Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Victoria manages Millymenthe, one of the last remaining herbalist's shops in France. If you're ever in the Essonne area, stop by the shop and enjoy the specialty of the region, a delicious peppermint tea.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Coryn Wolk makes exquisite creations out of stained glass. She uses several techniques, such as the lead and Tiffany methods, as well as oven fusion.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
After thirty years as a graphic designer, Denis Lagarde decided to switch gears and work in the "completely crazy world" of artisan cutlery, fulfilling a childhood dream.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Laurent Azriel is a luthier in Vauréal. In this video, he talks about his craft, how he became a luthier, and the demands of his job, which he loves!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Manon Saenko works her magic on broken objects that she restores to their former glory. She calls herself the "doctor for objects," as she repairs all kinds of ceramics, ranging from family pieces to archaeological artifacts.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Véronique Schneider is a milliner, or hatmaker, who worked for the Comédie-Française in Paris and then moved to the Cour des Arts in Vauréal to make custom hats that anyone can wear.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Listen to people's reaction to Emmanuel Macron's reelection for a second term. Some newspaper headlines show a lack of enthusiasm, yet there is also a sense of relief.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In this video, Patrice and Sophie pretend to be a realtor and prospective tenant looking at an apartment in Montmartre. Before they go up to the apartment, Patrice tells Sophie about the neighborhood, which she doesn't know very well.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice is feeling down because he lost his job under difficult and unfair circumstances. He discusses his options with Sophie, who tries her best to cheer him up.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice share their impressions of Paris under a gray sky. They say that the multiple shades of gray make Paris all the more beautiful. Even the old buildings blackened by years of grime add texture and beauty, but they concede that a good clean-up is sometimes necessary.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice discuss the weather as they shop at the market on a miserable winter day. Sophie detests the cold and the rain whereas Patrice doesn't mind at all!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice talk about growing old in Paris. They both agree that it's tough for the elderly in Paris and that they would rather spend their golden years somewhere else.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Patrice and Sophie have a conversation in one of the many little parks that dot the Paris landscape.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie is upset because someone stole her cell phone. It's not just the loss of her phone that makes her mad but the real inconvenience of losing all her contact information. Patrice has a few good suggestions for her.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice and Sophie reminisce about playing ombres chinoises (shadow puppets) when they were little. Patrice makes some interesting observations about Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible and Coppola's Dracula, two films that incorporate shadow puppetry.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice is not getting enough sleep and looks a little worse for wear, but he's very philosophical about it. As Simone de Beauvoir said, "A successful life is living like an adolescent at sixty-five."
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie loves plants so much that she isn't averse to snipping a cutting or two from a public garden. Her interest in plants comes from her grandmother, who spent endless hours tending to her plants and even climbed trees at 95 years old!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice discuss the meaning of expressions involving colors, such as vert de rage and une peur bleue. They have their own theories about their origins.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie and Patrice discuss the pollution problem in Paris. Although efforts have been made to keep cars out of the city center, there's still much to improve. Cars still clog the freeways outside Paris.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice and Sophie are in the Belleville-Jourdain neighborhood around the nineteenth arrondissement. This quiet neighborhood is benefitting from the city officials' committment to bring back pedestrians areas to the city.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice discuss the evolution of the word "handicap," from its origins as a horce racing term to its current usage in French. Rather than les handicapés (the handicapped), the French now say les personnes en situation de handicap (persons with disabilities).
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie shares her grandmother's crêpe recipe with us. If you're game, you can make the crêpes by feel, without measuring anything, just like her ancestors used to do. Good luck and bon appétit!
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie and Patrice have different breakfast habits. Patrice only has a cup of coffee for breakfast, whereas Sophie doesn't drink coffee at all.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
In the Porte des Lilas neighborhood, Sophie and Patrice discuss a relatively new form of transportation in Paris: the tram. It's clean and green, though according to Sophie, it could use a bit more charm. Still, it's a great way to get around Paris.
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