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Paris’ Aquatic Cinema
We’ve all heard of electric cinema but how about aqua cinema? In the heart of the City of Light’s Latin Quarter, not far from Boulevard Saint-Germain, is the spectacular Piscine Pontoise, which the eagle-eyed among us will recognize from Kieslowski’s movie, ‘Trois Couleurs: Bleu’ (Three Colors: […]
Pardon My French!
For some reason, there are various things which are prefaced with the word, ‘French’, and yet they have little or nothing to do with France. Here are a few you may be familiar with but if you know of any others, please let us know in […]
The Mother Tongue?
In 1794, a survey revealed that just 11% of France’s population were native French speakers. By 1880, that number had risen to a mere 20%. Today, 86% of people living in France have French as their first language. Dialects and other languages make up the rest: […]
Gothic Architecture
The abbey church (or basilica) of Saint Denis, just north of Paris, is considered to be the world’s first example of gothic architecture. According to legend, around 250AD, Denis, the bishop of the Parisii, was decapitated at the top of the hill at Montmartre*. Not being […]
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Europe’s busiest airport for cargo traffic is Charles de Gaulle International in Paris, and is actually the 6th busiest, in terms of cargo, in the world. With an average speed of 263.3km/h (163.6 mph) from station to station, the French TGV is the fastest train in […]
Three French Wine Myths Debunked
The first thing that comes to mind when anyone mentions French drinks is wine, so of course, with France being the world’s second largest wine producer (Italy comes first), wine rightly deserves to be at the top of anyone’s list of boissons françaises. It should come […]
Constructing The Iron Lady
January 28th 1887 was an auspicious day for Gustave Eiffel, and for Paris as a whole, for it was the day that construction began on what was to become one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. However, Eiffel’s great iron pylon was never meant […]
French Wine Facts and Figures
Since Roman times, wine has been made in France. In the North (e.g. Alsace), wines are usually made from a single variety of grape (e.g. Pinot Noir), whereas further south (e.g. Provence), they are typically blends (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon + Merlot). With 450 different appellations, there […]
Paris Diary Dates For February
Are you visiting the City of Light next month, and wondering what to do? Wonder no more, for here’s our round-up of some of the best events in February. Au temps de Klimt. La Sécession à Vienne Although he’s known as one of the Vienna Secession […]
French Luxury Goods
The world leader in luxury goods, including perfumes, cosmetics, fashion accessories, and haute couture, France is also the top producer of liquors on the planet, and second only to Italy in terms of wine. L’hexagone produces some of the world’s most famous liqueurs; Armagnac, Chambord, Chartreuse, […]