A grape harvest right in the heart of Paris? Some might call it a miracle, but the "Vendange Château Charonne" (Charonne Castle Grape Harvest) is celebrated each year with a huge block party in the eleventh arrondissement. There are plenty of prizes to win (thousands, in fact!) and delicious wines to sample.

Interviewees on the streets of Paris protest the banning of the burqa in public places in France and offer their perspectives on this controversial issue.

At a demonstration of immigrants and homeless people in Paris, this woman sings a catchy little tune that shows her sentiments toward President Nicolas Sarkozy.

English speakers may find this strange, but most European languages (including French) assign a gender to every noun. So how are you supposed to know that the word for “apple” (la pomme) is feminine, but the word for “grape” (le raisin) is masculine? Practice, practice, practice!

For Cyril Daniel, freestyle rollerblading is more than just a hobby. The twenty-year-old Parisian has been rollerblading for half of his life!

Just how did Jean-Marc get the money for that beautiful car and those fancy ski trips? The answer involves a roundabout trek to the open outcry auction market of the French stock exchange (“la Bourse”). So could we say that Wall Street too resembles a “playground for grownups”?

At nightfall in Gstaad, the preeminent ski resort in the Alps, a privileged few among the stars and high society can listen to the most popular classical musicians in the world…

Alex explains the differences between the soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. This is one of those situations where size definitely matters.

Alex gives a detailed description of the saxophone and all its different parts. Did you know that, despite its association with jazz music, the saxophone was actually invented in the 1840s for use in military bands?

Tarte flambée is a specialty of the Alsace region of France that resembles a pizza. Typically made with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon, the traditional tarte flambée has also undergone many variations. Flam’s, a restaurant franchise based in Strasbourg, has dedicated itself to perfecting this Alsatian delicacy.

Not only does Jean-Marc have a totally sweet ride, he also gets to ski on some of the coolest slopes in France. Lucky guy!

Ever driven a car you like so much that after six hours on the road, all you wanted to do was keep on going? Jean-Marc was lucky enough to find that in his Audi A3.

These brief interviews on the streets of Lille were conducted in order to test the waters of the tricky dispute over the banning of burqa-wearing in public.

Alex Terrier’s second project as a bandleader, Roundtrip, is a critically-acclaimed album in the vein of John Coltrane. Listen to it in full (and for free!) here.

Arlette Grosskost, UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) representative and member of the Parliamentary task force on the burqa in France, advocates a law aiming to ban the wearing of the full-body veil in public. What’s your take on this controversial issue? Is it a question of women’s rights? Of religious freedom? Are arguments against the burqa perhaps another type of veil—to cover up underlying racism?