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32. Le Code du Travail

“We have never retreated from anything, ever.” – Stéphane Sirot, labor historian Hello everyone! This week’s episode is a bit timelier than usual – I thought it would be an interesting experiment to dive deeper into some of France’s biggest headlines today. As the French return from their holidays and I prepare to leave for

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31. Le Train Bleu

“A line of railway tracks, like a zipper, speeding open to the south, to Marseille, to Nice and the Côte d’Azur” – Sylvia Plath, 1956 Hello everyone! This week’s episode is a bit late, as a certain podcast host’s bathtub stopped working, flooded her entire apartment, and delayed things a wee bit. Thanks for your

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30. The History Of The Picnic

“A Moveable Feast.” – Ernest Hemingway We have a new milestone! This week, The Land of Desire will reach a quarter of a million downloads – absolutely incroyable. Thank you to everyone who participated in The Land of Desire’s anniversary celebrations, and to those of you who shared my series on how to start a podcast, and

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29. The Caves of Lascaux

“We are locked in history and they were not.” – Werner Herzog We’re back! Thank you to everyone who participated in The Land of Desire’s anniversary celebrations. Extra thanks to those of you who shared my series on how to start a podcast, and those of you who contributed to the show’s Patreon page. This

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28. Bon Anniversaire!

“Bienvenue and welcome to The Land of Desire.” – me, 7/14/2016 WE DID IT! This Friday, The Land of Desire officially turns one year old! I’m completely blown away by everything that’s happened in the last year – getting featured on the iTunes Store, getting played on the CBC (twice!), getting to hear from fans all

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27. We’ll Always Have Paris – Paris Syndrome

“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra This week, we’ll wrap up our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. Paris is in many ways a city constructed by and for tourism: tourism shapes which landmarks are preserved, which civic resources are available, and whose needs are prioritized.

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26. We’ll Always Have Paris – A Visit from Hitler

“Everyone in Paris once.” – German military catchphrase This week, we’ll continue our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. Tuesday was D-Day, so let’s take a look at an understudied element of the hospitality industry: occupation tourism. What happens when an entire army comes to town? What happens when your conquerors

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25. We’ll Always Have Paris – The Ritz Paris Bar

“I have come to liberate the Ritz.” – Ernest Hemingway This week, we’ll continue our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. I don’t know about you, but after all this history, I could use a drink! Luckily, I know just the place. This week, we sneak behind the bar

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