Learning French Later in Life: A Couple's Avignon Immersion, Episode 613
Nan and Marty Deniston spent three months living in Avignon, chasing real fluency instead of a quick refresher. They found a private tutor, leased a car through a little-known program, and rented out their house to make it happen. Their story proves you can learn French at any age.
Louis Braille: The Blind French Teen Who Changed Reading Forever, Episode 612
Lyon Travel Guide: Secret Passageways and Food Specialties, Episode 611
A conversation with Mikayla Sibner of Pardon My Learning about visiting Lyon: the city's three neighborhoods, secret traboule passageways, Fourvière Basilica and its Roman ruins, the silk-weaving history behind the Croix-Rousse district, local murals, museums worth your time, and where to eat, plus tips on getting around using Lyon's city pass.
Camille Claudel: Betrayed by Family, Locked Away for 30 Years, Episode 610
Camille Claudel was a gifted sculptor who trained and worked alongside Auguste Rodin for ten years. When the relationship ended and her mental health declined, her own family had her committed to an asylum, where she remained isolated for 30 years until her death by starvation in 1943, largely forgotten.
How We Moved to Paris: Visa, Housing, and Healthcare, Episode 609
Sacha Cohen moved to Paris with her husband after two and a half years scouting France city by city. We cover the long stay visitor visa, opening a bank account, healthcare, renting an apartment as a foreigner, and the real adjustments of building a new life in your fifties.
Catherine and Marie De Medici: Queen Mothers and Kingmakers, Episode 608
50-word website preview: Catherine and Marie De Medici, two Italian banker's daughters, married French kings and ended up running the country. Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin trace Catherine's decades as regent through religious wars, and Marie's proxy wedding, coronation, and exile. Both left their mark on Paris, from the Tuileries to the Luxembourg Gardens.
An Art Retreat in a Medieval Burgundy Village, Episode 607
Julie Lynch, an Australian costume designer turned painter, spent eight nights at an art retreat in Burgundy. We talk about painting without pressure in the medieval village of Noyers, afternoon outings to Vézelay, Avallon, and Chablis, and why a slow week beats a packed itinerary once you've traveled enough.
Eugène Delacroix: The Painter Critics Loved to Hate, Episode 606
He painted Liberty Leading the People, yet critics tore Eugène Delacroix apart for decades. Elyse Rivin and I trace his life: the family debts, the brutal Salon reviews, the seven months in Morocco that changed his art, and where to see his work in Paris, from the Louvre to Saint-Sulpice.
Five Weeks Solo in Paris: 20 Museums and Hidden Gems, Episode 605
Larry Rosenblum spent five weeks solo in Paris, and made every day count: twenty museums, a Seine swim, AR glasses at the Comédie-Française, and a VR trip back to the year 1180 at the Louvre. Annie Sargent gets his best tips, top discovery, and one big regret on the podcast.
Alexandre Dumas: Adventure, Scandal, and 100,000 Pages, Episode 604
Alexandre Dumas wrote over 100 novels, 100 plays, and an estimated 100,000 pages — all while running through fortunes, mistresses, and at least one Italian revolution. His grandmother was a slave. His father was France's first non-white general. The man lived like one of his own characters. Come find out how.