City Breaks Unknown
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- Society & Culture
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City Breaks: a podcast which covers the historical and cultural background you need to really appreciate your city break.
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Marseille Episode 03 The Old Port, the Canebiere and Notre Dame de la Garde
This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide avenue leading back from the port into the heart of the city. After a few snippets of history, we tour such sights as the fish market, the iconic canopy built to mark Marseille's year as a City of European Culture in 2013, an ancient tower and a surprising link to Odessa in Ukraine. We might take the little ferry across the harbour, we'll certainly walk - or maybe take the 'petit train' - up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde, where a huge golden statue of Mary the Virgin watches protectively over the city.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City by Nicholas HewittMarseille Port to Port by William KornblumTotal Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Links for this post
The Saint Jean FortDeportation MemorialThe Petit Train Notre Dame de la Garde Boat trips from the Old Port
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated! -
Marseille Episode 02 10 Places to Find History in Marseille
There are 26 centuries of history in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France! This episode runs through 10 places where you can find traces of key moments in the city's past. They range from the plaque commemorating the founding of Marseille in about 600 BC to the site where you can still see bullet holes from the fight to liberate the city from German occupation in 1944. They’re listed in chronological order, with a few of their stories attached and although this makes a good overview, we've saved some of the 'big-hitters’ such as Notre Dame de la Garde and the Château d’If for later episodes where they'll get a fuller treatment.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City The many Cultures of Marseille by Nicholas HewittMarseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Links for this postRoman Docks Museum Saint Victor Abbey Memorial of the Marseillaise Provencal Museum Deportation Memorial Museum of Marseille History
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
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Marseille Episode 01 Introduction to Marseille
Bienvenue à Marseille. Welcome to Marseille, the lively southern French city whose name rhymes with 'soleil'. There's beauty in the Old Port and the stunning coastline, there's history and culture a-plenty in the museums, there's a Provencal feel - boules and bouillabaisse - overlaid with a vibrant multi-ethnic mix. There's a little grit too, for this is the home of Marseille Noir crime fiction and the notorious Château d'If so graphically portrayed in The Count of Monte Cristo.
This introductory episode will help you get your bearings and pick up the basic facts which underpin everything. As the French say, 'On y va!' - Let's go!
Links and Reading Three useful websites for touristMarseille Tourist Office Marseille Tourisme.fr About France: a short guide to Marseille
3 Guide BooksThe Rough Guide to Provence and the Côte d’AzurMarseille Travel Guide by Angela J ReaMarseille Travel Guide by Betty Vanslyke 4 books on Marseille Culture The Wicked City The many cultures of Marseille by Nicholas Hewitt Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo Unveiling Marseille Your Insider’s Guide to the Multicultural Marvel by Tailored Travel Guides Taste the World in Marseille by Vérane Frédiani
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated! -
Bordeaux Episode 10 Literary Bordeaux: an Anthology
Our introduction to literary Bordeaux begins with the 3 most famous Bordeaux authors, the ‘3 Ms’, that is the philosophers Montaigne and Montesquieu and the novelist François Mauriac. There are statues of them all in the city. There are mini biographies and pointers to their works. Then we follow up with more books set in and around Bordeaux - historical fiction, two very different detective stories and the true account of the web of spies – French, German, British – operating in Bordeaux during World War II.
Reading Suggestions
The Essays A Selection by Michel Montaigne How to Live A Life of Montaigne in 1 Question and 20 Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell Persian Letters by Montesquieu The Knot of Vipers by François Mauriac Thérèse Desqueyroux by François Mauriac The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick Bordeaux Private Eye by Rorie SmithGame of Spies by Paddy Ashdown Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie
Link for this postMusee d'Aquitaine
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated! -
Bordeaux Episode 09 St Emilion and other Day Trips from Bordeaux
This post gives ideas for day trips from Bordeaux, focussing first on nearby St Émilion, attractive both for its history and its world-renowned wine industry. To wander its cobbled streets is to find photo opportunities on every corner, both architectural gems and splendid scenery. Then we cover ways to explore the countryside around Bordeaux and also the beaches and resorts along the nearby Atlantic coast. Hikes and bike rides, boat trips and oyster tastings are all ways to enjoy the Nouvelle Aquitaine culture surrounding Bordeaux.
USEFUL LINKS
Guided Tours in St EmilionIntroduction to St EmilionThe King’s KeepLes CordeliersMacarons de St ÉmilionMacarons Moulierac St Èmilion Open Doors FestivalBan des Vendanges FestivalHot Air Balloon FestivalFinding Beaches near Bordeaux Cycle route from Bordeaux to Lacanau Hiking trail around BordeauxOyster tasting in ArcachonBoat Trips from ArcachonMore ideas for trips out from Bordeaux
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
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Bordeaux Episode 08 Food and Shopping
Food and Shopping: two of the major reasons for visiting Bordeaux! This episode lists some of top-notch products from Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline and the rich agricultural land surrounding it and highlights the areas of the city and some of the restaurants where you can enjoy them. Then we do the same for shopping, listing specialities and highlighting the shopping streets and markets you should look out for in different areas of the city. Don’t forget, there’s already been an episode on Bordeaux’s wine.
Useful Links
Bordeaux Food Tours The Épicuriales Festival Le Chapon Fin Grand Hotel, Place de la Comédie Brasserie Bordelaise Café du Levant Les Halles Le 7 (Restaurant at Cité du Vin )
Galéries des Grands Hommes L’Intendant Librairie Mollat Quai des Livres
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions! You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.ukAnd if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!