Lionel and Michel talk about the heyday of Marsal, which used to be a thriving city during the Vauban period thanks to the saltworks. Nowadays, though, it's a small tourist village. Find out how many visitors come to Marsal each year.

Lionel, Michel, and Juliette take a stroll down the Rue des Capucins, named after the Capuchin monastery once located there. They also discuss some of Marsal's native plants, which have a high salt tolerance.

Did you know that parts of France and Germany were underwater millions of years ago? Learn more about this and other surprising facts at the Marsal Salt Museum.

We continue our visit to Marsal and learn more about the importance of salt throughout the region. Many there have benefited from the exploitation of salt throughout the centuries, including the Church, which built many churches that we still see today.

Michel guides us back to the time of Louis XIV, who took the town of Marsal in 1663. Find out why.

We conclude our visit to Marsal with a few comments from Michel, who shows us a stone marking the passage of a Roman emperor in Marsal in the first century AD. And Lionel has a few salty expressions in store for you...

Moving on from the salt mines of his previous episode, Lionel goes to Réchicourt-le-Château to learn about the locks and waterways of the area.

The lock in Réchicourt-le-Château holds a record in France. Find out what it is!

Lionel takes us inside the control room where locks are filled and emptied with an intricate system of drainage and supply valves. You'll learn a lot of technical vocabulary in the process!

In Paris, Lionel talks to Lahlou about the ordeal of getting to and from work during the recent pension reform strikes. With ten out of fourteen subway lines closed, Lahlou's commute can take upwards of three hours.

Lahlou discusses what it's like to be a Muslim in France. He normally prays five times a day and goes to the mosque on Friday. He distances himself completely from those who commit attacks in the name of Islam, which is a religion of peace.

Lalhou talks about his life as a Muslim in France and how he enjoys celebrating New Year's with his four children.

Automne shows Lionel how to wear his mask correctly and cough into his elbow instead of his hand. Enjoy this light-hearted take on how to wear a mask!

Lionel goes back to school and seems a little confused. Automne is his very patient teacher who doesn't mind teaching naughty students!

Automne shows Lionel the Playmobil sets that she recovered from the upcycling center. The sets were all mixed together in a bag, so she had to sort them out herself!

Lionel and Chantal introduce a new verb, "faire du barbecue" (to barbecue), for barbecuing and verb conjugating novices. Lionel knows how to cook two birds with one grill, so to speak. Note that the verb "faire" ("to do" or "to make") is used for just about any situation in French.

Lionel introduces us to the tiny village of Frémestroff, which has three hundred seven inhabitants and is located twenty-five kilometers from the German border. It boasts one farm, one bakery, a woodworker, and a shepherd. Some of the older residents have a distinctive accent and still speak a dialect from the Lorraine that resembles German.

Farid shows off his personal library to Lionel. He mostly enjoys detective stories, autobiographies, and travel books. He also expands on the benefits of reading.

In this video, Lionel and Farid talk about the psychological impact of the pandemic after long periods of quarantine.

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.

Over the summer, wanting a light lunch, Lionel made some cheese-filled crêpes. They turned out much heavier than he expected, but they were delicious nonetheless.

J.B. made a simple Greek salad while Lionel was sleeping. All the main ingredients are from Greece, except for the Crimean black tomatoes.

Tired of stuffy old grammar exercises in text books? Come along with Lionel and learn something about the use of gender in French. This one’s fun, we promise — and no boring rules to memorize!

Lionel shows us that sometimes there are better things to do than stay all day in an office building to pay rent for an apartment we can’t even spend time in. (And yes, the word “travail” really is related to the word “torture.”) Remember, the revolution starts with you!