Patricia has a wealth of knowledge about French grammar, vocabulary, literature, culture, history, and more, which she shares with us in her series Le saviez-vous? (Did You Know?)
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
For more than a century, the Hotel Negresco was a destination of choice for the wealthy and celebrities of all kinds, from Grace Kelly to Salvador Dali. It's the last family-owned luxury hotel in France.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
The Hotel Negresco is a landmark along the famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice. This five-star hotel is a combination of neoclassical and baroque styles. The current owner of the hotel actually lives in it year-round!
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia explains how the famous Promenade des Anglais running along the seaside of Nice got its name. The Promenade has been hosting various cultural and sporting events such as motor races since the early 1900s.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
The Promenade des Anglais is Nice's most famous and beautiful avenue. Sadly, its reputation was tarnished by a 2016 tragedy that left 80 pedestrians dead. As a result, safety barriers have been installed to prevent this from happening again.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia is on the Promenade des Anglais, the most famous avenue in Nice. The avenue is very long and stretches from the port of Nice to its airport. You can even wheel your suitcase all the way to the airport and catch your plane.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia talks about the bustling Cours Saleya in the Vieux Nice neighborhood. In the nineteenth century the Cours Saleya attracted intellectuals to its literary salons, as well as tourists from all over the world.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
In this video on Nice, Patricia explains the history of the city, its Italian heritage, and its typically French atmosphere.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia points out some architectural peculiarities in Old Nice. For example, the windows are very narrow to keep the heat out in the summer. Some houses even have special shutters with a lower part that opens separately to let in cool air.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Discover the unique street patterns of Old Nice, which benefit from the Mediterranean wind and provide an ingenious and efficient cooling system for the neighborhood.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia explores the origin of the poisson d'avril (April Fools') tradition. There are numerous theories about this, some of them contradictory.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
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!).
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
The original version of Le Petit Chaperon rouge, written by Charles Perrault, has a more gruesome ending than the one you might be familiar with. Patricia concludes the tale in this video.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Enjoy the classic tale Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), as told by Patricia.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Why do we get "hen flesh" (chair de poule) when it's "duck cold" (froid de canard)? Learn more about these and other poultry-related expressions in this video.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
To conclude her series on musical expressions, Patricia will sing your praises for having learned and practiced everything she taught you.
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