Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Over thirty French bakeries from the Vendée region show off their skills in a galette des rois (Kings' cake) contest. The lucky judges, whose onerous task is to taste those delicious galettes, go to great lengths to explain their choices and make our mouths water. The galette des rois is traditionally served at Epiphany and is notoriously difficult to make. It comes in two varieties, flaky or brioche, and is available at French bakeries throughout the month of January.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "Je suis Charlie" (I Am Charlie), Fabien Marsaud a.k.a. Grand Corps Malade commemorates the victims of the devastating attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. As the slam poet notes, "I prefer to pick up a pen because tonight I am Charlie."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel Benchimol concludes his tour of Paris's tenth arrondissement by taking us through the "Nouvelle Athènes" (New Athens) neighborhood, home of some of the great figures of nineteenth-century romanticism. The tenth is also home to the smallest house in Paris, at less than five meters (sixteen feet) high!
Difficulty: Advanced
Canada, France
Quebec's current relationship with France is complex. French politicians tend to tread carefully regarding Quebec's sovereignty. For many years France adopted a policy of "neither indifference nor interference," a more neutral stance somewhere between a hands-off policy (which could be seen as complete abandonment) and an overly intrusive relationship. Sarkozy moved away from that policy, but his successor Hollande revived it.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
The Micro-Trottoirs team tackles a big question in this episode: "Do you believe in life after death?" People share their beliefs on the matter. One person remarked, "As the famous French humorist Pierre Desproges would say, 'if God existed, we'd have to file a lawsuit against him!'"
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France, West Africa
The Python-Duvernois neighborhood, on the outskirts of Paris, is having its annual neighborhood fair (you can also find coverage of last year's fair here on Yabla). The locals look forward to getting together, meeting new neighbors, having fun, and eating yummy food prepared by some of the residents.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
If you're a crafty person, consider attending the "Salon des métiers et activités de la création" (Jobs and Creative Activities Trade Show), which features a large number of hands-on workshops related to fine arts, framing, needlework, and more. In this video, Alessandro interviews a workshop instructor who explains an interesting sewing technique called the counted cross-stitch.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In the town of Tours, the annual International Decorated Egg Exhibition takes place just before Easter and features some exquisite creations. Artists from all over Europe gather to show and sell their beautifully decorated eggs. Some include traditional designs taught by masters from Ukraine while incorporating their own ideas at the same time.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
"Un Petit Noir" (or "A Small Black," a slang term for a small black coffee) is the bookstore café in Lyon specializing not only in gourmet coffees, but also in detective novels and thrillers. Besides crime fiction and caffeine, the store also serves some great jazz concerts to add to the "noir" ambiance.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Alessandro braves the men's beauty parlor. In addition to a clean shave, he is having his eyebrows, nose hair, and ear hair trimmed. Ouch! After a painful plucking session, he looks fantastic and somewhat relieved it's over...
Difficulty: Advanced
Canada, France
Oliver concludes this eleven-part series with a visit to Fort Chambry, where French and British armies fought over new Canadian territories. How did this affect the present? Olivier leaves us to draw our own conclusions and assures us that he is fond of the Québécois as much as they are fond of him. He shares his final impressions of Quebec in a lovely song at the end.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
In this Alsace Vingt episode, Caroline interviews eco-friendly clothes designer Louise Geber, who owns a store in Strasbourg. There, you will be able to shop for fashionable garments and help the environment at the same time. To find out more, visit the store's website, www.vetementbio.com.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Alessandro visits with some chefs on the occasion of the launch of their book, "Les Grandes gueules et leurs recettes" (Big Mouths and Their Recipes). They take their profession very seriously and are perfectionists like the famous Vatel, King Louis XIV's chef, who was so distraught when a seafood delivery was delayed that he ran a sword through his stomach. Modern chefs need to keep their sense of humor. They are, thankfully, no longer at the mercy of a powerful king, but the Internet can be just as unforgiving.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Lionel takes us to the small town of Wissembourg (or "Weißenburg," since it's situated in Alsace where German is spoken as well). It boasts a beautiful church and a nice restaurant where Lionel goes to be "crowned." Another one of his signature jokes and puns await you in this video.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
If you're a comic book lover, you might want to hop on a plane to Lyon, which has held a huge comic book festival for the past ten years. This year, they're even launching a monthly comics magazine called "The Streets of Lyon."
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? You will not be able to recover it.