In Ivory Coast, Noël Hala and his family have two occasions to celebrate on December 25: Christmas Day and his birthday!

The Champs-Élysées will still take on a festive air despite the quarantine and lack of crowds. Many lovers of the city of Paris were able to attend the virtual lighting ceremony online from anywhere in the world.

Caroline and Amal are in front of the Centre Georges Pompidou, a contemporary art museum built by, you guessed it, President Georges Pompidou! Its unusual architectural design created some controversy initially, but it has since become a very popular spot in Paris.

Lionel and Hamid are in the Parc de la Villette in the northeast of Paris. The area has changed a lot and now boasts an IMAX theater, vast green spaces, game areas for children, and much more.

Lionel shows us some of the fowl at the animal park, including the storks, which are the symbol of Alsace.

Daniel shows us some more treasures from the Sceaux domain, including the orangery and the rose garden, as well as the beautiful Dawn Pavilion. The estate also includes something that is fairly rare in France: a dog park!

Lionel visits an animal park and teaches us the names of the male, female, and young of each animal he encounters. Did you know there's a word for "female duck" in French?

Sceaux is full of many historical treasures, including a castle and an orangery, as well as an esplanade that became famous more recently as the site of a historic concert by Madonna in 1987. Watch the video to find out which French president was there (and the legend attached to his attendance!).

New Caledonia is still part of France and has not gained its independence despite lenghthy negotiations between loyalists and separatists. Now that the Kanak population is a minority, independence seems unlikely. For more info on New Caledonia, check out these links: https://bit.ly/3cnZgzs, https://bit.ly/2EWfOBG, https://bit.ly/2SyqOrw.

In addition to its historic castle, the town of Sceaux is also home to a group of vegetated islets that provide passersby with a place to rest and wild birds with a place to nest. The castle grounds also include an orangery and numerous pavilions to explore.

In 1988, New Caledonia was on the verge of a civil war as the native population, the Kanaks, rebelled against economic injustice and demanded their independence. A violent incident on the island of Ouvéa prompted the French government to intervene and even bring in a SWAT team. More violence ensued as negotiations failed.

Daniel shows us two historic landmarks in the town of Sceaux: the Saint John the Baptist Church, which contains many valuable artifacts, and the Félibres Garden, which is named after the Félibrige literary movement. He starts out his tour at a former railway station that is now the town's market hall.

In New Caledonia, the last French colony, two societies continue to coexist: the descendants of the white colonists known as "Caldoches," and the native Kanaks, whose numbers were decimated by the colonists beginning in 1853.

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.

Gérard tells us about the history of Antibes, from the time of Julius Caesar to the construction of the city walls and the Fort Carré.