Your French Moments: Quiet Streets, Soaring Spires & French Roots
Inside this FREE Substack: A hidden gem in the Luberon, a jaw-dropping Gothic cathedral, and a deep dive into two tricky French words — terroir and territoire.
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Bonjour mes amis!
Have you ever woken up to a strange orange glow, the kind that makes even the mountains look like they’ve been pulled into a sepia-toned dream?
I remember that morning in the French Alps — we opened the shutters to find a sky tinged with ochre, and a thin layer of Saharan dust covering the car.
My uncle, who lives in Nancy, Lorraine, captured that same eerie glow — here’s his photo of Place Stanislas bathed in an Arabian light:
Surreal, slightly eerie, and oddly beautiful.
A few years later, the same thing happened here in England. That time, our car in Sussex turned faintly beige overnight — Sahara sand, again, travelling thousands of kilometres to settle on our windscreen.
A reminder, perhaps, that nature likes to blur borders (and cross the Channel!).
But this week? Nature outdid herself.
On Whit Monday, we woke up expecting blue skies… and instead got a strange, pale, milky haze.
No dust this time — just smoke, carried across the Atlantic from the massive wildfires in Canada. From the Manitoba and Saskatchewan fires, to be precise.
And it wasn’t just all around France — the same ghostly light fell over here in England too.
A gentle reminder that, like it or not, the world is deeply connected — by weather, by wind, by wonder.
But let’s shift the mood now.
This week’s newsletter is full of light (the good kind). We’ll wander through a hilltop village in Provence, gaze up at a majestic Gothic cathedral in Alsace, and unravel the meaning of two French words that are trickier than they look: terroir and territoire.
Oh, and keep an eye on your inbox this Wednesday… There’s something new I’ve been working on behind the scenes — and I can’t wait to finally share it with you.
Bien, shall we dive in?
✨ Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s edition for paid subscribers!
As we begin the countdown to Bastille Day, we’ll be launching an exciting new series on the National Symbols of the French Fifth Republic.
First up: the iconic French flag — its history, meaning, and how it came to represent a nation.
Last Wednesday, I shared my post “Beyond Paris: 5 Stunning Day Trips You’ll Love in Île-de-France”. You can still read it!
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Enjoy and à bientôt!
Pierre
French Village of the Week 🌻
I hadn’t planned to fall in love with Joucas.
In fact, I wasn’t even sure I’d stop — just a name on the map, tucked somewhere between Roussillon and Gordes.
But that’s the thing with Provence: it’s full of quiet surprises, and Joucas… Joucas felt like a secret whispered gently by the hills.
I arrived on a warm October afternoon, sunlight sliding lazily across the cobblestones, the wind smelling faintly of pine and sun-warmed stone.
And as I stepped onto Rue Grande, I had that feeling — you know the one — of having stumbled into a place that’s somehow untouched by time.
No crowds, no rush, just the hush of a village that knows how to wait.
Everything here felt slow and generous: the views over the ochre cliffs of Roussillon glowing in the distance, the little fountain burbling on the square, the stone houses clinging to the hillside, and the occasional cat stretching in the shade of a fig tree.
I passed the old church, peeked into the calades, and climbed to the old windmill, where the countryside spilled out below like a painted tapestry.
There’s a kind of poetry in Joucas — not the dramatic kind, but the quiet verse of everyday beauty.
It’s not trying to impress. And maybe that’s exactly why it stays with you.
🎥 I captured my visit in a short walking tour — come with me, and let Joucas charm you at its own gentle pace.
Beyond Paris: 5 Stunning Day Trips You’ll Love in Île-de-France 🇫🇷
Looking to escape the city without renting a car or travelling halfway across the country?
In my latest subscriber-only article, I reveal five stunning day trips from Paris — all accessible by train or RER, and most within an hour or so. (Okay, one of them is a bit further — but absolutely worth the ride!)
From royal towns to peaceful forests, hidden medieval gems to glorious château gardens, these destinations offer a breath of fresh air just outside the capital — and they’re places we loved to explore when we lived in the region.
👉 Curious? Unlock the article by becoming a paid subscriber — and let me show you a different side of the Paris region, just a train ride away.
Photo of the Week 📸
Strasbourg Cathedral: the WOW effect!
Some monuments surprise you once. Others keep impressing you every single time.
For me, Strasbourg Cathedral belongs to the latter.
I’ve known it since I was a child — it’s always been there, rising above the Alsatian plain like a sentinel.
With its spire reaching 142 metres into the sky, it was the tallest building in the world for over two centuries. And honestly, even today, it still feels like it defies gravity.
The western façade, shown in this photo, is one of the finest examples of flamboyant Gothic architecture in Europe.
Look closely, and you'll see a lacework of stone, carved with breathtaking intricacy: pointed arches, delicate statues, and a rose window that seems to hover above the main entrance.
It’s not just a church — it’s a sculpture, a story carved in pink sandstone.
I remember a special visit back in 2012, during an intensive French course I was running in Alsace with a group of adult students from Australia, the UK, and the US.
We’d told them about the cathedral in advance, of course — but when we stepped into the square and they saw it for the first time, I’ll never forget the reaction.
There was a pause… and then, in perfect unison:
“Wow.”
And honestly? Even after all these years, I still say the same. Every time.
🇫🇷 Terroir or Territoire ?
One of the things I love most about teaching French is the questions that come from students.
They’re often charmingly simple at first glance, but they make you pause and think — about meaning, about culture, about how the French see the world.
That was exactly the case when one of my American students asked:
“What’s the difference between terroir and territoire?”
Two French words. Both earthy. Both tricky.
But say the wrong one in a vineyard and someone will raise an eyebrow.
This week, I’m diving into one of the great mysteries of the French language (at least from an English speaker’s point of view): what exactly separates these two?
Here’s the short version:
👉 If you can drink it, eat it, or spread it on toast — terroir.
👉 If it’s drawn on a map or spoken by a mayor — territoire.
(And yes, you can wander through three terroirs before lunch without ever leaving the same territoire.)
But there’s more to it than that.
Terroir is the flavour of the land — the soil, the climate, the slope of the hill and the hands that harvest the grapes. It’s a poetic idea: that place shapes taste.
Territoire is all about borders, regions, political units, or even identity. It’s more formal, more geographical, and usually has very little to do with what’s on your plate.
Both words matter. And both pop up a lot when you travel through France — in museums, on wine labels, in town halls and farmers’ markets.
So yes, it’s worth knowing the difference.
Fancy learning French with a personal touch? 🇫🇷
Whether you’re just starting out or want to brush up before your next trip to France, I offer online French lessons via Google Meet — 40 minutes of relaxed, friendly conversation, sprinkled with helpful grammar tips and cultural insights.
I already work with wonderful learners from the US, the UK and Australia — and I’d be delighted to welcome you too.
You’ll find all the details on my website. 👇
Or simply reply to this email and say bonjour — I’d love to hear from you!
Although I myself understand the difference, I loved your quick explanation of the difference between terror and territoire!
A beautifully written article on Joucas! The stone buildings and views are breathtaking. And, as usual, your walking tour evokes an emotional response in me: magical, warm, and peaceful.