Join Us in France Travel Podcast

He painted village funerals on canvases meant for kings. He turned down the Legion of Honor. He died in exile. Meet Gustave Courbet. Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin tell the story of the self-taught painter from Ornans who refused to follow the rules of the French art world. Elyse explains why his paintings caused scandal after scandal, how he got caught up in the Paris Commune, and why the Impressionists owed him so much. Annie shares her visit to the Courbet Museum, where one small room makes every visitor gasp. Then Annie takes you to the Loue Valley, with its viewpoints, hikes and quiet villages. Press play, and subscribe to Join Us in France so you never miss an episode.

Annie Sargent wasn't expecting much from Baccarat. She's not a crystal person. Then she visited this small town in the Grand Est and changed her mind. In this episode, Annie and Elyse Rivin talk about how glass becomes crystal and how to test whether yours is the real thing. Annie takes you inside the Baccarat museum. You'll hear about a red made with 24-karat gold, chandeliers for a tsar, and paperweights worth thousands. She tells you why you should step into the Saint-Rémy church. And she explains why Sélestat's humanist library deserves a stop on the road to Colmar. Press play to hear the whole story. Then subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode on Marseille.

Annie Sargent talks with Elyse Rivin about two women honored in the Panthéon. Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz and Germaine Tillion both joined the French Resistance as young women. Both got arrested. Both survived deportation to Ravensbrück, where they met and became lifelong friends. Listen to this episode ad-free Annie and Elyse trace what happened next: one fought poverty for decades, the other became a pioneering ethnologist and later negotiated during the Algerian War of Independence. It's a hard story, but a rewarding one. Annie also shares a Calder exhibition worth planning a trip around, plus a warning about pickpockets targeting tourists in Paris. Subscribe to Join Us in France so you never miss an episode. Table of Contents for this Episode Today on the podcast: Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz and Germaine Tillion Podcast supporters Magazine segment Why These Women Matter Meet the Two Heroes Geneviève Early Life Facing Nazism Early Musée de l'Homme Network Betrayal and Arrest Ravensbrück Camp Friendship with Tillion Release and Aftermath Politics and Anti Poverty Poverty to Despair ATD Fourth World Fight Housing Rights and Families Against Torture and Barbie Trial Evictions and Winter Truce Legacy and Shantytowns Panthéon Honor and Warning Meet Germaine Tillion Ethnology and Algeria Fieldwork Resistance Arrest and Camps Notes Operetta and Survival Algeria Independence and Peace Vigilance and Farewell Patreon Support Calder Festival Overview Venues and Dates Pickpocket Trial How the Ring Worked Safety Advice Newsletter and Credits Next Episode Teaser Copyright More episodes about French history #JoinUsInFrance, #FrancePodcast, #Francophile, #FranceTravelTips, #RealFrance, #FrenchResistance, #Pantheon, #WomenInHistory, #FrenchHistory, #WWIIHistory, #GermaineTillion, #GenevieveDeGaulle, #Ravensbruck, #ResistanceFighters, #AlgerianHistory, #LoireValley, #CalderExhibition, #ParisTravel, #FranceTravel, #ExploreFrance

Annie Sargent talks with Elyse Rivin about Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse. He was born near Albi. He became one of France's greatest naval explorers. Louis XVI sent him to finish mapping the Pacific after Captain Cook. Listen to this episode ad-free They cover his forbidden love story. They talk about his humane command style, rare for a naval officer of his time. They also cover the 1788 cyclone that ended his voyage near the Solomon Islands. It remains one of France's biggest maritime mysteries, and search parties still look for answers today. Tune in for a story of ambition, love, and disappearance. Subscribe to Join Us in France so you never miss an episode. Table of Contents for this Episode Today on the podcast: Jean-François de Galaup, Comte de Lapérouse Podcast supporters Magazine segment Adventure Setup Why Lapérouse Matters Origins in Albi Childhood and Education Naval Academy to First Battles North Atlantic Campaigns Humane Commander Reputation Rivalry with Britain Indian Ocean Expedition Forbidden Love Eleanor American War Heroics Explorer Mindset and Maps Name La Pérouse Explained Marriage and Royal Mission Epic Pacific Route Cyclone And Disappearance Searches And Legacy Eleanor Waits In Vain Astrolabe Navigation Tech Visiting Albi And Paris Final Recommendations Thank you Patrons French summer camp for adults. Annie's Updates Next week on the podcast Copyright More episodes about French culture

Annie Sargent sits down with Elyse Rivin to tell the story of Louis Braille. He lost his sight at age three. He was completely blind by five. That didn't stop him. By his teens, he had invented a whole new way to read. Annie and Elyse trace his path from a small village school to Paris, where teachers resisted his system at first. Then it spread like wildfire. You'll hear how blind students tested it, how one public demonstration changed everything, and why Braille still matters today, even with screen readers everywhere. Annie also shares guide dog etiquette and an update on Igor, her retired guide dog. Subscribe to Join Us in France so you never miss an episode.

Camille Claudel trained alongside Auguste Rodin. She fell in love with him. She became a brilliant sculptor in her own right. Then her family locked her away. Listen to the episode ad-free Annie Sargent talks with Elyse Rivin about Camille Claudel's extraordinary life. Elyse traces her early talent, her ten years with Rodin, and the misogyny that kept her from getting the recognition she deserved. Then the story turns dark: her own family had her committed to an asylum, where she stayed for 30 years, until her death. It's a hard story. It's also one you won't forget. Press play to hear it. Subscribe to Join Us in France so you never miss an episode. Table of Contents for this Episode Today on the podcast: Camille Claudel Support and Updates Magazine segment Camille Claudel Camille In Museums Early Life And Family Paris Training Begins Rodin Arrives Love And Collaboration Breakup And Independence Commissions And Misogyny Isolation And Decline Isolation a nd Misogyny Flood And Breakdown Committed By Family Asylum Years And Starvation Erased After Death Great Niece Restores Legacy Movie And Rodin Reassessment Her Sculptures And Influence Final Reflections And Farewell Copyright More episodes about French culture #JoinUsInFrance, #FrancePodcast, #Francophile, #FranceTravelTips, #RealFrance, #FranceTravelPodcast, #ExploreFrance, #FranceCulture, #ParisFrance, #CamilleClaudel, #AugusteRodin, #RodinMuseum, #FrenchSculpture, #WomenArtists, #ArtHistory, #ParisMuseums, #FrenchArtHistory, #ForgottenWomen, #FrenchHistory, #19thCenturyArt

Two Italian banker's daughters married French kings. Both ended up ruling France. Annie Sargent sits down with Elyse Rivin to sort out Catherine de' Medici and Marie de' Medici, cousins who together span the entire 1500s and into the 1600s. Catherine arrives at 15 to marry the future Henry II. She lives in the shadow of his mistress, buries three sons as kings, and holds France together through brutal religious wars. Marie marries Henry IV by proxy, gets humiliated at court, then loses him to an assassin's blade the day after her coronation. Annie and Elyse trace the schemes, the scandals, and the gardens these women left behind in Paris. Hit play. Then subscribe so you don't miss what's next. Table of Contents for this Episode Introduction Today on the podcast: Catherine and Marie De Medici Support and Announcements Magazine segment Why the Medici Women Queens and Power in France Medici Wealth and Alliances Catherine Arrives in France Diane de Poitiers Shadow Heir Crisis and Breakthrough Henry II Reigns and Tragedy Regency and First Son Charles IX and Religious Tensions Grand Tour and Civil War Marriage Politics and St Bartholomew Henry III and Catherine Final Years Valois Dynasty Ends Marie Medici Henry IV Needs an Heir Marie de Medici Chosen Proxy Wedding Shock Life at Court Humiliation Coronation Then Assassination Regency and Catholic Alliances Concini Murder and Exile Escape and Power Struggles Day of the Dupes Fallout Exile Across Europe Death and Lasting Legacy Copyright More episodes about French history

Annie Sargent sits down with licensed tour guide Elyse Rivin to talk about Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc — the self-taught architect who left his mark on Notre-Dame, Carcassonne, and Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, among many others. Listen to this episode ad-free They dig into how he taught himself everything, refused the Beaux-Arts at 18, and still ended up reshaping France's most iconic medieval landmarks. They talk about what he invented, what got torn down, and what his real legacy turned out to be. Annie also covers the newly renovated Paris Catacombs in the magazine segment. This is a fun one. Hit play — you'll never look at a French cathedral the same way again. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Table of Contents for this Episode Today on the podcast Podcast supporters Magazine segment Meet Viollet-le-Duc Fame and Big Restorations What Restoration Means Palace Childhood and Talent Rejecting Beaux-Arts Rebel Spirit and Revolution France Sketching Tour Gothic Theory and Nature Mérimée Patron and Teaching Early Travels and Appointments First Major Restorations Restoration as Reinvention Reinventing Restoration Gothic Forms New Materials Notre Dame Afterlife Invented Icons Explained Chimera And Critiques Saint Sernin Controversy Carcassonne Mega Project Commune Exile Switzerland Legacy Quote and Influence Final Thoughts Farewell Thank you Patrons Travel Help And Tours Catacombs Reopen And Renovation New Features And Visiting Tips Nearby Sights In Montparnasse Seizing The Day In Spain Upcoming Trips Newsletter Credits Next week on the podcast Copyright More episodes about French history