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.

Forget what you've heard about Marseille. Annie Sargent talks with two locals who see a very different city: Emilie Bonnel from the Marseille Tourist Office and Alexis Steinman, a food writer who guides there. They make the case for a winter visit, with soft light, empty trails in the Calanques and lunch on a sunny terrace. They tell you where to eat a real bouillabaisse, what to order at apéro, and which neighborhood to pick so you actually sleep. You'll also hear how Annie missed the boat to the Château d'If, and how you can avoid doing the same. Press play, and subscribe so you don't miss next week's 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.

Could you hike the Brittany coast with just a tent and a bus app? Jennifer Gruenke did. She walked the GR34 from Saint-Brieuc to Saint-Malo this summer and never booked a single night. Annie Sargent asks her how it worked. Jennifer explains what those campground stars really mean. She paid 8 to 20 euros a night, plus one euro for a morning croissant. She watched boats on wheels haul in mussels, walked out to a tidal island chapel, and lost cell service so completely her phone welcomed her to the UK. When the hills or the heat got too much, she hopped on a 3-euro bus. Press play, then subscribe so you don't miss next Sunday's episode. Listen to this episode ad-free Table of Contents for this Episode Today on the podcast: Brittany Coastal Camping Guide Podcast supporters Magazine segment Welcome Back Jennifer Why Hike Brittany GR34 Timing Around Heatwaves Route Saint Brieuc to Malo What Are the GR Trails French Campsite Star System Costs Booking and Flexibility Day One Bay and Mussels Camping Village Nature dO Hard Hike or Take the Bus Breizhgo Bus App Tips Finding Stops and Schedules Bus Map and GPS Who Rides and Bikes Pleneuf Val Andre Stay Moules Frites Favorites Erquy Beach and Camping Ilot Saint Michel Highlight Galettes and Breizh Cola Wild Beach No Service Dogs Boats and Beach Rules Chateau de Guildo Detour Saint Jacut Tidal Flats Heatwave Skip to Saint Malo Regional Bus System Advice Farewell and Thanks Patreon Support Thanks Seine Swimming Season Recap Elevator Outage Map App Strolling Rue du Louvre Next week on the podcast More episodes about active vacations in France

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