Learn French whilst discovering French regions | Charente & Charente Maritime!

Learn French whilst discovering French regions | Charente & Charente Maritime!

Today, we are back chatting in French. Yes, all in French! And we are going to continue learning French whilst chatting about French regions . In our previous episode, we talked about Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, more specifically, and Normandy. Today, we are discovering Les

Charentes! Hello and welcome to French Avec Ingrid, a channel where I help you discover France and learn French in small and easy steps. As we are going to speak just in French in this video, to help you improve your understanding and learn new vocabulary,

You can as usual choose the reading speed of this video: for slower or faster French . And don’t hesitate to enable subtitles if you need them! Today we are going to discover Charente and Charente Maritime, these two departments which are located in the large administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. So you

May have already guessed, these two departments are adjoining departments, bordering departments, that is to say departments which are located next to each other. Charente inland and Charente Maritime on the edge of the Atlantic coast. These two regions are very popular regions, regions particularly popular with the British.

And moreover in 2011 there were FIVE times more British expats in Charente than in 1999. It is therefore a region where we find a lot of expats, that is to say expatriates, especially British. And also a region where there are many second homes. Secondary homes are

Vacation homes. So what are the reasons for this particular enthusiasm for the region? It is already a corner of France known for rather exceptional sunshine, a corner which benefits from a microclimate, a microclimate which makes the oceanic climate even more pleasant, especially

Around the city of La Rochelle. La Rochelle, a city which would have as many hours of sunshine as some places on the Côte d’Azur. Yes, you heard right! And also rather mild winters and very nice temperatures in summer. Unfortunately with the

Climate change that is being felt throughout France, this microclimate is perhaps something to be taken with a grain of salt, that is to say not to be taken too seriously. But for all of you who love the sun, or perhaps want to escape a country where bad weather

Is king, this might have been an interesting aside! So let’s start with the Charente department which is located inland. The Charente department is often characterized by its gentle way of life, a relaxed atmosphere, a calm lifestyle. Bucolic, rural, hilly landscapes, beautiful forests! Rural landscapes where you can find a little bit of everything

And even vineyards! And all this, not very far from the coast, not very far from the ocean. Add to that some very beautiful rural and historic villages and some very pleasant small towns. And Charente, unlike its neighbor Charente Maritime, is not overly overrun by tourists

In the summer. Yes, there is of course tourism in Charente, especially green tourism, but much less than on the coast. And it is also a department where the lifestyle is still reasonable. Real estate, for example, is still quite affordable: half the price of the neighboring department of Charente Maritime. And it is also

A department that is relatively easy to access thanks to a TGV line: Paris Angoulême, and also several small regional airports. And beyond the rather rural environment, there are several towns and quite a few small rural villages that we can talk about. Today we are going to cover three of

These villages and towns. We are of course going to talk about Angoulême, the prefectural city of the Charente department. A city that is a prefecture is a city where you can carry out a large number of rather important administrative procedures. If you are a foreigner and you live in France,

You will sometimes, for example, need to go to the prefecture for your visas or to your residence permits. And for the French, this is also where we go to renew our identity papers. The city of Angoulême is perched on a plateau, that is to say it is elevated,

Which gives it the nickname of the “balcony of the South-West”. A nickname that I find very beautiful and very evocative. And it’s a city that we know well for the famous comic book festival which is held in January every year. The upper town is full of history with its

Ramparts, its castle, and also many streets where you can find quite a few cafes, restaurants and bars. Come on, let’s now move on to the town of Cognac, the second main town of Charente, the town where cognac is produced of course! But even if this cognac,

This famous cognac has a very important role in the reputation of the city, if it is a super important element of the identity of this city, Cognac is also a beautiful historic city, a city where was born a king: King Francis I! And several successive historical events

Allowed Cognac to develop its river trade to transform this city into a magnificent site over several centuries. So a very very beautiful city where it is good to stroll on foot to admire the buildings of the city, to visit the Cognac Houses,

Perhaps visit the castle – it is a 10th century castle – and visit the museums. And as it is a tourist town, Cognac is also lively with many cultural events, such as the Blues Festival, which takes place over several days each year and which has seen artists

Like BB King or Ray Charles perform in Cognac. ! So if you are in the region, Cognac is definitely a must-stop. And finally we cannot talk about Charente without talking about the beautiful village of Aubeterre sur Dronne. This village is interesting because it

Has held the label of the Most Beautiful Villages of France since 1993, and also that of the Small Cities of Character since 2012. It is a small village with an almost southern atmosphere, a village where many people gather of artists and creators. And a place where you can also visit

Something quite special: an underground church: the Saint-Jean church. We can say that it is a village that has really known how to use all its assets to attract the world, to attract the crowd. These assets are: its atmosphere, the beautiful little squares with café terraces,

Its shops, and also the river tourism which has developed on the Dronne, the river around which the village has developed. Well, of course these three cities are just a small appetizer of everything there is to appreciate in this beautiful department of Charente. There are also 290

Km of cycle paths along the Charente, and several options for navigating the river. So you can even visit the Charente department peacefully, along the water! So there you have it, behind these slightly peaceful, slightly rural sides, hides a side of the Charente department

Which is very enchanting. And that’s just 2 hours by TGV from Paris. Well, we can’t visit the regions of France without talking about gastronomy! I admit… before researching this episode but I didn’t know much about the gastronomic specialties of the Charentes. Really apart from

Pineau des Charentes, an aperitif, I really didn’t know anything about it. So I discovered the mole! Taupinette is a cheese from the Charentes. A little cheese that was elected in 2018 in the 10 best cheeses in the world! And the Charentais cricket, another discovery for me!

The cricket is a small insect from the south of France that makes a lot of noise in summer… Well, I assure you, the Charentais cricket has nothing to do with the insect! Charentais cricket is in fact a kind of rillette, a typical charcuterie made from pork that has been grilled

And browned for very long hours. It can be eaten as a cold starter with bread, of course, or as an accompaniment to oysters. And we’ll talk about oysters a little later. And tradition dictates that we eat it on May 1st. And we cannot speak of a Charente specialty, if

We are not talking about Cagouilles. Cagouille is the dialect name for small gray snails, which is a bit of an emblem of Charente. We’ve spent a lot of time in Charente, so I think it’s time to change direction and head west to Charente Maritime!

So if Charente is very popular with the British, Charente Maritime is also very popular with the French! In summer it is the second vacation destination for the French after the Côte d’Azur. With more than 460 km of coastline, including 230 in its archipelago, with mild winters, relatively hot but

Still pleasant summers, truly varied landscapes, whether inland or on the coast, and a titillating gastronomy. ..really there is not much not to like in Charente Maritime. So the microclimate that we talked about at the start of this episode is even better felt

In Charente Maritime and particularly around the city of La Rochelle. So the weather is even sunnier than in Charente. And the beauty of its coastline adds to the beauty of a truly diverse nature. So Charente Maritime is really what its name says:

The beauty of rural Charente to which we add a superb coastline! In Charente Maritime, there are very beautiful large beaches, wilder beaches, cliffs, dunes, islands, salt marshes, estuaries with exceptional biodiversity. And inland, a varied and super authentic countryside. With all this, it is not really surprising

That tourism is the main economic axis of Charente Maritime. The key places of Charente Maritime, there are too many to cover them all, but here are a few: the beautiful city of La Rochelle, also a Prefecture of Charente Maritime this time,

And also the 5th city of France where life is good. Not only is it a very beautiful city, but a dynamic city where a lot of things are happening. And a very connected city, we go to Paris in 3 hours with the TGV from La Rochelle, but also connected to many provincial towns

With Tours, Poitiers, Nantes and Bordeaux easily accessible. And it is also a very culturally active city, it is for example known for the Francofolies festival, a music festival which has taken place every year since 1985, the International

Film Festival and also the poets’ festival. We really feel the buzz of this pretty town just talking about it… Then we can’t really talk about Charente Maritime without talking about its islands! There are four in total, but we are going to talk about the two main islands, Île de Ré and Île

D’Oléron. These two islands really each have their own personality. The Île de Ré to start: the paradise of Parisians in summer, an island where you can very easily meet French personalities , a rather exclusive island, a destination perhaps a little upscale

Some would say during the summer period. But it is an island which has also kept a very special character with its beautiful white houses and a truly exceptional natural environment, an environment which is the subject of very serious protection. And it’s also a paradise for people

Who like to cycle with 138 km of cycle paths. Ke thinks the photos of the Île de Ré speak about the Île de Ré much better than I ever will! And the island of Oléron, well it is the largest island in France on the Atlantic coast. It is nicknamed “the luminous island”.

This nickname comes from the lighting effect that happens with this big beautiful sun during the sea salt harvest. It’s an island that is perhaps more relaxed, very colorful, very natural. Some say that Oléron was the Île de Ré 20 years ago. One of the truly unmissable things on

The island of Oléron is these Marennes d’Oléron oysters. These are famous oysters, which are known throughout the world. So if you go to the island of Oléron, don’t forget to visit an oyster farming site! And when we return to solid ground after visiting

These very beautiful islands, there are very long beaches of golden sand which are bordered by pine forests and oak forests. And behind that, there are very beautiful villages and a territory truly steeped in a very long history that I will let you discover for yourself! There you go,

It was a very small overview of these two very beautiful French departments. I think some of you will have experienced these beautiful places on vacation. And some of you might even live there. If you are one of those people who have had the chance to visit

Charente and Charente Maritime, leave me a comment: I would love to have your impressions, I would love to know what you like about these beautiful departments. And if you haven’t been there, if this is the first time you’ve heard of Charente and Charente Maritime:

What do you think? There you go, I hope you liked this video, if you haven’t already watched it, there is another episode which covers another region of France. I’ll leave you a link in the description. I hope you learned some new French in this episode,

New vocabulary, new expressions, but also that you learned a little more about France itself! I say goodbye and see you soon in another [Music] video

Learn new French words and improve your French language whilst discovering French Regions. Episode en Français!
In this new episode in French, we explore Les Charentes.

Les Petites Discussions is a chat entirely in French to help you learn in a different way.

LINKS
Previous episode, where we talk about La Normandie, and La provence:

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Learn French with les régions de France
03:17 – La Charente
04:55 – Angoulême
06:07 – Cognac
07:34 – Aubeterre sur Dronne
09:22 – French gastronomy in Charente
10:55 – La Charente Maritime
12:52 – La Rochelle
14:00 – L’île de Ré
14:48 – L’île d’Oléron

👂 VOCABULARY
Look at the vocabulary used in the practice sentences on a regular basis so the new words become familiar.

ABOUT THIS CHANNEL
With the videos on this channel, I aim to provide you simple and bitesize lessons on single topics, so you can learn without feeling overwhelmed.

I use English for my explanations, and French for the ‘Petites Discussions’
A careful blend to avoid you getting stuck.

💌 FRENCH AVEC INGRID’S ETHOS
Be patient and kind with yourself on this journey learning a new language, and always remember that:

• we learn through our mistakes
• we learn faster when playing
• you do not have to understand every single word to be able to make sense of a situation in a foreign language
• and you will be understood even if your French is not 100% correct and you speak with a less than perfect (read: cute) accent!

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