OUR FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE WORKSHOPS ONLINE - 2023

We give 2-hour workshops online on various topics, usually on Saturday afternoons or Monday afternoons.

It's a great opportunity for participants - 5 maximum - to be immersed in French for two hours and to learn more about the French culture in a relaxed informal atmosphere. These workshops are run in French by the two of us - we are native French tutors.

Participants are sent a document file of a few pages related to the topic, specifically designed to help participants enhance their understanding of the subject during the workshop itself and afterwards.

Our "Après-midis en français" are welcome additions to classes or to private tuition, or simply useful to those who wish to practice or improve their French independently of lessons.

The minimum required level is either Intermediate or Proficient. No previous knowledge of the subject matter is necessary.

For more details send us an email so we can put you on our mailing list to inform you of our coming workshops.

Here is a list of the various French afternoon workshops we have done and which we will repeat regularly:

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Our latest French afternoon workshop :

Les traces de la présence romaine en Provence

Au deuxième siècle avant notre ère, les Romains s’établissent en Provence et créent la première voie de communication romaine en Gaule, la “Via Domitia", 118 av. J-C, entre l’Italie et l’Espagne. Ils fondent également en 122 av. J-C la première ville romaine en Gaule “Aquae Sextiae” (Aix-en-Provence). Au cours des sècles, ils tranforment durablement cette province que l’on nommera “Provincia Romana”. Le monde gallo-romain est né.

Les villes d’Arles, d’Orange, de Nïmes, de Vaison-la-Romaine et de Saint-Rémy-de-Provence seront également créées, laissant de magnifiques vestiges architecturaux. L’amphithéâtre d’Arles, le théâtre d’Orange, les arènes de Nïmes, le pont-aqueduc du Gard, ces ouvrages publics grandioses et imposants témoignent aujourd’hui de cet extraordinaire passé. D’autres ouvrages parvenus jusqu’à nous, tels que temples, arcs de triomphe, mausolées, bassins, jardins, statues et mosaïques nous ouvrent les portes d’un monde secret et nous éclairent sur les coutumes, les rites et le mode de vie des Romains en Provence.

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André Le Nôtre et les jardins à la française, sous le règne du Roi Soleil

The French classical gardens. The work of André Le Nôtre (1613-1700)

André Le Nôtre, the King of gardeners and the King’s gardener, was also a surveyor, an architect, a landscape designer, a hydraulic engineer, and much more.

His famous gardens are characterized by a geometric layout, often symmetrical, consisting of lawns, groves and ponds dotted with statues and animated by magical water features.

The art of the French classical garden culminated in the 17th century with the creation of the sumptuous gardens of Versailles under the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV.

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La Provence Radieuse

Radiant Provence

Provence : its very special climate, its wonderful light, its cicadas, its picturesque landscapes, its fragrant aromatic scents, its flavourful cuisine…

Come and discover a thousand facets of this unique vibrant région. Provence harbours numerous secrets and mysteries… This workshop is an invitation on a journey into the particular culture and history of a region we know well.

During the afternoon you will also be given the opportunity to taste a few typical sweet specialities of Provence made with the finest ingredients.

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La Pâtisserie française au fil des âges...

A short history of French Pâtisserie

French pâtisseries as we know them today owe much to Italian pastry makers-confectioners of the Renaissance, who invented the choux pastry dough, marzipan, meringues and other sweet treats. It also owes much to the royal courts of Europe which, by their luxury, inspired talented pastry chefs. In the 17th century “la crème Chantilly”, chocolate, and ice-cream were introduced and marked a new stage in the history of French pâtisserie. In the 19th century, French pastry-making really took off, developing all its prestige. The major influence of Paris and its renowned pastry chefs raised the culinary craft of pâtisserie to the rank of a true Art.

During the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to taste an assortment of genuine homemade French pastries made with the finest ingredients.

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Yann Arthus-Bertrand, grand photographe engagé au service de la Terre et des Hommes

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, world-renowned French photographer

Join us and discover the work of world-renowned French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The stunning beauty of his photographs of the “Earth from above” has attracted worldwide attention and helped raise global awareness of environmental issues, such as global warming, resource depletion or ocean pollution…. You will be shown a selection of the artist’s greatest photos and videos and be invited to react and exchange your views on Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s vision of the state of the planet.

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Le Rêve Impressionniste

The Impressionists' Dream (1870-1890)

At the end of the 19th century, a small group of Paris-based artists became rebels. The key figures of this artistic movement were Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Camille Pissaro, Paul Cézanne, Alfred Sisley and Jean Renoir. They painted landscapes and lively everday life scenes, expressing the play of light through a bright and varied use of colour. Breaking away from the former academic painting style, this movement marks the birth of modern art..

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La Durance, une rivière majestueuse et capricieuse au coeur de la Provence de Giono

The Durance, a majestic river in the heart of Provence

Join us on a journey down the Durance, a major river flowing from the southern French Alps to Provence. The river is famous for the force of its current and devastating floods, but also for the dramatic scenery and unique character of the people who live alongside it. You will also discover Jean Giono, the best-known writer to be inspired by the Durance.

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Paris 1900, la France de la Belle Epoque

At the heart of the Parisian excitement of the 1900s, the "Belle Epoque, as we call it, is a vibrant period of light-heartedness, of joie de vivre and carefree days, a period of intense artistic creativity - and like in other capital cities in the world - an era of scientific achievements and unprecedented technical innovations (development of electricity, the early days of aviation, the first line of the Paris underground, the cinematograph...). It is also an era of social change and important state reforms: the status of women, the rise of trade unions, secularism... With the Universal Exhibition in 1900 and its 51 million visitors, Paris was then at the height of its glory.