Gérard tells us about the city of Antibes where he was raised. He also sings a song about Jacques Audiberti, the renowned playwright, novelist, and poet, who was born in the city.

It took two hundred years to standardize French spelling before it could be taught in schools using a method called la dictée (dictation), in which a student writes out the words he or she hears. As a matter of fact, this is the exact same principle behind Yabla's Scribe game!

Patricia explains the importance of dictation exercises for learning French. Now an essential teaching tool in the classroom, dictation was originally a pastime for French nobility. The author Prosper Mérimée created a dictation exercise for Empress Eugénie that stumped even the brightest intellectuals. Think you can beat them? Try it yourself here.

Patricia delves into the festival of la Chandeleur, or Candlemas, which takes place on the second of February. In France, la Chandeleur is traditionally celebrated by eating crêpes.

Patricia continues her series on the feast of Candlemas, which in France is centered around the crêpe. Due to its round shape and golden color, the crêpe was a symbol of the sun in pagan times.

The first of April is the day of hoaxes, pranks, and jokes. In France, the tradition is to hang paper fish on people's backs and shout, "Poisson d'avril!" (April Fish!).

Humanity has always dreamed of flying through the air. That dream was made possible with the arrival of the zeppelin at the end of the nineteenth century.

Patricia discusses the various ways zeppelins were used in the twentieth century, as well as what led to their downfall.

In centuries past, when a person's honor was offended, he would challenge the culprit to a duel. The last duel in France took place as recently as 1967, between two respected politicians!

This video takes us to Chinon to discover the creations of Cameroonian designer Lamyne M. His exhibition features three-meter-high dresses honoring the female sovereigns of France. He adds his own personal touch to the dresses, inspired by his travels around the world.

Lionel Brigeot takes us to the northeast of France to the town of Verdun, where the famous Battle of Verdun took place during World War I. Follow Lionel up the Victory Steps, commemorating the battle in which more than one hundred sixty-three thousand soldiers lost their lives.

Lionel stays in Verdun for part two of this series. You will see the remains of the famous Battle of Verdun, which took place in 1916 and lasted ten months. The French soldiers were called poilus or "hairy men" because of their unshaven faces. Verdun also has a magnificent cathedral with stained glass windows.

Still in Toul, Lionel takes a closer look at the Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Toul. Its construction started in the thirteen hundreds and was completed around 1495.

Astrid gives us a detailed description of the Toul Cathedral, its history, and its special features. Though its gargoyles may look scary, they serve a special purpose: draining rainwater off the roof. A light and sound show takes place every year, highlighting the gargoyles and the cathedral's amazing architecture.

Lionel is in Liverdun, a small town in the Lorraine region that dates at least to Roman times. Burial grounds called tumuli have been discovered in the area around the Moselle river, which loops around the town.

We continue our walk around the little town of Liverdun, perched on a rock spur near the Moselle river. Françoise tells us about its collegiate church and the legend of Saint Euchaire.

Françoise talks to Lionel about the Church of Liverdun. Built in 1184, the church is distinctive for its two superimposed doorways: an original Romanesque one, and a Baroque one added in the eighteenth century.

We continue our visit to Liverdun with Françoise and Lionel who will show you inside the collegiate church of Liverdun. It once housed the relics of Saint Euchaire, which were looted during the Revolution. Now all that remains is the statue of the saint with his head... in his hands!

The village of Liverdun has an interesting fountain with a huge underground reservoir that collects water from the nearby Moselle River. In the Middle Ages, people used the religious statues on the village's street corners to orient themselves.

We continue our visit to Liverdun with Lionel. The town features a lot of houses with gerbières, or hayloft windows, through which people would hoist sheaves of wheat.

Lionel is in the town of Grand, a Gallo-Roman city whose origin is puzzling, as there was no main source of water in the area.

Lionel is with Roger in the town of Domrémy, the birthplace of Joan of Arc. You will discover the statue of the three saints who spoke to Joan at the age of thirteen and a half, as legend has it.

Join Lionel and Roger in front of the Domrémy basilica dedicated to Joan of Arc. You will find out some more about her family, as well as a surprising fact about Roger's!

Lionel takes us inside the Saint Joan of Arc Basilica, which contains several paintings depicting events in Joan's life.