Pictures of France - Images de France

[The Lawspeaker]

Michael Portillo travels from the chateaux of the Loire Valley to the heart of the Champagne region at Reims. Beginning in historic Orleans, Michael follows his Bradshaw’s guide to the magnificent stained-glass windows of the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, which tell the story of the heroine of France, Joan of Arc. The image of the saintly teenage warrior endures as a symbol of resistance, and her life is celebrated in an annual parade. Michael meets her modern-day incarnation. Among the spectacular Renaissance palaces and fortresses of the River Loire, Michael is intrigued to discover a castle much modernized during the 1930s, which became a refuge for a British royal couple embroiled in scandal. The wedding of the former king, Edward VIII, and the American divorcee Wallis Simpson at Chateau Cande in the summer of 1937 was shunned by the British establishment. Michael takes a spin around the track at Le Mans in a French-built car that won two endurance races during the 1920s. At Versailles, Michael visits the opulent palace and neighbouring Trianon Palace Hotel, where his Bradshaw’s guide describes the signing of the Peace Treaty at the end of the First World War. Arriving in the capital, Paris, Michael heads for Montparnasse, where wildly creative artists and writers of the 1920s and 30s spawned new art movements. Michael joins a life-drawing class at an art school with an impressive legacy. Backstage at the Folies Bergere, Michael asks the 'enfant terrible' of fashion Jean Paul Gaultier about his homage to the black American dancer of the 1920s Josephine Baker. East of Paris in champagne country, Michael finishes his journey in style with a tour of the cellars at Domaine Pommery and a glass of fizz with the owner.

[The Lawspeaker]

A morning drive around the Champagne vineyards and countryside in the winter season was different but inspirational, a music was actually written to be performed by the Cambridge Sinfonietta! Your may view the approximate route here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ecR... Intro music: "Promenade dans la vallée de la Marne" by Edwin, driving in this video, performed by the Cambridge Sinfonietta Having just pure road noises throughout the whole video means it's possible to leave this on while you go to sleep at night - people tend to sleep very well with road noise, so why don't you try it out!? Please subscribe to this channel for more of these videos from us!

[The Lawspeaker]

A look at the site of the famous Eiffel Tower through the last 260 years! Credit to the Image Owners Featured.

[The Lawspeaker]

Bonjour! This week, we turn to something equally as orange as the Bond Bug, but infinitely faster. The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) was the spark that helped reignite interest in rail travel across Europe, introducing a system of high speed railways in a design that has been replicated time and again across the continent. All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated YouTubers. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images. If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon. Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy!
References:
- Modern Railways Europe (and their respective sources)
- TrainWeb (and their respective sources)
- SNCF (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[The Lawspeaker]

Citroën in many ways were like the Tesla of the 1950’s and 60’s. Where other car manufacturers were making normal, everyday cars, Citroën were ripping up the rulebooks and reinventing just what a car could be in their own mad, Gallic way. Their approach to almost every aspect of the car was unique, new, and, well, Citroën-esque. And it’s not like different meant “wrong”. The Citroën SM introduced innovative features such as self-centering steering and rain-sensing wipers years before they became mainstream. So, with a pedigree like this, why aren’t we all driving around in Citroën’s today? Why did the SM only sell 13,000 cars before taking Citroën into bankruptcy? BTW, kudos to Citroën for featuring a woman driving their car fast in 1970. Not something you see even today in car adverts!

When I was small we went to a Citroën dealership to look at the CX and I was struck by just how odd-looking this French creation was. With the rear wheels half covered, my child’s brain wondered just how changing a flat tyre worked, and the car sat low like the suspension was broken or something. I poured over the brochure at home, and strange things like the linear speedometer dazzled my young mind, amazed by this crazy space-age creation from a far-off land. The CX was the last car produced by an independent Citroën. With the company going into meltdown during development it was starved of resources, but it’s another Citroën design classic that’s worth celebrating today.

[The Lawspeaker]

In the Les Landes region in the South-West of France.

[The Lawspeaker]

The Citroën XM wasn’t the first large Citroën and it wasn’t the last. It was widely praised, but largely ignored when it was sold. Over 20 years after production ended it’s becoming a collectable classic, like the Citroën SM before it. Any why not? If you’re going to drive a classic car, make it a stylish, luxurious, quirky ride that looks like something out of a 1980’s sci-fi movie.

[The Lawspeaker]

The Château de Bonaguil



The town of Punjol







Along the Garonne







Along the Garonne in Bourdeaux:

[The Lawspeaker]

Ah, the Renault Avantime. A car that when it was released in 2001 looked like it’d just come through a time portal from 2050. And movie companies agreed, with the car being featured in many near future dystopian films like “Children of Men” and “Ready Player One”. The name “Avantime” is a portmanteau, that is a smashing together of the French word “avant” meaning “before” or “ahead” and the English word “time”. So like its name, was the Avantime just ahead of its time? Or was it a nice idea, but an automotive dead end?

[The Lawspeaker]

Saint-Félix-Lauragais











Prehistoric axes, now in the nearby Muséum de Toulouse: