In this episode, Daniel Benchimol introduces us to Paris's Asian District and its many fountains, gardens, and fruit markets. In an interesting twist of globalization, the neighborhood also features Paris's only pagoda-style McDonald's.

Hardcore techno musician Manu le Malin [Wild Manu] is one of the oldest regulars at the Astropolis Festival in Brittany, which just celebrated its twenty-year anniversary. Its attendance has swelled from two thousand to ten thousand participants, but the rave-like spirit of the festival remains the same, and it keeps drawing big crowds every year.

The Drôles de Zèbres (Funny Zebras) humor festival in Strasbourg has been hosting top French artists, comedians, and a few newcomers for the past twelve years. Among the acts at this year's festival is Laurent Chandemerle, the man with a thousand voices, who can impersonate celebrities to perfection. This video will give you a taste of French humor and, no doubt, a few chuckles!

Isabelle Geffroy, aka Zaz, sings “On ira” (We'll Go) from her 2013 album Recto Verso. She takes us on a beautiful journey where, as she says, "encounters make the most beautiful voyages." Let her powerful voice transport you into an ideal world where "children are the guardians of the soul."

If you're looking for your next vacation spot, you might want to consider the beautiful Côte d'Azur, also known as the French Riviera. Whether you're into swimming, sailing, scuba diving, or just basking in la vie balnéaire (the seaside life), you'll find everything you need along France's "azure coast."

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...

This last part of the Il était une fois episode on George Stephenson deals with the Rainhill Trials, a competition that determined what kind of trains (steam engines or locomotives) would be used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Stephenson proves to be the best competitor.

"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.

In this episode, Daniel Benchimol takes us to the Bois de Vincennes, a beautiful green area on the outskirts of Paris. There, we will discover the impressive Vincennes Castle, a tropical agronomy garden, a British-style phone booth, and the highest Buddhist temple in Europe.