But it was merely a matter of add- ing up the figures and, once this had been done, the total was startling. In a very few days the number of cases had risen by leaps and bounds, and it became evident to all observers of this strange malady that a real epidemic had set in. This was the state of affairs when Castel, one of Rieux’s colleagues and a much older man than he, came to see him. “Naturally,” he said to Rieux, “you know what it is.” “I’m waiting for the result of the post-mortems.” “Well, 1 know. And I don’t need any post-mortems. I was in China for a good part of my career, and I saw some cases in Paris twenty years ago. Only no one dared to call them by their name on that occasion. TTie usual taboo, of course; the public mustn’t be alarmed, that wouldn’t do at all. And then, as one of my colleagues said, ‘It’s unthinkable. Everyone knows it’s ceased to appear in western Europe.’ Yes, every- ' one knew that — except the dead men. Come now, Rieux, you know as well as I do what it is.” Rieux pondered. He was looking out of the window of his surgery, at the tall cliff that closed the half-circle of the bay on the far horizon. Though blue, the sky had a dull sheen that was softening as the light declined. “Yes, Castel,” he replied. “It’s hardly credible. But every- thing points to its being plague.” Castel got up and began walking toward the door. More episodes about French History   Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price. Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): WW1 Memorial Sites in France, Episode 211 Chateau-Thierry and the Battle of Belleau Wood, Episode 256 This week Annie recommends a book about Eugene Jacques Bullard, the French-American WW1 hero born in Georgia. Category: French History

In today's episode of the podcast Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin have fun with the French language. What are the easiest and hardest words to say in French? We asked our Facebook group and they came up with some entertaining responses! You really need to listen to this one to get the full effect! This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon. More fun with expressions in French Easiest and Hardest Words to Say in French Let's start with the easy ones because most French people will think that your accent is adorable. • Écureuil (French people can’t say squirrel either!) • Phoque • Aïl  Pluriel ? Aulx but only when you’re talking about the condiment. If you’re talking about the plant you’re supposed to say “des ails” • Méditerranéen/méditerranéenne • Reuilly Diderot metro stop in Paris. • Reims • or Rouen • or Caen • Accueil • Feuille • Bourgueil • Roi • Montreuil • Serge • Américaine • Serrurier • Grenouille • Coeur, soeur • Chirurgien / chirurgie • Oeil, clin d’oeil • Clignancourt • Aéroport • Trottoir • Heureux • Fauteuil • Yaourt • Rue • Huitre • Rueil-Malmaison • Au revoir • Saucisse • Restaurant (difficult r) • Rennes • Bouillabaisse • Monsieur • Montorgueil • Millefeuille • Ratatouille • Voiture • Eau, Carafe d’eau • Quincaillerie • Feuille • Août • Mouillé • Pneu, Psychologue, Psychologie • Tu / Tout (make your lips work!) • Saperlipopette • Saltinbanque • Trompe l’oeil • Ours • Beurre • Oeufs • Bouilloire • Voeux • Leur / L’heure Words that Are Derivatives of English Any French word that is a derivative of an English word, because I feel like a total phony putting on a French accent to say a word in my own language ... e.g. T-shirt, hamburger. What about hors d’oeuvres or maître d, or colonel, or lieutenant, or city names like Coeur d’Alène in Idaho? If you say “hamburger” properly some French people won’t know what you’re saying. Or if they ask you if you’re on linquèdin for Linked in. A burger at McDonald’s in France was called “Southern Chicken Cajun” and I couldn’t bring myself to say that the way French people would say it. As a result, the person taking the order had no idea what I just said! You have to mispronounce English words when speaking French, but it goes both ways. Favorite Words to Say in French French also has lots of easy words and even pleasant words. Here are some of our favorites. • Pamplemousse • Parapluie • Donc • Bon ! • N’importe quoi ! • C'est n'importe quoi • Tout et n’importe quoi • Oh, la vache ! • On ne sait jamais. • C’est la vie. • Quand même, quoi • St. Nicolas de Bourgueil • Tant pis • ça suffit • Crépuscule • Faire du lêche-vitrine • À tes souhaits • Truc ou machin • Quand même ! • Quoi de neuf ? • Oui oui ! • Comme ci, comme ça. • Inoubliable. • Oh ça va, ça va... • Malgré • Ça ne fait rien • C'est quoi ça ? • Fauteuil • Pantoufles • Allons à la plage • Comment dites-vous ? • Cocoliquot actually coquelicot • On verra bien • En panne ! • Je m’en fiche ! • Comme c'est curieux, comme c'est bizarre, quelle coïncidence ! • l’horloge • Ce n’est pas possible ! • C'est la vie, c'est la guerre <-- Not something we say any more. Did we ever? • Je vous en prie • Ca vas..ca va • Je ne sais pas? • parlez vous anglais ? • Merci beaucoup ! • Quel fromage! • La plume de ma tante. • C’est chouette, j’ai la pêche! • Regarde comme elle tombe, cette belle neige... • S’il vous plaît !! • Tres bien !! • Saperlipopette • Libellule • Tu me manques beaucoup... • Au contraire ! • J’en ai ras le bol • C’est parti! • Bâtonnage (we have no idea what that word means!) • Comme ci, comme ça • Oh, que c’est beau! • Bonjour! Un autre croissant au chocolat s'il vous plaît! <-- French people would never say that because there is a name for a "croissant au chocolat" and it's called "pain au chocolat" or (even better) "chocolatine" • Je voudrais un bouteille du vin rouge • Une autre coupe de champagne s'il vous plaît ! • C’est pas grave. • Qu’est-ce qui se passe???!! • Oh la la la la! • Le Francais est la plus belle langue de monde. • Écarlate • À tes souhaits • À bientôt • Je suis d’accord • "Mettez les œufs durs dans une boîte en fer pour qu'ils ne se fissurent pas." Most useless phrase to learn in French • Touche pas • Comme si, comme ca ! • Ma foi ! • Coucou ! • Moi aussi. • Bonjour Madame ! • Coquelicot • J'ai soif. • Voila • Vin • Faux pas • Appeler un chat, un chat... • ‘Sais pas, moi! • Vivre la France • Où sont les toilettes? • À tout à l'heure • J’adore • Ça va? • Est-ce que je peux caresser votre chien? (Ne dites pas, je peux péter votre animal) • C’est incroyable!! • Je ne comprends pas. • Alors, je vais chercher du bon vin à la cave • Hermès • J'accepte votre invitation à boire du vin ce soir. • Vin rouge ou vin blanc, monsieur? • Les vacanes • Magnifique • D’accord • Merci • A chacun son goût (Nah, we don't say that! We say "chacun son truc") • Pas de problème. • Sommelier • Il faut cultiver notre jardin ! • Hippopotame • C'est la vie ! • Houp-la! • Voilà • Bienvenue mesdames et messieurs • I love the word égayer and wish we had as lovely an equivalent in English. I love that someone can égaye a room or situation just by coming into it. • N'importe quoi • Aujourd'hui • Très gentil. • Enchanté! • Doucement • Parlez très doucement, SVP. • Le cas échéant • Joyeux Noël! • Bonjour • Monstrueux • Les grenouilles grignottent les noix des ecureuils (good tongue twister!) • C’est bon • In my home Acadian Village, we will says Qui est-ce qui joue ce soir à la danse? when asking which band is playing music at the dance. Another village nearby will say Qui est-ce qui sonne ce soir? • O mon Dieu, c'est pas vrai!!! • Nom d'un chien! • Mon petit chou • S'il vous plait, une autre bouteille de vin • Boulangerie Funny French Insults and Sayings NOBODY says sacre bleu BTW, maybe in Canada, but not in France • Va te faire cuire un œuf ! • Bête comme ses pieds ou con comme ses pieds • Pêter plus haut que son cul • Poule mouillée ! • Ça coute la peau des fesses • Va te faire voir • Aimable comme une porte de prison • Elle a un pet de travers • Occupe-toi de tes oignons ! • Il n'a pas les lumières allumées à tous les étages • Con à manger du foin More episodes about French culture Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price. Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Survival French with Todd Newman, Episode 30 50 Must-Know French Phrases for Hungry Visitors, Episode 161 Ceci est un phoque. What? You'd rather not say that French word?  Categories: France How To, French Culture, French Customs & Lifestyle

The 5th arrondissement in Paris is one of Annie's favorites. It also goes by the name Latin Quarter which is its historical name. Visitors don't need to worry too much about different names used in this area because often in Paris you change neighborhood just by crossing the street! Good budget hotel at the edge of the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain des Prés: Le Petit Belloy. The rooms are tiny, but if you can get room 602 or room 603 you'll see the Eiffel Tower from your tiny balcony! Latin Quarter Highlights If you're facing the famous bookstore called Shakespeare and Company, you have Notre Dame Cathedral behind you and to your left. To explore the Latin Quarter you'll walk along the Seine river between the bookstore and all the way to the Jardin des Plantes. Along the way you'll come across many "bouquinistes" and their little green book stalls that have been around for over 100 years. The bouquinistes have morphed into souvenir stands to some degree. These are concession stands and some have been in the same hands for a long time. You walk past the Jardin des Plantes and then you take a right. Along the way you'll walk by Quai Saint Bernard along the Jardin des Plantes and there are often groups of dancers doing the tango. You'll also walk by the Institut du Monde Arabe and its marvelous panoramic terrace that you can access for free. You'll get a great view of the backside of Notre Dame from that terrace. The Jardin des Plantes Is a Must-See with Children If you're with children you MUST spend some time at the Jardin des Plantes. Not to be missed is the Galerie de l'Evolution where the building itself is stunning and it's a great place to show how animals have changed over time. The Galerie de Minéralogie is also wonderful. There's a zoo, the garden is beautiful, there are often amazing temporary exhibits. It's free for children but it's not included in the Museum Pass. It is still totally worth it! There are food trucks and lots of places to have a picnic. La Grande Mosquée de Paris This mosque was built by the city of Paris to honor the Muslim soldiers who fought with France during WW1. They are closed on Friday and close at various times during the day. The gardens are beautiful, the restaurant Aux Portes de l'Orient that serves great North African food. Marché Monge This is one of the quaintest outdoor markets in Paris. It's occupies place Monge, you can get there on the metro because it has its own stop. The market is open Wed, Fri and Sat in the morning. It's not very big, about 40 stalls. Arènes de Lutèce Right off rue Monge at number 49 you'll find the entrance to the Arènes de Lutèce. It looks like the entrance to a building, but it is your way into what's left of the old Paris Roman arena. It's a popular place for locals to hang out. You can climb all around. It's not the biggest Roman arena, but it's a fun stop. Place Maubert There is another food market on this plaza, it happens on on Tue, Thu and Sat, also in the morning. Mostly food and a cute place. There are all sorts of food shops that are permanently there. La Sorbonne On rue des Écoles you'll find an old American diner called Breakfast in America and a boulangerie called Paris and Company that won the prize for best baguette in Paris in 2019. La Sorbonne is nearby but you can't visit it unless you have an appointment. It's pretty to look around. Make sure to walk to place de la Sorbonne The Pantheon This monument is on a lot of people's list. It started out as a church but was quickly turned into a monument to the memory of great French men. And for a long time it was men only. Voltaire, Rousseau, Zola, and a lot of completely unknown generals. I don't think they would ever put a general in the Pantheon today. They are looking for people who have made other sorts of contributions to French life. Saint Etienne du Mont Church One of the most beautiful churches in Paris. The church is also very famous because the steps on its side are featured in the movie Midnight in Paris. That's where Gill sits to wait for the magic car. There are stained glass windows that you can see at eye level in this church. It is a gem. Rue Mouffetard and Plade de la Contrescarpe This is a narrow partially pedestrian street that has a wonderful vibe. Half way down you'll run into place de la Contrescarpe, with fun cafés and restaurants. Ernest Hemmingway lived nearby. There is a plaque on 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. It's an interesting area. Rue du Pot de Fer also has a lot of restaurants. More Latin Quarter Highlights to Visit Also worth a stop is the Musée Marie Curie.  The Jardin du Luxembourg is nearby and also definitely a wonderful place to visit. The Cluny Museum is one of the best Museums in Paris. It is closed as I release this episode. The highlights there is the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry and the heads chopped off Notre Dame. Place Saint Michel has a lovely statue of Michael slaying the dragon. This is a famous meeting place. Bâteaux Parisiens has a stop by Notre Dame where you can take a cruise. Vedettes de Paris are near the Pont Neuf. Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter   Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price. Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): Latin Quarter Walking Tour, Episode 7 Phil waiting for the magic taxi from Midnight in Paris in the Latin Quarter Categories: First Time in Paris, Paris

This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon. Everybody is talking about Emily in Paris. Elyse and I watched it together and we took some notes on our reactions. I must confess that we only watched two episodes, and we already have a lot to say! This is our perspective from a French perspective. While Elyse isn't technically French, she's lived in France so long she's forgetting her English ;-)  Click play, let’s see if you agree with us! Why Is Emily in Paris Getting So Much Attention? Big name newspapers and magazines are all talking about this show which is surprising because it is very new. It probably has to do with the fact that we can't travel right now and going to Paris on TV is better than not going at all. The fact that this show has become controversial is also playing in its favor. People have to see this show that everyone is talking about. Emily in Paris is definitely not a documentary. It is more like one stereotype after another and we point them out in our conversation. Emily in Paris Is Chock-Full of Stereotypes Stereotypes are helpful in fiction because they allow the writer to make points quickly. Nothing much happens in the show, but boy do they spout stereotypes! French men prefer older women. This may be a reference to President Macron, but it's a new stereotype about French people. It's nice that they use French songs in the show but these are not songs that we recognize. When she walks into her new apartment the concierge gives her the evil eye because she doesn't say "bonjour". She says "hi" which shows she assumes everyone knows English. You have to start off by making an effort to speak some French. You should not walk into a business situation in France with zero French and zero understanding of why that's not acceptable. The 5th floor / 4th floor thing comes up several times. Ground level is "rez-de-chaussé" in France, that's 0. We start counting one above ground level whereas Americans say ground level is 1. The Realtor who shows her to her "Chambre de Bonne" that looks nothing like a "Chambre de Bonne" hits on her saying it doesn't matter that she has a boyfriend in America, she needs one in France. The stereotype of French men all being overtly interested in sex. They are typically more subtle than that. Emily shows up at the office on her first day with a shirt that has an Eiffel Tower print on it. She's too flashy. Annie doesn't think the lady at the boulangerie would ever correct someone for using the wrong article, but Elyse says it's happened to her. Sylvie, the boss tells her not to bother to learn French because she'd be terrible at it. On her first day at the job French people explain to Emily how all Americans are fat while they smoke in the office. The fat/smoker thing is established early on in the show and comes back several times. There are many French people who believe that when you stop smoking you gain 5 kilograms. But even with that, French people are quitting smoking fast. Both Annie and Elyse know people who used to smoke and have quit and none who are still smoking. It's only a minority of French people who smoke today, this stereotype is dated. Sylvie says "Without pleasure what are we? Germans?" This is definitely something French people might say and something that would make us laugh. Luke asks Emily why she is shouting. It is true that in France kids are raised to keep their voice down generally and that Americans would do well to be more discreet in France. The whole city is like Ratatouille! Really? That's what she knows about France? Ratatouille and Saving Private Ryan? This is the idiot American stereotype. Everyone gets stereotyped in Emily in Paris! It is true that hall lights are all on short timers in France and that's annoying. But electricity is expensive in France! Now we have phones with flashlights so it's not such a big deal, but growing up in France Annie always looked to see where the light switch were. French people are lazy and don't go to work until 10:30 in the morning. That stereotype is  false. Taking a 3 hour lunch isn't OK either any more for most people. This is an old trope about French civil servants doing nothing all day and it's not been correct for a long time. Nobody wants to have lunch with her on her first day. That's possible. There are snobby work environments in France. Not most places thankfully, but it happens. She goes to eat lunch alone on the benches of the Palais Royal and that's where she meets Mindy. Do French women as scantily as Mindy? French people hate the idea that women should dress conservatively because men can't control themselves. But in reality most French women dress conservatively at work. Mindy says "Some places people gossip behind your back, but French people are mean to your face!" French people are very blunt. Annie has an American friend who says "If you want to know the truth, ask a child or a French person!" French people who wok in social media wouldn't be so afraid of English that they run off. That stereotype is very overdone in the show. The term "plouc" is something kids call one-another. It means hick or farm boy. It doesn't fit Emily at all. And if Emily doesn't speak French she would have no idea how to spell it. French people would have chosen a much more refined insult because our language is full of them. Luc says "Americans live to work and French people work to live". This is actually true. French people value quality of life over money. Emily is early to work on her second day. A co-worker tells her not to show up early. That is true. In France you're supposed to be competent and professional but not come across as too eager. Emily steps on dog poop coming out of her posh apartment. This stereotype is old and it would not be the case today, Paris (and all of France) has come a long way in teaching people to pickup after their dogs. Sylvie explains to Emily that she shouldn't be an open book. It's better to be mysterious, sophisticated and hard to get. That stereotype is actually true. Antoine Lambert the "nose" comes across as sleaze ball. Dominant males in France can come across like that. I'm better than you, I dress better, I talk better. The concept of dominant male in France is nothing like what you're used to in America. There's a suggestion that French women sleep with their bosses and clients and American women don't. We highly doubt that. But French and Italian women are more likely to talk about it. It is common for French women who know their husbands are cheating on them not to get a divorce. They don't see why they should have to give up their standard of living and comfortable life because he cheated. French people don't care as much about politician's private life and shenanigans, but that's changing with social media. Emily's steak is too rare and she tries to send it back and the cook comes out to explain to her that she's wrong. That's actually happened to Elyse. French people have strong opinions about what you eat, when you eat, how you eat it, etc. That's one of the reasons why we've kept our food traditions strong. But it's annoying. Emily in Paris gets that one right. It is also very French to do what you want and go against the grain. You can get along just fine as a woman in France without makeup or jewelry, but you have to be ready to own it. When Emily takes a selfie with the bakery lady, there's a sign that goes up for a second that says "Bonjour goes a long way", so clearly somebody on that show knows what they're talking about. French actors and actresses on the series are beautiful but not perfect, they look like real people. Why is "le vagin" a masculine word? Carla Bruni texts Brigitte Macron to tell her about this product and it take off. That's not realistic but it was funny. And French nominal genders make no sense. Emily in Paris is unrealistic and entertaining at the same time. TV being unrealistic and full of stereotypes is not new. This show is escapist, pleasant, and the production quality is high. It will probably introduce a whole new generation of young people to Paris and we love that. We really hate that it'll instill the same old stereotypes in all these new people. We'd love more subtle dialog. @JohnAugust to the rescue? B.J. Harrisson's version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame More episodes about French culture Email | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter Did you get my VoiceMap Paris tours yet? They are designed for people who want to see the best of Paris neighborhoods and put what they are looking at into historical context. There are so many great stories in Paris. Don't walk right past them without having a clue what happened there! You can buy them directly from the VoiceMap app or click here to order activation codes at the podcast listener discount price. Support the Show Tip Your Guide Extras Patreon Audio Tours Merchandise If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to related episode(s): The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Episode 181 Categories: France How To, French Culture, French Customs & Lifestyle