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Eight Things You May Not Know About The Liberation of Paris
Following on from our blog last week about the D-Day Landings, we thought you might interested in these snippets about the actual liberation of Paris itself. The fight for Paris’ freedom from Nazi occupation took place between August 19th and 25th 1944. What began with the […]
France’s Very Own Internet
Before the rest of the world had the Internet, France had Minitel. The service was launched in 1978, and allowed users to pay their bills, shop, buy train tickets, and check stock prices online. Users also had online mailboxes, and could chat to each other. Sound […]
La Musée du Vin – a ‘must’ for wine lovers!
At the top of a hill in the center of Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower, is the Musée du Vin. Housed in the cellars of the 15th century Abbaye de Passy, which was built by les Frères de l’Ordre des Minimes, the museum is […]
How Many Toilets Did Versailles Have?
While much has been made of the fact that the palace of Versailles had few toilets when it was built, the reality was that they simply were not needed. Guests would bring their own commodes, and chamber pots would be used too. That’s not to say […]
Would You Like Fries With That?
If you’re in Paris, and have a hankering for a good ol’ American burger and fries, then head over to rue des Écoles, on the 5th arrondissement, to Little Cantine, where you will find a warm welcome, a great meal, and a cool beer waiting for […]
D-Day Landings At Omaha Beach – What The History Books Didn’t Tell You
For those of us who were born post-1945, it’s hard to imagine what all those heroic tales of WWII must have really been like. Books, movies, and documentaries go some way to explaining the reality of war but there’s nevertheless a tendency to think of such […]
Saving the Jews in Paris
During WWII, the Great Mosque of Paris was used as a refuge for Algerian and European Jews, hiding from Nazi persecution. As well as shelter, Islamic cleric, and founder of the Great Mosque, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, provided Jews with fake muslim birth certificates to keep them […]
A New Boutique Hotel Opens In Paris’ Opera Quarter
In time for the 10th anniversary of its Hotel Indigo brand, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has just opened its first boutique hotel in France, in the heart of Paris’ 9th arrondissement. The new 4-star, 57-room hotel, with 12 suites and duplex apartments, some of which overlook […]
Fancy A Night-time Walk In Marseille?
Just because you may not be in France right now, it does not mean that you cannot walk through the streets of last year’s European capital of culture, Marseille. How can this be? With Google Night Walk, of course. Alors! Google Night Walk, which utilizes the […]
Real Men Knit… On Stilts!
The Tchankats were French shepherds whose flocks would wander through the foggy marshes of Landes. They needed a way to prevent trench foot, avoid venomous snakes, and be able to keep an eye on their charges. They invented stilts. And as if that isn’t cool enough, […]