Taste of Gascony: Life, Food, and Tours in France’s Hidden Gers Region
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
Release Date: 03/01/2026
Camille Claudel: Betrayed by Family, Locked Away for 30 Years
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
Camille Claudel trained alongside Auguste Rodin. She fell in love with him. She became a brilliant sculptor in her own right. Then her family locked her away. Annie Sargent talks with Elyse Rivin about Camille Claudel's extraordinary life. Elyse traces her early talent, her ten years with Rodin, and the misogyny that kept her from getting the recognition she deserved. Then the story turns dark: her own family had her committed to an asylum, where she stayed for 30 years, until her death. It's a hard story. It's also one you won't forget. Press play to hear it. Subscribe to Join Us in France...
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How We Moved to Paris: Visa, Housing, and Healthcare
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
109-word iTunes description: Sacha Cohen and her husband spent two and a half years scouting France. They tried Rouen, Dijon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and more. Then they chose Paris and moved in December 2025. Annie Sargent talks with Sacha about the whole process. They cover the long stay visitor visa, opening a French bank account, and setting up healthcare. They also dig into apartment hunting, picking an arrondissement, and the homesickness that hits even when a move goes right. Sacha shares what surprised her most about daily life in Paris. She's honest about the hard parts too. Hit play to...
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Catherine and Marie De Medici: Queen Mothers and Kingmakers
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Two Italian banker's daughters married French kings. Both ended up ruling France. Annie Sargent sits down with Elyse Rivin to sort out Catherine de' Medici and Marie de' Medici, cousins who together span the entire 1500s and into the 1600s. Catherine arrives at 15 to marry the future Henry II. She lives in the shadow of his mistress, buries three sons as kings, and holds France together through brutal religious wars. Marie marries Henry IV by proxy, gets humiliated at court, then loses him to an assassin's blade the day after her coronation. Annie and Elyse trace the schemes, the scandals, and...
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An Art Retreat in a Medieval Burgundy Village, Episode 607
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
In episode 607, Annie Sargent talks with Julie Lynch, an Australian costume designer turned painter, about her week-long art retreat in Noyers, a tiny medieval village in Burgundy. Julie traded her precise, detailed style for loose, abstract landscapes made on a gel plate. She and four childhood friends painted all morning, then explored Vézelay, Avallon, and the Château d'Ancy-le-Franc in the afternoons. Annie and Julie talk about wisteria, lilacs, why reservations matter even in small villages, and why a slow retreat beats a packed itinerary. Annie also shares news about her new YouTube...
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Eugène Delacroix: The Painter Critics Loved to Hate, Episode 606
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Critics called his paintings smudges. He kept painting anyway. In this episode, Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin tell the story of Eugène Delacroix, the man behind Liberty Leading the People. His father left the family in debt. Géricault became his mentor. Critics attacked nearly every painting he showed. Then seven months in Morocco changed his art forever. Elyse tells the whole story, and Annie shares where to see his work in Paris, from the Louvre to Saint-Sulpice. You'll never look at Liberty Leading the People the same way. Hit play, then subscribe so you never miss an episode of Join Us...
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Five Weeks Solo in Paris: 20 Museums and Hidden Gems, Episode 605
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
Five weeks solo in Paris. Twenty museums. Four monuments. And a whole lot of surprises. Annie Sargent chats with Larry Rosenblum to talk about his trip. Larry swims in the Seine. He watches a play at the Comédie-Française through AR glasses. He tours the French Senate during Heritage Days. He even straps on VR goggles and steps straight into the Louvre's history. Larry shares his best planning tips, his favorite discovery (a fairground museum you've probably never heard of), and the one thing he wishes he hadn't skipped: Montmartre. Annie also digs into "La France Moche," the ugly side of...
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Alexandre Dumas: Adventure, Scandal, and 100,000 Pages
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Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin dig into the life of Alexandre Dumas Père — and it's a wild ride. His grandmother was a slave. His father was the French army's first non-white general. Napoleon destroyed that father, and Dumas never forgot it. He wrote over 100 novels, went broke twice, helped unify Italy, and ran the museums of Naples — including Pompeii. Oh, and he wrote a cookbook. Elyse brings the research, Annie brings the questions, and together they make French history genuinely fun. Hit play. And if you enjoy this, subscribe — a new episode drops every Sunday. Table of Contents...
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Puy du Fou, Arles Bullfighting, and Getting Pickpocketed in Paris
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Cas McIntyre has visited France seven times and speaks French well enough to land in real trouble, and real fun. She joins Annie Sargent to swap stories that go beyond postcard moments: two and a half days lost in the theatrics of the Puy du Fou theme park, a village potato ball where 400 plates got filled, and a thermal cure in Sète that ended with Cas dancing the Jerusalem at midnight. Travel isn't always smooth. A pickpocket hits Cas at a Paris turnstile, her handbag goes missing on a train in Strasbourg, and Annie admits to losing a camera on a tour bus. Press play for stories you won't...
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Vichy's Story and the Best of the Allier Department
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Annie Sargent just got back from the Allier department, dead center of France, and almost nobody visits it. In this episode, she sits down with Elyse Rivin to talk about Vichy, Moulins and her trip. Annie shares what surprised her: a gorgeous Art Deco café, and a 19th-century mansion frozen in time for a hundred years and empty streets in Vichy in December. Elyse then digs into Vichy's real history, the Romans, hot springs, and a beautiful pottery called sigillée, long before it became famous for World War II. They also cover medieval villages, forests, and a local wine called...
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What Your Paris Photos Are Missing (And How to Fix It)
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Annie Sargent chats with Bob Soltys, a black-and-white street photographer who has spent decades capturing Paris. Bob shares what gear to actually bring, why night photography beats daytime almost every time, and which Paris neighborhoods deliver the best shots. He also explains phone tricks most tourists never use and when to put the camera down entirely. In the magazine segment, Annie covers a new underground tunnel connecting Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est — and why it matters for your next Paris trip. Hit play. You'll come home with better photos. If you enjoy the show, subscribe so you...
info_outlineIn "Taste of Gascony: Life, Food, and Tours in France’s Hidden Gers Region", Annie Sargent welcomes Jenine Lurie, a New Yorker who swapped city life for the rolling hills and medieval villages of the Gers. This episode dives into Jenine’s journey—from volunteering on a pig farm 15 years ago to building a new life (and a tour business) in one of France’s most authentic, off-the-beaten-path departments. If you’ve ever dreamed of escaping to rural France or crave travel stories packed with flavor, culture, and real-life adventure, this conversation delivers.
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Annie and Jenine explore why the Gers feels like a well-kept secret. Here, tourists are rare, medieval bastide towns stand frozen in time, and the Pyrenees loom in the distance. Jenine shares how she fell for the region’s slow pace, warm locals, and rich gastronomy—think Armagnac, floc, and duck confit—while navigating the challenges of buying a home, learning French, and launching Taste of Gascony, her immersive tour company. She takes visitors beyond the usual wine tastings, introducing them to artisan bakers, Armagnac distillers, and even jazz festivals in Marciac. Listen as she spills the details on her five-day tours, where guests roll up their sleeves to make baguettes, explore hidden art galleries, and dine with expats who’ve made the Gers their home.
The episode also tackles the nitty-gritty of moving to France: visas, healthcare, and the infamous French bureaucracy. Jenine’s honest advice? Follow the rules, embrace the process, and lean on your community. She reveals how she secured her titre de séjour, snagged a health card for just €23 at the dentist, and why buying her Bassoues cottage felt like the start of a new chapter—champagne included. Annie adds her own insights, comparing the Gers to busier French hotspots and explaining why this region rewards those who love history, tranquility, and a taste of la vie rurale.
But it’s not all countryside charm. Annie wraps up with a timely update on Paris’s crackdown on illegal Airbnbs—including eye-popping fines for rule-breakers—and teases next week’s episode on Guédelon, the medieval castle being built using only 13th-century tools.
Perfect for francophiles, future expats, or anyone curious about France beyond Paris, this episode proves why the Gers deserves a spot on your travel list. Hit subscribe to Join Us in France for more hidden gems, practical tips, and stories that make you feel like you’re exploring France with a friend. Whether you’re planning a trip or just armchair traveling, Annie’s conversational style and Jenine’s infectious enthusiasm will leave you craving croissants, countryside drives, and maybe even a move to Gascony. Subscribe now and never miss an episode of the podcast that’s like a postcard from France—delivered straight to your earbuds. Bon voyage!
More episodes about the southwest of France
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