Royal dynasties are often complicated, but none more so than the early Plantagenet kings who dominated France and England in the 12^th and 13th centuries. Arranged marriages here. Betrayals and treachery there. This was the soap opera that just kept on giving. Gillian Thornton follows in the footsteps of the Plantagenet English kings through Anjou and Normandy

The Plantagenets in Le Mans, Sarthe

It all began in Le Mans with Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and Maine, who tucked a sprig of broom, or genet, in his hat after hunting, thus earning himself the name of Geoffrey Plantagenet. In 1128, he married Matilda – granddaughter of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England – who gave Geoffrey the Duchy of Normandy as her dowry. But it was his son Henry and grandsons Richard and John who really put the family on the political map.

I love discovering the shared history of England and France but especially since my husband discovered a distant Plantagenet connection in his family tree. You don’t need any royal relatives, however, to enjoy visiting heritage sites associated with this colourful cast of characters.

The Angevin heartland

Best place to start any Plantagenet tour is in the historic province of Anjou, today part of Pays de la Loire. Geoffrey was born in Le Mans in 1113, baptised in its soaring Gothic cathedral, and married to Matilda in the Palace of the Counts of Maine, now the city’s Town Hall.

The cathedral itself is a stunner, standing at the heart of the historic quarter or Cité Plantagenet. Wander the cobbled streets today past colourful half-timbered facades and it’s easy to imagine life in the Plantagenet era. Harder though to grasp that the substantial Roman ramparts were already 800 years old when Geoffrey lived here and are largely still standing. www.lemans-tourisme.com

Despite fighting for his wife’s right to the English throne, Geoffrey never gained a crown for himself. But his first son Henry, born in 1133, would become Henry II of England and add vast lands to the family portfolio by marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, former Queen of France from her dissolved marriage to Louis VI.

You can spend hours in Le Mans but do take in the Royal Abbey of Epau just outside the city, to discover the story of Bérengère de Navarre who married Henry II’s son Richard, known as the Lionheart or Coeur de Lion, in 1191. Largely forgotten after Richard’s death in 1199, the widowed Queen of England returned to the family palace in Le Mans before founding Epau Abbey in 1229 as her last resting place.

Today, Epau is both a heritage site and a cultural centre for the department of Sarthe with an extensive permaculture vegetable garden that supplies the abbey café.  Berengère died in 1230 but lives on here through a recumbent stone effigy. The whereabouts of her bones however is still under investigation. www.sarthetourism.com

The Plantagenets at the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud

Whilst Richard’s widow rests in royal solitude at Epau, her parents in law are elsewhere. Henry II and his feisty wife Eleanor fell out big time when she sided with sons Richard and John against him over division of the Plantagenet lands. Henry had her imprisoned for 16 years and after his death, Eleanor retired to the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud close to Saumur in the Loire Valley. Here she commissioned painted stone effigies not just of herself, but also Henry and her favourite son Richard who both predeceased her.

She certainly had the last laugh, ordering that her own likeness stand higher than the others and be depicted with a book as a blatant symbol of her superior intellect. The figures were moved in times of religious unrest but today stand in splendid isolation beneath the lofty roof timbers of the main abbey church. Completing the quartet is Isabelle of Angoulême, wife of Eleanor’s younger son John. As King John – of Magna Carta fame – he chose Worcester Cathedral in England for his last resting place, but his son Henry III brought Isabelle to the Plantagenet necropolis in 1254.

Fontevraud’s extensive walled complex was converted to a prison under Napoleon, but has been sympathetically transformed into the Regional Arts and Culture Centre for Pays de la Loire. Wander the historic buildings, visit the Museum of Modern Art, and enjoy eclectic outdoor art installations. Best of all, stay overnight at Fontevraud l’Hôtel and you can explore freely after dark and enjoy the spotlit Plantagenets and illuminated buildings in solitude. An unforgettable experience. Advance bookings are strongly recommended for the Michelin-starred restaurant in the hotel cloister. www.fontevraud.fr

From Touraine in the Loire Valley to Normandy

Henry II of England spent much of his time on the road across his vast Plantagenet Empire which stretched from the Scottish Borders down the length of western France to the Pyrenees and across the Auvergne. In 1189 Henry died from an infection at the Château de Chinon which today is part of the Loire Valley’s Touraine region and whilst much of this strategic hilltop fortress is in ruins, the exhibition in the former Plantagenet Hall includes a handy silent film that neatly wraps up the family squabbles. www.forteressechinon.fr

From Chinon, I headed north into Normandy, a region also rich in Plantagenet sites.  Richard the Lionheart spent much of his reign fighting the crusades in the Middle East, but the border with France was a constant worry too. Ruins don’t come much more atmospheric than the Château-Gaillard at Les Andeleys, commissioned by Richard on a rocky promontory high above the Seine east of Rouen. Wear flat, non-slip shoes to climb the uneven path to the inner courtyard for sweeping views over river cliffs and plain. www.nouvelle-normandie-tourisme.com

Richard’s death in 1199 was something of an anti-climax for such a seasoned fighter, the result of an infected arrow wound in south-west France.  But whilst his body was buried at Fontrevraud, his heart lies in Rouen Cathedral, a common practice in the Middle Ages to spread the opportunities for local income from pilgrims. An effigy of the warrior king lies in the spectacular Gothic cathedral, famously painted by Claude Monet more than 30 times. www.visiterouen.com

Avranches

Less obvious but equally interesting for a Plantagenet hunter is Avranches, close to the Normandy coast. Excommunicated by the Pope for instigating the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, Henry II met here in 1172 with delegates of the Pope to seek absolution. The crumbling cathedral was demolished in 1794, but the site of the meeting is now a hilltop green space with distant views of Mont St Michel, the place of penance marked by a stone pillar and plaque. Just ask any local for directions to Place Becket. www.normandie-tourisme.fr

King John died in 1216, but the Plantagenet dynasty was to carry on for another 300 years until Richard III died on Bosworth Field in 1485, overthrown by the next dysfunctional dynasty, the Tudors. But none of the Plantagenets who followed John would have the same influence across two countries as those first three kings.

Henry II had built up the empire; Richard fought hard to maintain it; and John – nicknamed Lackland or Jean sans Terre – managed to lose most of the French lands to Philip II of France. But their ambition and animosity have ensured that 900 years later, we are still fascinated by those early Plantagenet monarchs and the sites they left behind – quite some legacy!

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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Idioms, or idiomatic expressions, words and phrases that aren’t meant to be taken literally often have a cultural meaning behind them. They exist in all languages and are often part of everyday language and conversation! They don’t really make sense when you read each word separately, but they have an implied meaning. We asked Manon de Witte who teaches French lessons online at French Coffee Break, to share some of the most commonly used idioms in French, some key phrases that French people use daily, and which will help you to sound French – and speak like a local.

Avoir un coup de foudre

Literally: to have a thunderbolt

No, it’s not a meteorological catastrophe, but a feeling. Like lightning, which is a sudden, instantaneous phenomenon, this expression means “falling in love at first sight”, instantly.

Romantic, isn’t it?

As an example of how you might use it in French “Quand Thomas a vu Julie, il a su qu’elle était la femme de sa vie. Ça a été le coup de foudre.” When Thomas saw Julie, he knew that she was the woman for him. It was love at first sight.”

Avoir un coup de barre

Literally: to have a blow or knock from a bar

There are a lot of expressions with the word “coup”. Here, literally, a blow from a bar would be a bit violent. But to the French, everyone knows that it figuratively means “avoir un coup de barre” means to be suddenly tired, to feel an unexpected fatigue.

As an example, you could say “Je prends toujours un café quand j’ai un coup de barre.” I always have a coffee when I suddenly come over all exhausted.

The word coup features a lot in idioms, for instance coup de mou – feeling sluggish

Poireauter

We all know a “leek” is a green vegetable. But the verb “poireauter” or sometimes we say “faire le poireau” (“to do the leek”) has nothing to do with the vegetable. It means “to wait” (informally), usually due to a delay.

For example, “J’avais rendez-vous avec Antoine mais il était en retard. J’ai poireauté pendant une heure dans le froid !” I had a meeting with Antoine, but he was late. I had to wait for an hour in the cold!

Sécher les cours

Literally: to dry classes

No, you don’t literally “dry” classes with a hair dryer. This expression means you are deliberately missing classes, you are not attending classes voluntarily.

Example: “Le directeur du lycée m’a appelé ce matin car mon fils était absent en cours de maths ce matin. Quelle surprise, c’est la première fois qu’il sèche les cours !” The principal at the school called me in this morning because my son was absent from maths class this morning. What a surprise – it’s the first time he’s missed a class.

Faire la grasse matinée (ou la grasse mat’)

Literally: to do the fat morning

You know that sweet pleasure of waking up peacefully on a Sunday morning at 11am without an alarm… Well, if you do, you have already done a “grasse matinée” (= to sleep late).

Example: “Mon fils de 15 ans fait toujours la grasse matinée, le dimanche il ne se réveille pas avant 11 heures ou midi !” My 15-year-old son always sleeps in late, on Sundays he never wakes up until 11 am or even mid-day!

Avoir du piston / Être pistonné(e)

“Être pistonné(e)” is not, as literally translated, to have a piston. It is in fact a way to get a job, an internship, a promotion, a favor…because you know someone who recommends you, when you have connections and someone’s recommendation to get an advantage.

Example: “Ce n’est pas juste, mon collègue a eu une promotion alors qu’il travaille moins que moi… Je suis sûr qu’il est pistonné ! Son père connaît le patron.” It’s not fair, my colleague has been promoted even though he doesn’t work as hard as me – I’m sure he got the job through favouritism. His dad knows the boss.

Chercher midi à quatorze heures

Literally: to look for noon at 2pm

As with many idiomatic expressions, this one has no real literal meaning, but it is still widely used by French speakers. “Chercher midi à quatorze heures” means needlessly choosing the complicated option, looking for complications when there are none.

Ne cherche pas midi à quatorze heures : pour les vacances, réserve un hôtel avec le petit-déjeuner inclus et tu seras tranquille !

Être au bout du rouleau

Literally: to be at the end of the roll

A roll is composed of sheets, of paper for example. When you have arrived at the last sheet, you are literally at the “end of the roll”. Figuratively speaking, this means (familiarly) that you are exhausted, discouraged, have no energy left. You have reached the limit of your capabilities… Let’s hope you don’t have to use this expression!

 Example: Les médecins et les infirmiers font beaucoup d’efforts depuis le début de la pandémie de Covid-19… Ils sont au bout du rouleau. Je comprends pourquoi ils font grève. The doctors and nurses made huge efforts since the start of the pandemic of Covid 19 – they have no energy left. I understand why they are going on strike.

Avoir la chair de poule

Literally: to have gooseflesh

“Avoir la chaire de poule”  means goosebumps or goose pimples.

Example: “Je ne peux pas écouter Jacques Brel sans avoir la chair de poule.” I can never listen to Jacques Brel without getting goosebumps.

Casser les pieds de quelqu’un

Literally: to break someone’s feet

To break someone’s feet is to annoy, bother, or strongly irritate that person. If you are disturbed, annoyed by someone, you can say they are “breaking your feet” – it’s an informal expression).

Example: Ma voisine me casse les pieds tous les soirs avec le volume de sa télé ! My neighbour is driving me nuts with her television turned up so loud.

The expression gave birth to the adjective “casse-pieds” (annoying). Être casse-pieds = casser les pieds

Ma collègue Sandra est casse-pieds, elle arrive toujours en retard en réunion ! My colleague Sandra is so annoying, she’s always late for our get togethers!

Using phrases like this that native French speakers use daily, improves your French language skills!

You can hear Manon pronounce these phrases here on YouTube

If you want to learn French – join Manon’s French Coffee Break classes, group or individual online tuition for all levels that really works. Use the code NEW20 to get 20% off your first course.

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Want to know how to be a Parisian? Ever wondered what makes Parisians different from the rest of the French? We caught up with French comedian Olivier Giraud, whose one man show in Paris “How to be a Parisian in one Hour” has been seen by more than half a million people from around the world. And he explained all!

Olivier Giraud is a Parisian, a comedian, an author, and a legend. He’s a man who makes people roll off their seats laughing in the packed theatre he plays to in Paris with his one man show where he’s taught more than 1 million people how to be a Parisian too – in just one hour. And if your parents taught you to grow up to be a kind person with values such as politeness and punctuality, well forget all that because if you want to be a Parisian Olivier says, you just can’t do that. His brilliantly fun show ‘How to become a Parisian in one hour’ at the ‘Théâtre des Nouveautés’, at Boulevard Poissonnières, is an absolute essential Paris visit. It will explain the cultural differences between Parisians and well, everyone else. And it will make you laugh out loud. And I promise you will look around you in Paris with renewed awe. So students, sit back, pay attention and get ready to find out more about life in the Parisian jungle according to Olivier Giraud.

Are Parisians arrogant?

When it comes to Parisians – it’s almost like we think of them as a separate race from the rest of the French, maybe the rest of the world. But what’s myth and what’s reality. Let’s look at some of the cliches starting with the famous arrogance of Parisians. Is that true? Or false? Are Parisians arrogant?

Olivier Giraud We Parisians are all arrogant. I mean, we live in the most beautiful city in the world. We speak French without any accent. We have the best restaurants. It would be such a pity to be a nice person. So yeah, of course we are all arrogant.

Janine Marsh You say that, but I have to say that most of the Parisians I’ve met are nice!

Olivier Giraud Most of them are nice? Hmm but most of the time, if you see a nice person in Paris, if you ask them questions and they answer nicely, they come from the ‘provinces’!

Are Parisians all slim?

Janine Marsh This is what everyone believes everywhere around the world. And actually, I believe it too, because I was once in Paris having lunch at the Cafe de la Paix, near Opera Garnier. And it’s a famous restaurant. It’s very gastronomic. And I was sitting there having a delicious steak chips. And a woman sat next to me at the table. And she was clearly French, and clearly Parisian because she ordered a bowl of lettuce for lunch, just a bowl of lettuce, nothing else. And then she said: “Can I have the ketchup please?” And she put some ketchup on it. And she had nothing else for the whole lunch that I was there, anyway, so true or false? Are all Parisians slim.

 Olivier Giraud I would say that Parisians are quite slim. I used to live in America for five years. And when I came back to Paris, I was very shocked about the Parisians. And I checked all the numbers. Like, in Paris, there is only 10% of the people who are overweight. And I think it’s because the people run all the time. We are walking like more than five kilometers per day with the Metro and all the steps. And Parisians are very careful about food. Even at the food market they try to find like a good product, organic product. And we do not snack. And there is a cliche of the Parisians every morning with the croissant, the French baguette, the jam… all the charcuterie and the cheese. We try to be very careful about the food and the way we look.

Janine Marsh It’s a really strange thing because everybody around the world think French people just eat croissants and, and chocolatines or pains aux chocolat and Nutella spread thickly on toast and baguettes and cakes and wine and cheese all day long. But actually…

Olivier Giraud No, it’s not. It’s wrong.

Janine Marsh So what do you have at breakfast?

Olivier Giraud Only a coffee. A ‘cafe allongé’ which is like a kind of American coffee. It’s like espresso with hot water. For Parisians – coffee only, though sometimes if I have guests in my house, I’ll buy some croissants – maybe three times per year…

Janine Marsh 3 times a year!

 Olivier Giraud Yeah. Or 4 times.

Janine Marsh Who eats all the croissants then?

Olivier Giraud Who eats the croissants? I think that the young people, I think the youngsters like the kids they love the pain au chocolat. Or you say pain au chocolat in Paris or otherwise in South of France is chocolatine. It’s like a big war in France. There is the team chocolatine and the team pain au chocolat, who are always fighting. The kids have the pain au chocolat you know after school. They love to have one. Otherwise, tourists love the croissant and the pain au chocolat, but Parisians, not very often.

Janine Marsh I love a croissant for breakfast!

Olivier Giraud You don’t live in Paris.

What do Parisians wear?

Janine Marsh My friend Vanessa is a true Parisian. And she was born and bred in Paris, and she will never ever leave Paris, she says. She also will never ever wear any colour but black. Seriously, I’ve known Vanessa now for I don’t know, maybe 12 years and I’ve never seen her wear anything but black trousers or black suit or a little black dress when we’re going out in the evening. Is this a Paris thing?

Olivier Giraud Yes, it is. For me too, I wear only black. And sometimes someone is like, let’s be crazy,  put on some grey or dark blue. But I think Parisians try to feel invisible, you know. And you can see in the Metro, the tourists with the flowers and black and red, like red, pink, yellow… But Parisians yeah, they like to wear a dark colour.

Janine Marsh Wow, to be invisible. Is that because it’s such a busy town? Well, you know, it’s not really a busy city compared to London, I suppose, or New York, which is, you know, quite a bit bigger. But I guess in terms of France, it’s quite a busy big city. So being invisible is a good thing?

Olivier Giraud I think it’s a good thing. And like Coco Chanel used to say, I like any colour as long as it is black.

Janine Marsh Do you wear black pyjamas?

Olivier Giraud All the time? Black or grey.

Olivier Jauffrit What about pants?

Olivier Giraud Pants? Dark blue jeans

Janine Marsh Wow.

Olivier Giraud Only. And then in the theatre it’s only in black.

Janine Marsh So you push the boat out with blue jeans and some flash of colour amongst all the black shirts and pants and socks. I must say when you’re in Paris, you do notice a lot of people wearing black. So right now I must assume that everyone wearing black is a Parisian and everyone not wearing black is either from outside of Paris or a visitor.

Olivier Giraud Next time you come to Paris Janine, only in black.

Janine Marsh I’m actually going to Paris on Wednesday, and I’m gonna wear black and see if anyone thinks I’m Parisian.

Olivier Giraud You have to.

What is a Parisian BoBo?

Janine Marsh  Okay, this is a question from a friend of mine, who lives in London and she said she went to Paris and she was overhearing people in a café and they were chatting and they were saying: ‘Bobo’, il est ‘Bobo, elle est ‘Bobo’. What is a Paris Bobo?

Olivier Giraud So the term bobo is a mixture of two words. Using the first letters to each word. First ‘bourgeois’ which means a rich person. And then ‘boheme’ as in Bohemian. The two first letters of each are ‘bo’, so it’s bobo. Translation: a rich person who lives like a poor person.

Janine Marsh So does a bobo eat croissants for breakfast?

Olivier Giraud They can eat croissants but I think they love the croissant with some pumpkin seeds! This is really bobo and the bobo is kind of ‘we have to fight to save the planet’ for example. They go on holidays like 10 times per year. They go to the Reunion island, they go to America, they travel a lot. So I think that they save the planet only you know with friends… talking like this, but not doing that too much.

Janine Marsh Do they wear black? Because that’s not very bohemian.

Olivier Giraud Yeah, they put some colours the bobo! A bit more colour and a bit of flowers. You can find some bobos close to Canal St Martin, in the 11th arrondissement. You can find them every Sunday morning in a market buying like 10 euros a kilogram apples. But they’re so happy like ‘yeah, it’s a good quality’, of course for 10 euros! You find some of them in the 19th arrondissement, the 20th and now in Montreuil. It’s a suburb with a lot of bobos!

Janine Marsh So, if you want to go bobo-spotting, head to Montreuil or the 11th arrondissement. And spot people wearing black clothes with a splash of colour and maybe eating croissants, for a true sight of Paris.

Are Parisian waiters rude?

Janine Marsh: Right, now this might be a tough question actually. Because I think there are two different answers to this personally. But there is one answer that I have experienced and it’s about Parisian waiters. You know if you read any magazines, if you read any websites about Paris, people will go ‘oh, Parisian waiters, they are so rude. They are also arrogant to clients.’ You would think that going into a restaurant spending money by buying food, buying wine and dining there that you would be treated really well. But how true is it that a Parisian waiter will be rude to a client?

Olivier Giraud  I will say that in Paris, we have different kinds of restaurants. If you go to a really high class restaurant, most of the time, I mean 95% of the time the waiter will be nice, because they have a big reputation, and they have to be nice. But if you go to a Brasserie, even for Parisians it’s very hard to find a nice one that is like, when you arrive: “hello, how are you? Welcome!” I think it never happened to me in the past five years. So yeah, okay, I’ll sit, and their facial expression means, ‘ahhh, another guest, I’m fed up with this job.’ We’re used to this in Paris. But yes, so so many tourists are very shocked about the way they are treated by the waiters. But that’s a Paris thing, it’s like this, and they are not too nice, but they can be fast. And you eat well. And the problem is – the tips are included in Paris, and in all of France. So that means that they don’t have to be nice, because the service is paid already. In America: ‘hey, welcome to the Cheesecake Factory!’ They’re very nice and then you give them a 20% tip. In Paris, perhaps you can give one or two euros if the service is good. But most of the time you leave nothing.

Janine Marsh You could go into a restaurant and they could just be absolutely awful for you. And they’re still going to get a tip, whether you like it or not.

Olivier Giraud Yes! There are some visitors you know, they think the tips are not included. So they add like 10 or 20%, even if the service is bad, but, reallly they don’t have to be nice.

Janine Marsh I haven’t really had that many bad experiences. But I’ve had the look that you described, you know where I’ve walked in and just asked for a cup of coffee. And then they look at me as if I’ve I asked for something really unspeakable, rather than a cup of coffee. But you’re right – they’re fast. And you get what you want.

I saw a sign once in a cafe and it said if you ask for a coffee and you say ‘Bonjour un cafe s’il vous plait’ you’ll get it for one price. And if you walk in and just go ‘un cafe!’, you get it for a much higher price. I don’t know if that’s true.

95% of the time, you’re not going to get a rude waiter in Paris. Simple as that. Smile, say Bonjour. Say ‘s’il vous plait’. You’re probably going to get a really nice happy waiter. Yeah, yeah, that’s what I reckon.

Where to go shopping in Paris?

Where does a typical Parisian go shopping for clothes? You know, I suppose we all think it’s going to be the Champs-Elysées, which is always full of shoppers, but I’ve to be honest, most of them do seem to be visitors. So I’m assuming that Parisians go somewhere else.

Olivier Giraud Yeah, Parisians don’t go on the ‘Champs-Elysées’ because there’s not too many shops, it’s only like very expensive shops. Parisians go to ‘Les Halles’, close to ‘Chatelet’. It’s a place where you have many shops. Rue de Rivoli, now it’s better than because there’s no more cars. And Rue de Rennes as well, in the 6th arrondissement. If you have a lot of money you can go close to the Champs-Elysées, to Avenue Montaigne, for Dior, Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier… you know expensive shops.

Janine Marsh Millionaire’s row huh? So the Parisians never leave Paris to go shopping? Do they ever leave Paris?

Olivier Giraud Of course we have friends in the suburbs. But for us, it’s horrible to go to ‘Banlieue’ (suburbs). It’s takes so long. It takes less time to go to Greece than going to the suburbs, with all the strikes! No, I’m kidding, but it’s hard for Parisians to go to the suburbs. It’s not easy for real Parisians.

Janine Marsh So from your experience. I mean, you said you lived in America for five years. So is shopping in Paris a bit different from shopping in America or anywhere else for that matter. Is Paris shopping, you know, a special thing?

Olivier Giraud Yeah. In Paris, a lot of people like going shopping on Saturday. And the service is like it is in restaurants. It’s funny. You know, if you go to America: Hey welcome to H&M, welcome. My name is Tracy.’ They’re very nice. In Paris, it’s different I mean, you, you get in, you don’t have to smile, you know, you look for what you want, and then you leave. It’s kind of different.

Janine Marsh It’s very different. I mean, I went shopping in Paris, and I saw this beautiful dress. And I went in – and it was in the shop window. And I said, Oh, I really love that dress in the shop window. Do you think you have it in my size? And she just looked me up and down and said ‘non’.

Olivier Giraud Non – c’est pas possible

Janine Marsh This is what she said. She gave me a look that said, I don’t want you to wear my beautiful dresses you are not worthy!

Olivier Giraud When you’re Parisian and you go shopping, if the sales advisor ask you ‘you need some help?’. Even if you need some help, just say ‘non je regarde‘. You need to be alone, you know, you don’t want to be disturbed by somebody. And, if later, you need some help you say ‘yeah, oh, come on, I need some help.’ And then the person comes and will help you but just look alone – and don’t ask for any help.

Janine Marsh Just look at the clothes where everything is black in the corner.

Olivier Giraud Completely. Then you leave.

Where do Parisians go on holiday?

Janine Marsh Where did Parisians go on holiday? I mean, we read in magazines that Parisians go to ‘Ile de Ré’ or they go to Deauville. Nowhere else in France do they go. Occasionally Provence…

Olivier Giraud Provence? Yeah, but it’s more common to go to Deauville or Trouville in Normandy. I don’t like Deauville. It’s all the rich Parisians going there you know with the Chanel and Jean-Paul Gaultier’s shops everywhere, and the beautiful cars. But if you cross the bridge you have Trouville, which is like Deauville, but when you have a bit less of money than Deauville. The weather’s not amazing there, but Parisians go there for a weekend or a long weekend. They also go to ‘Ile de Ré’. And Brittany is very famous now – everybody wants to go to Brittany and, it’s funny when the Parisians go to a Brittany, they dress like people from Brittany you know the ‘marinière’, a shirt with stripes, you know? And also the plastic boots…

Janine Marsh I think we call them crocs.

Olivier Giraud Oh yeah, the crocs. It’s kind of funny. You can see the Parisians in Brittany: all look the same.

Janine Marsh Wow. So Parisians go on holiday and they fling off their black clothes and they put on black and white instead.

Olivier Giraud And then for the bobo, they love camping, you know. The Parisian bobo, they go camping. They spend so much money for a little space in the country. No water or electricity – they pay so much, but they’re very happy. We all take August holidays all the time. That’s why everything is closed in Paris, if you’re looking for a bakery or even a bank – everything is closed in August most of the time.

Janine Marsh It’s astonishing, isn’t it? I can’t believe it. Sometimes I go on holiday. Or I go out for the day in July or August and restaurants are shut and there’s a sign on the door saying ‘we are on holiday’.

Olivier Giraud C’est ferme !

Janine Marsh This is peak tourist season. How can you be on holiday? Hotels close in July and August too!  I love that in France you are either a July person or an August person. And there is a name for this and I find it almost impossible to say August in French.

Olivier Giraud If you go on holidays in August, you are an ‘aoutien’. If you go on holidays in July, you are a ‘juilletiste’.

Janine Marsh Wow, I’m beginning to get a picture here. It’s either Pain au chocolat or Chocolatine. You either go on holiday in July or you go in August, so there are two different tribes going on here.

 Olivier Giraud And August is even more expensive. Everything is so expensive in August. More than July.

How to be Parisian!

Janine Marsh Is there one thing that you should do or that you shouldn’t do to make you look more Parisian and less a tourist when you come to Paris?

Olivier Giraud The way you dress – you know try to put some black or grey. So many times I can see like tourists and you can see they’re tourists they’re wearing like a shirt with like ‘God Bless America’ with the cap ‘In America we trust’. No don’t take this cap, keep it at home. And if I see very smiley people on the street, I’m sure they are tourists. Don’t even move your eyes or lips or whatever, just try to be depressed… And the way you speak as well you know. When you go to a bakery (a boulangerie), and this is something that makes me laugh all the time, the tourists say: Yeah, we would like the crapes, crapes. No, come on, crêpes when you say crapes, you’re making three mistakes. It’s not a cray. It’s crrr crrr, it’s Crêpe. And it’s one crepe, 2 crepes. Even if you’re right theres an  ‘s” at the end. You don’t pronounce it. So when you say crapes, you’re a tourist. And, the biggest mistake people can make is like: Yeah, we love Macron! Macron is our president. Macaron is a pastry. You know, that’s a big difference.

Janine Marsh I’m guilty of having friends who call him Macaron as well and Mrs. Macaron…

Olivier Giraud Emmanuel Macaron and Brigitte Macaron. Hmmm…

 Janine Marsh You’re saying about don’t smile, because sometimes I have to go to meetings with French people. And they always say to me, you smile too much. People won’t trust you. But I like to smile. I’m happy.

Olivier Giraud You know, when you’re walking in Paris in the streets, and you see people smiling, you’re like, what happened? Why did they smile? What happened? And we feel like the person is weird. So yeah, don’t be nice.

Janine Marsh So now we have learned from this: always wear black, have a cup of coffee for breakfast and nothing else. Never eat a croissant, never a pain au chocolat. Don’t smile, don’t wear a baseball cap. And you will be a Parisian in Paris.

Olivier Giraud You can smoke as well.

Janine Marsh Yeah. Well, you know, I don’t think I can condone that, actually, Olivier, on this on this show…

Listen to our podcast with Olivier Giraud on How to be a Parisian in less than one hour

Subscribe here to never miss an episode: thegoodlifefrance.com/podcast

All episodes on Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/thegoodlifefrancepodcast

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Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online.

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

The post How to be a Parisian! appeared first on The Good Life France.

What is Bastille Day all about? Well first I have to tell you that in France this most important national holiday which is held on 14^th July, is not called Bastille Day at all. It’s called, rather unimaginatively – quatorze Juillet, 14^th July in English. Or it’s called Fete Nationale – National fete or National Holiday. Everything you want to know about Bastille Day…!

You can also listen to a longer version of this article in our Bastille Day podcast

What are the origins of Bastille Day?

This famous event, which was to start a change to the course of history, took place at a time of great difficulty for France. Enormous sums of  money had been spent on wars (nothing new there). And of course, it was the ordinary people who paid for these wars and got little or nothing back in return. Tax after tax – always increasing so that the royal coffers could be filled.

Meanwhile, life for the common man was difficult, lack of money and a rising cost of living, lack of food because there has been bad harvests, which led to flour shortages, lack of much comfort on a daily basis. People were miserable. But the royal family, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the rich nobles and church leaders who ruled, continued to live their indulged and gilded existence. It seemed that they were oblivious to the suffering of the ordinary people.

I read that on the day that the Bastille was stormed in Paris, Louis XVI who liked to keep a diary, wrote for that day “nothing”. He was referring to his day’s hunting, the most important thing to him. Not a word about what went on in Paris. So yes, I think the rich and the powerful must have been oblivious.

How did it start?

No one can really pinpoint what actually made everything kick off on the 14th July 1789. The King had recently sacked his finance minister who was quite popular as he had suggested that the royal family try to budget to save money, and there were rumours that a new parliamentary body which was believed to be more on the side of the ordinary man would be stopped.

Everyone knows about the popular myth that when the Queen was told of bread shortages in Paris she stated “then let them eat cake.” But there is absolutely no proof that she said this at all. And in fact, it was claimed that an earlier queen said this too.

What is known is that on that day, a crowd gathered. Some had guns. And the angry mob which got bigger and bigger, marched to the Bastille to obtain powder for the guns. The Bastille was then a medieval fortress which served as a prison and a warehouse for munitions and gun powder, and also for bread grain.

The storming of the Bastille

Negotiations between the governor of the Bastille and the spokesmen of the mob quickly escalated into an angry shouting match and the Bastille guards opened fire killing hundreds of people. A rescue team was called to support the guards and hold the Bastille but they unexpectedly decided to side with the crowd. The Bastille was surrendered after a fight and the building was destroyed. This day started a chain of action that would lead to the execution of the majority of the aristocracy of France including the royal family and there would be years of turmoil and horror from which would emerge a new rule.

When the King was informed of the happenings at the Bastille he asked “is this a revolt?” and he was told “No Majesty, this is a revolution”.

So 14^th July, Bastille Day, as we know it now, essentially celebrates the French Revolution and we’re going to explain more about why, how and what. But before we do that we need to talk about what caused the French Revolution and it was a number of things but one of the major issues was to do with bread.

The Bread of Revolution

The French love their bread! 98% of the French are said to eat bread every day! But in the old days, bread was seriously important, it was a main food for the poor who spent up to half their daily wage on bread alone. Grain and bread riots were really common, people protested against the price, or lack of grain, or how the bread was made. Sometimes these riots spilled out across entire regions.

Just 14 years before there had been 300 riots in just 3 weeks over a lack of bread. In fact, the riots that resulted in the fall of the Bastille on 14th July 1789 and helped start the French Revolution began not just as a search for arms but for grain too. The bad harvest saw price rises go so high that people were spending up to 90% on bread. They didn’t have enough left for coat for their fires, for medicine, clothes, meat or anything

Parisian peasants – rightly – suspected that merchants and bakers had hoarding grain in anticipation of higher prices. They took to the streets to protest. They even thought the King was hoarding grain and that the nobility were deliberately trying to starve the masses.

Later the government that was formed after the Revolution definitely learned their lesson. One of their goals was to make sure everyone had quality bread every day. In 1793, the Convention (the post-Revolution government) created a new law which stated:

“Richness and poverty must both disappear from the government of equality. It will no longer make a bread of wheat for the rich and a bread of bran for the poor.  All bakers will be held, under the penalty of imprisonment, to make only one type of bread: The Bread of Equality.”

The march on Versailles

For the rest of that year the revolution simmered and on 5 and 6 of October, a mob marched on the palace of Versailles. It started in the market places of Paris where the women were complaining about the lack of bread again and the prices. They just had enough of a King who wasn’t doing anything to make things better for them so it’s known as the March of the Women. About 7000 people, men and women by then, marched and it was this that delivered the death blow for the French Monarchy.

It was a rainy day and it takes about 6 hours to walk from Paris to Versailles. The crowd were exhausted when they got there, and drenched. It was a complicated time. Speeches were made. Meetings were held and promises made but it didn’t seem to calm the crowd. The next morning a mob broke into the palace and went for Marie-Antoinette. They threatened to tear out her heard, cut off her head and fricassee her liver.

She ran and hid managing to escape from them but the crowd insisted the royal family go to Paris. And off they went. They were sent to the a Tuileries Palace which became their gilded prison. Though they had an element of freedom – they could not leave. That day Versailles was boarded up to keep looters out. Essentially it was the end of the monarchy though they lasted a while longer.

A few days after that, a certain Doctor Guillotin proposed his fun new scientific device.

Terror of the Revolution

Over the course of the French Revolution which didn’t end for another 10 years in all, tens of thousands of people were guillotined to death. Some of the leaders who directed France during the revolutionary years, like Maximilien Robespierre, a bourgeois lawyer, triggered the bloodiest chapter of the French Revolution, known as the Reign of Terror from 1793-1794.

Robespierre was not a nice man. He was very odd. He replaced Catholicism with a so-called religion called the “Cult of the Supreme Being” – and made himself head of it. It’s estimated more than 40,000 people died during the Reign of Terror, either executed or murdered. The guillotine worked overtime. And it was fast. It had lots of nicknames like Madame la Guillotine, the Widow, the Patriotic Shortener, the National Razor, the Regretful Climb, and the Silence Mill. Louis XVI was beheaded on 28th January 1793 after a trial in which his own cousin voted for his death (family huh?!). The execution took place in what is now Place de la Concorde.

The end of royal rule

It’s said that people dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood and sold locks of his hair as souvenirs. One handkerchief was found more than 200 years later, hidden in a dried squash.

Nine months later Marie-Antoinette followed. Her last words were “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait expres” in English “Pardon monsieur, I did not do it on purpose” when she accidentally trod on the executioner’s foot. Fun fact for you: he was the same man who had excuted her husband.

Marie Antoinette’s remains were taken to a graveyard behind the Church of Madeleine about half a mile north. The gravediggers were taking a lunch break. That gave Marie Grosholtz — later known as Madame Tussaud — enough time to make a wax imprint of Marie-Antoinette’s face before she was placed in an unmarked grave. Madame Tussaud made many wax models during the Revolution, including the King and Robespierre. She had been art teacher to the King’s sister and later moved to London where she set up a museum with all her waxworks. You can see the Marie-Antoinette mask there to this day.

It could have been so different – Louis and Marie Antoinette nearly escaped…

Queen Marie-Antoinette almost escaped to America

American royalists offered to try to help the royal family escape, on a ship to America. The Captain of a ship was found – a Captain Clough, and he wrote to his wife in Maine telling her to get the house ready for the Queen. Apparently she told all her friends and everyone bought new dresses ready for their big moment.

The escape plan is known as the Flight to Varennes and the royal family bundled into a coach on 20th June 1791, and left Paris but they didn’t get very far. The king was a bit of a ditherer and delayed things. Plus he apparently made them late as he wanted to drink wine and eat cheese which kind of sums up the whole problem of the royal family in France really.

Their coach broke down and unlucky for them, someone recognised the King from his likeness on a coin. And it really was the nail in the coffin, so to speak, for their future. The escape plan failed and the ship left laden with royal belongings – furniture and fabrics and paintings and suchlike. Mrs Clough papered her house with the royal paper and filled it with furniture and it became known as the Marie Antoinette house.

Why do English speakers call it Bastille Day?

And now back to that very first question – why do we call it Bastille Day?

14th July isn’t just about the storming of the Bastille which kickstarted the French Revolution in 1789. For the French it’s also about what happened the year after – again on 14 July, when a one-off national holiday was declared known as the Fete de la Fédération. A mass gathered in Paris to attend a military parade led by the Marquis de Lafyette – the one who sailed to America to help in the American Revolution, and the King and Queen swore an oath of loyalty to the nation.

When it was agreed almost 100 years later to have an annual public holiday to commemorate the French Revolution in some way, various dates and reasons were highlighted. For instance someone suggested 28th January would be good as that was the day that Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793. But in the end, they went for July 14 – the date of two major events. However, it was never clear which was the exact one that was being celebrated!

Clearly English speakers decided which one of the dates excited them more, the bloodthirsty one!

La Marseilllaise – a song of revolution

One song in particular celebrates the French Revolution: La Marseillaise. It’s called that as it was sung in Paris by revolutionaries from Marseille. It became the anthem of the revolution, the words then were different and insulted the King and Queen. It was adopted as the French National Anthem in 1795.

Ironically it’s said that Marie-Antoinette also liked this tune and used to play it on her harpsichord.

What happens on Bastille Day in France?

The 14th July celebrations and festivities actually start the night before on  the 13^th of July. For some, this is the best bit because all over France there are Bals de pompiers, firemen’s balls. They’re hosted at fire stations and anyone can go along and join in the dancing and party. But why, you might well be asking me, are do firemen hold balls? It’s a long-standing tradition in France that officially began in 1937 when a group of people followed firefighters back from a fête nationale parade! At our local fire station it’s very much a family affair, but I hear that at some there are firemen prancing about a la Chippendale style! It’s all about fund raising though, so all in a good cause.

The next day is the big day, one of the most important days of the year. It’s time for French people to go a little bit wild and have fun. Almost all French towns will have some sort of celebrations, from parades to fetes and concerts and dinner. Fireworks are also a big part of the celebration. Paris of course has a major display but many other smaller towns and cities will have big displays too, often paired with music.National holidays are taken on the day on which they fall – if that’s a Sunday, tough, you don’t get Monday off as a bank holiday – and that includes 14^th July.

Bastille Day, or I should say Le 14 juillet, before my French friends and family behead me… is a real family event in France. Everybody goes out. The Fete Nationale in France is when people who don’t dance, dance. It’s when people who usually go to bed early, don’t. It’s when those people who always say that they don’t like to party, do.

So now you know everything you need to know, and more, about Bastille Day.

More fascinating and fun French stuff

Discover the most fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

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All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle, is out in October 2023 – a look at the French way of life.

The post Everything you want to know about Bastille Day! appeared first on The Good Life France.

To visit France is to immerse yourself into a culture that has had profound effects upon the world throughout its history. No matter where you are, every corner of France contains strands of culture that stretch back through the decades and centuries. The culture surrounds you. It speaks to your soul. All the arts are honoured, including the art of tapestry making…

The texture of history

When history is taught to children, it usually is centred around kings and queens, wars, and disputes. But quietly underpinning all human history is the importance of textile. Clothing, protective bedding, the sails used on ships – the list goes on and on.

Textile is an incredibly important factor in understanding human history. Indeed, textile has been a key factor in human progress throughout the millennia.

The art of textile

And mankind doesn’t just use materials for practical reasons but also as a means of expression and art.

Methods for introducing colours and patterns to textiles emerged many centuries ago, and these soon began to be adapted to practical and/or informative art forms. Whether in ancient Egypt, Greece or in the Roman Empire, decorative textile has held, and continues to hold, an important place in society.

In the Middle Ages in European culture, tapestry began to evolve and one of the major forces in the artistic prominence of textile centred around the Gobelin studios in France. In the 15^th century, a family of dyers and clothmakers named Gobelin, created tapestry workshops in Paris. Gobelin became world famous for the precision and beauty of the hand-woven tapestries they produced.  And they are still a major force in this area of art. You can visit the Paris Gobelins factory at 42 avenue des Gobelins and take a guided tour.

From the earliest days of tapestry weaving, artists would send their designs to be woven at renowned studios by expert weavers – they still do.

Creating a tapestry is a highly labour-intensive activity and, as such, challenges every generation to master its complexities. But its subtle connection to the clothes we wear suggests that tapestry art will always be with us.

A modern tapestry artist

Modern, abstract tapestry art invites the viewer – as does all abstract art – to find their own personal relationship to the imagery.

Artist Ragnhild Monsen hand weaves beautiful abstract tapestries. Unlike much tapestry art today, she designs as well as hand dyes most of the yarn and weaves alone. She has used the vertical loom system for 50 years, the same type of loom used by the early Gobelin masters.

Monsen says that she realised early in her artistic life that like the silk-moth, she was required to go into a ‘cocoon of her own subconscious’ and let the invisible thread form ideas that were to become reality in her work. This has been, and still is, her method of working throughout her whole creative life.

Her extremely popular modern tapestry ‘Monet Mood’ (top photo), was created in 2021. It is a very complex and colourful work. Hand dyeing the yarns to get the exact colours and shades that Ragnhild wanted took a lot of time. Setting up the weights and warp threads of the loom took time. Followed by around 600 hours of actual weave time. It is incredibly intricate work that requires enormous concentration.

The art of tapestry

She has followed the almost mystical process of allowing a concept to form without the precondition of her own thought limitations. It is this deep emotional, psychological, and spiritual insight that has taken Monsen’s art to be exhibited and/or sold in 17 different countries as far apart as Japan, Canada, the USA, and Europe.

Mostly her art has been for public buildings: hospitals, schools, banks, Army camps, even on an oil rig. In recent years, however, sales to private collectors have grown as the desire to have tapestry in the home has increased.

Paris Exhibition October 2023

Ragnhild Monsen will exhibit several of her tapestries at Le Carousel du Louvre Art Fair. It takes place from 20 – 22 October 2023. Address: 99 rue de Rivoli, Paris 75001. Metro: Line 1/7 Palais-Royale Musee du Louvre.

You can visit her websites here: gobelin-moderne.fr; Ragnhild-monsen.com

By Geoff Groom, an Englishman who has lived in Scandinavia for some decades with a deep love for all things French acquired over many wonderful visits to France

The post Cultural Threads – tapestry art appeared first on The Good Life France.

Learning another language can be daunting, and learning French is certainly no exception. However, the lessons with French Coffee Break are nothing like those French classes you endured at school. Instead, Manon Dewitte, a native French speaker and teacher, has created a unique system, tailoring classes to suit your needs. It’s like doing an immersion course – but online! Most importantly, though, it’s not her belief in you and your French-speaking abilities that motivates you, although that is encouraging to say the least. It’s the fact she gives you permission to make mistakes, learn the correct way and move on.

Practice makes almost perfect!

In my first lesson, Manon agrees that I need to expand my vocabulary, and that tidying my grammar is a priority. But she quickly reassures me with, “But, you know, you don’t have to be perfect.” And with that, you are given a free pass. In classes with Manon, it is perfectly ok to lose your words, to stumble over your liaison, or to tie your tongue in a knot. You are already succeeding because you are trying. As Manon insists, the practice goes a long way.

Whether you are learning French to apply for a job or for French citizenship, if you’re taking an exam – Manon covers the DELF, DALF and TEF – or if you simply want to communicate more easily, Manon will take your requirements into account. She is perfectly aware that everyone learns at different speeds, that some people have a natural flair for languages, while others, quite frankly, do not. No matter where you fall on that scale, she will nurture your abilities.

Everyone can speak French

“Everyone can speak French, it’s absolutely possible!” says Manon, and just like that, be prepared for your confidence to suddenly soar in the first class alone.

It begins with a 15-minute call with Manon so she can assess your level; starting at A1 (Introduction), there are 9 levels in total, so you have plenty of room to grow. During your chat, she aims to understand exactly what you hope to achieve. She recalls helping a woman from Brazil needing to pass the French citizenship test. “She was preparing to marry a Frenchman and her French skills were minimal – she was desperate to get to the B2 level but only had a few months! It was intense, but we did it! And on the big day, she shone with her French language skills! Of course, normally people have longer to prepare but I’m convinced that everyone can learn French!”

Encouragement and motivation

Every class takes place online and can be taken individually or in a group of 4 to 6 people. As the lessons progress, Manon will adapt, modify and change material to suit everyone. Students prepare for the classes in advance, whether there is writing, listening or something to watch. Then the class starts with a French-speaking ice breaker as everyone discusses their opinions on the material. Manon helps throughout with vocabulary and grammar.

“Sometimes people are quite shy to talk out loud in French, especially when they’re new to it,” says Manon, “but then they realize that everyone is in the same boat, all wanting to learn. And they begin to help, encourage and motivate each other and to realise it’s ok to make mistakes. That’s how you learn – and you can learn, it just takes time and regular lessons.”

Learn about French culture, traditions and cuisine

Practicing with others is the secret to accustoming yourself with another language, and while that can be intimidating at first, just appreciating the camaraderie is enough to get the conversation flowing. Manon is patient and helps to create a perfectly relaxed atmosphere, and her advice about releasing the need for perfection is unbelievably helpful.

Each course includes 20 lessons, and before the classes begin, you are given access to a Google Drive file full of course content and homework documents. According to Manon, a strong basis in grammar is “essential” for good French, yet that is where the similarities with your school French lessons end. Instead, Manon focuses on real French – the words spoken in day-to-day life, not the phrases you’ll read in textbooks. Depending on your overall goal, you can learn both the formal and informal versions of the language, the phrases that you’ll use in an interview or useful terms to say with friends. Best of all, the subjects are interesting – with Manon, you will tackle French culture, traditions, stereotypes, and cuisine.

Every lesson counts

With this refreshing outlook on language learning, it doesn’t take long to improve! After only my first lesson, I was shocked to realise I already sounded more fluent! Manon agrees, “It really doesn’t take long to get better. When students join for their very first lesson with no French language skills at all, they are always amazed that within a few hours they’re chatting away in French!”

She doesn’t just offer classes – sign up to her newsletter for regular French content (a perfect excuse to practice your reading) and her Instagram is full of fun and intriguing tips and infographics. She likes to keep your French brain ticking over by feeding you bite-size portions of language. As she says to me during the class, “You’re going to get better and better at this with practice and then you will be nearly perfect!” If that isn’t motivation, then I don’t know what is.

There is also a weekly podcast for you to listen to and practice French with transcripts for study/reading (free to all) via the website below.

Find out more, book a free chat with Manon and learn French at: frenchcoffeebreak.com

The post Online French Lessons that really work – and they’re fun appeared first on The Good Life France.

The French believe their language is the most beautiful in the world an in our podcast podcast episode How to speak French we talk about why that is.  This is a summary of the episode for those that aren’t into podcasts!

We’ll share some key tips to help you get by in French that are really easy to remember – even if you’re not fluent. It’s a short language lesson and there will be no test at the end!

Why do the French think their language is the most beautiful, here’s an example:

If I ask you in English: “do you like cheese”. It sounds like a basic question right. I am just asking you if you like something. I am looking for a fact about you. That’s it. But now, if I say it in French: “aimes-tu le fromage”. That’s a completely different thing. When you hear that, you want to like cheese, you want to have cheese right now!

Also, French media (and only French media obviously) have been saying for some time now that the French language will be the most spoken language in the world by 2050! And of course it is hard to disagree with a French person because you can hardly get a word in as French people just love to talk and share their language!

The most important French words

So – the most important word in the French language is bonjour.

When you go into a shop in France – it’s polite to say bonjour. Even in my local supermarket, if I walk in and the people working on the checkouts are looking my way – we always say bonjour to each other. And you say it when you go into cafés and bars, pretty much everyone really. Except the train or metro or the bus – don’t say it when you go on public transport. Unless there is a driver – but not to the passengers! Seriously though you can’t say bonjour enough. If you don’t say bonjour when you meet someone in France, they’re likely to think you’re a bit rude.

I was in Dijon in Burgundy once , and since I can’t go past a bakery or a chocolate shop, or a cheese shop without going in. And in Dijon there are just so many delicious shops, even more since they opened the incredible gastronomy village at the International city of food and wine. So since I can’t pass any of these shops without a look at least, drooling at the window, or taking a photo – there’s a lot of scope to say bonjour. I counted my bonjours – including stopping for a hot chocolate, lunch, dinner and a glass of wine.

53 times in one day!

And in France if you already said bonjour to someone, what do you do? You simply say Re-bonjour which means: “hello again”. It’s quite casual though, don’t say that to someone you don’t know very well.

The next most important words are s’il vous plait – please. And merci – thank you.

Homophones

Right, that’s the easy bit out the way. Let’s talk about homophones – French words that sound the same – but mean different things!

For example the French for sea – Mer (sounds like mare)

The French for mother – Mere (sounds like mare)

The French for Mayor, as in the Mayor of Paris – Maire (sounds like mare)

Yup, to me they all sound the same. And that is what makes learning French so much fun. Even French people admit it all sounds the same but ah, it’s all about the context they say.

Tu and Vous – a French conundrum

We need to talk about tu which means you, and vous – which means you. Tu is informal and/or singular and vous is formal – and/or plural. So how do you know which one to use?

It’s complicated, even for French people! Generally tu is what you use for friends. Vous is what you use for people you don’t know well, your boss, government officials, the President and royalty. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.

The parents of Olivier, my podcast partner, live in Nantes, west of France and they have a neighbour, whose been a neighbour for a long time, years in fact. When they first met, they called each other vous – comment allez vous, how are you, that sort of thing. Quite formal which is normal when you meet someone and when you are from an older generation. But somehow, they never got passed “vous” onto calling each other “tu”, despite seeing passing each other in the street most weeks and stopping to chat. And now, you know what? Olivier says “It’s too late, my parents can’t suddenly call their neighbour by “tu” – it wouldn’t seem right!” There is even a word in French ‘tutoyer’. A French person might say to you “on se tutoie?” ‘Shall we call each other “tu?” Yes really, and then you know you’re past the formal side of things.

If in doubt – use vous, not tu. Unless you’re talking to a child, or a friend, or family… ok let’s move on.

The letter H in France

Let’s talk about the letter h in French, which is silent, so you never ever hear a word beginning with ha. And amazingly French people don’t even laugh hahaha – they laugh ah ah ah…

Apparently the French don’t like the letter h! They say ‘and-ball, ‘amburger, ‘otel, ‘ockey and ’alloween!

I love it when the Bread Man delivers the bread to our village. I’m teaching him to speak English, and he’s helping me with my French. I try to get him to say his h’s and he says “ave a ‘appy weekend” and I say “non it’s have a happy weekend.” He tries so hard and he makes all these strange noises and my dogs love it. They jump around him as he’s going red in the face trying to ha ha ha. And after several years of trying, I’m resigned to the fact that it’s just never going to ‘appen..

French isn’t just about words

The French language isn’t just about words – it’s also about noises, and body language. If someone asks a question and you don’t know the answer, you can reply silently by shrugging your shoulders, which means “I don’t know” without saying it. That’s because French people are allergic to saying that they don’t know something.

When French people are bored, they make a “pfffff” noise. Or if something is really bad, like ‘ this movie is the worse movie in the world’ the sound bof escapes from them.

Bah, hop, tsst, blowing raspberries – they’re all part of the French language! .

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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream,  My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online.

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You don’t need any great interest in motor sport to be impressed by the legendary 24 Heures du Mans, recognised across the world as motorsport’s toughest event.   Launched in 1923, the race celebrated its centenary in June 2023, although not quite 100 starts, the event being abandoned during World War II.

Motoring pioneers

Le Mans had been at the forefront of motoring since the 1870s, thanks to local businessman Amedée Bollée, the first person to build a steam-driven car. Roads were improved for those early Bollée customers and as a result, the Circuit de la Sarthe was chosen by the Automobile Club de France for their first Grand Prix in 1906.

Few families owned a car in the 1920s, but other manufacturers were entering the industry.  A 24-hour bike race took place in Paris in 1922, but the inaugural 24 Heures du Mans a year later was the first such endurance race for cars, the brainchild of three local enthusiasts. Thanks to a British Bentley taking the lap record, the race forged a strong Anglo-British relationship that still endures today, but other nations soon flocked to the circuit to prove their cars’ performance in this gruelling event.

Races throughout the year

Today, the 13.6 km race takes place on a mix of closed public roads and the Bugatti Circuit, run by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). The circuit hosts a full programme of car, bike and truck races throughout the year as well as private events for club training and competitions. Discover the full story at the 24 Heures du Mans Museum, www.lemans-musee24h.com then take an independent tour trackside with an audio guide, or a guided tour that includes the Race Control Centre and iconic winners’ podium.

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers.

Discover what to see and do in Le Mans

Love cars? Don’t miss the extraordinary car museum in Mulhouse

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Ally Mitchell investigates the legend of Saint Honoré and his importance to the bakers of France…

As a Brit, my appreciation of saint days extends to our patron saints of which there are four, one for each country within the United Kingdom. Beyond them and St Valentine, however, there are few saints recorded on my calendar. France, on the other hand, has filled in the blanks – they have a saint allocated to every day of the year.

Many slide right past on the conveyer belt of days, yet some are celebrated including St Catherine, the saint of unmarried women, in November, and St Honoré, the saint of bakers, in May. Both worthy of a good celebration (maybe they should be combined? What a good knees-up that would be). St Honoré even had a spectacular cake made in his honour, one which is now sold in boulangeries around France. Pretty good going for a young unassuming bishop from Amiens. So, to celebrate St Honoré on the 16^th May, here’s his tale and how he became the saint of boulangers, pâtissiers and meuniers, three professions you might not expect would require a patron.

Who was St Honoré?

Honoré was born in Port-le-Grand, Picardy, in the sixth century to a noble family. Not a lot was recorded about his life until he was offered the role of the eighth bishop of Amiens. Even though he resisted the offer, believing himself to be unworthy, according to legend, at that exact moment, a ray a divine light shone down on him.

His beloved nursemaid didn’t believe he could have been honoured with such a position. She swore she would accept it only if her bread peel grew roots and transformed into a tree. Incidentally, she was baking bread at the time. Placing the end of the peel on the floor, it suddenly morphed into a mulberry tree. Ten centuries later, the tree was still standing and deemed miraculous.

Miracles and more

This wasn’t the only miracle allegedly conjured by Honoré, nor his only connection to bread and baking. Natural disasters were somehow avoided saving the crops and consequently the work of millers and bakers. St Honoré was credited with these miracles. After his death in around 600AD, drought loomed. In his absence, his relics were appealed to. They were carried in a procession around the city walls. Before long, the rain swiftly came.

His post-humous reputation continued to grow. In 1202, a baker wished to build a chapel in his honour and donated some local land to the city of Paris. This chapel was extended in 1579. It bequeathed its name to Rue Saint-Honoré which extends to Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré from the 1^st to the 8^th arrondissement. Streets aren’t the only locations bestowed with his eponym though. There is also the Saint-Honoré market and the now missing Saint-Honoré gate on the west of the city. The Saint-Honoré chapel has since been replaced by the departments of The Ministry of Culture.

Patron saint of bakers

In Paris in 1400, the guild of bakers was established in the church of St Honoratus. They dedicated the day of his feast to the 16^th May. Even royalty jumped on board. In 1659, Louis XIV decreed that the feast of St Honoré must be observed by every baker annually. He also demanded that donations be given in his name. Both financial and edible donations were accepted.

You may be wondering why bakers, pastry makers and millers all needed a patron saint. These professions have always been gruelling, but none more so than during the medieval times when the workers suffered from various breathing and skin aliments due to the flour particles filling their lungs and pores. They also had bad reputations for selling under-weight bread or using bad grain. For these practices, they were punished with a contraption called the ‘baker’s gallows.’  It’s as bad as it sounds. They would be forced into a basket, hoisted up to 40 feet in the air, then dropped in mud.

Let them eat cake

And what about this cake? Even by the 19^th century, bakers and pastry chefs were still honouring St Honoré. And now they put their professional skills into action by baking him a showstopper of confectionary. In 1847, the Chiboust boulangerie on – where else? – the Rue Saint-Honoré, created a ring-shaped brioche filled with a finicky filling of crème patisserie lightened with Italian meringue. This cream, which became known as crème Chiboust even has its own Facebook page! It’s applied with a special St Honoré nozzle to form the pastry’s iconic petals of cream. Eventually, the brioche was replaced with puff pastry. Then it is topped with a circle of cream choux buns dipped in caramel. It’s no wonder that this is the patisserie of choice for St Honoré. All its elements demonstrate essential baking and pâtissier skills.

Saint Honoré’s Day in France

Celebrate St Honoré on the 16^th May at Les Fetes du Pain where tompetitions (including the Best French Traditional Baguette), demonstrations and tastings are held in front of Notre-Dame in Paris. Pick up a St Honoré cake from your local boulangerie (or make one at home if you have several hours to spare). Visit Amiens Cathedral, a UNESCO heritage site, which dates back to the 13^th century – St Honoré is tributed with the eponymous south portal.

Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance writer, specialising in food and recipes. Ally left the UK to live in Toulouse in 2021 and now writes about her new life in France on her food blog NigellaEatsEverything.

This article was first published in The Good Life France Magazine

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Rachel Selle’s second instalment of the quartet’s adventure mystery series takes them to France, specifically Aix-en-Provence, to which the book’s title Aix Marks the Spot so aptly refers. Here on holiday, the four become ensnared in their second mystery when they witness the burglary of five priceless works of art. Together with their contacts in the police, they deduce the clues and follow the trial to find the painting and hopefully their culprit! This caper is the perfect escapism for adventurous readers, aged 7 to 10, with an easy-to-follow mystery at its heart.

The four cousins effortlessly fill the shoes of the Famous Five – Enid Blyton’s four plucky child detectives, who along with their dog Timmy, have swept children up in adventures and mysteries since the 1940s. Now, with Mr. Murphy, father and uncle to the cousins, taking the fifth role as sidekick, comic relief, tour guide and history expert, the four children are the perfect adventuring role models for young readers, just like Blyton’s Julian, Dick, George and Anne.

All four of our detectives are curious and interested in the world around them. Their endless intrigue leads them into exciting situations and helps them make new friends, but most importantly, all of them are so eager to learn! The children are delighted by Aix-en-Provence, a town in the south of France brimming with historical architecture. Their excited questions and curiosity teach readers about the town, transforming this work of fiction into a useful guidebook for children. It is incredibly tempting and easy to look up the real locations to see the sites which are accurately described in the book. All curious children will be intrigued to discover these far-off locations – the cathedral of Aix-en-Provence, the city’s fountains, and the artistic downtown of Marseille.

The European Adventures: Aix Marks the Spot: A Mystery Adventure Book for Kids

Even amidst the tension of hunting down an art thief, the book shows us there is so much to learn, especially for young detectives. Aix Marks the Spot’s author Rachel Selle is evidently on a mission to educate and to reveal that the ways we are taught in school is not conclusive for future enjoyment of a subject. Art and history are the two subjects she targets, and by taking her characters, and thereby her readers, up close to the artefacts, monuments and artworks, and exploring topics like symbolism, children and adults alike can learn exactly how to appreciate the beauty before us. Maybe these lessons can help us readers capture an art thief too! You never know when these skills will come in handy!

The most striking of all is the story’s timelessness – this European Adventure’s mystery could be set in any period, a theme doubled down on by the book’s beautiful illustrations as all the characters are shown to be dressed in unspecific and timeless clothing. The only clue to point us to a date are the references to phones and internet. Clearly, these detectives represent all children’s curiosity, a feat which has always defied generations. And anyway, who needs the wifi code when you have a mystery to solve?

Available from Amazon and book shops everywhere…

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