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On Sunday 11 January, French citizens were joined by world leaders in a solidarity march paying tribute to victims of Islamist militant attacks in France. One photo taken by Reuters photographer Stephane Mahé quickly became a powerful and symbolic image, circulating widely in France and drawing interest from local newspapers, radio and television programmes. Today, this picture will be displayed on the front wall of Centre Pompidou to remind people of the spirit of fraternity that has recently emerged. The picture is called “Pen leading the people” as a reference to the famous painting of Eugene Delacroix: Liberty leading the people, in 1830.

On the third Thursday of November, French people celebrate Le Beaujolais Nouveau. This is a wine released just weeks after the grapes have been harvested. Parties are held throughout the country and further afield to celebrate the first wine of the season.

Made entirely from the thin-skinned Gamay grape from two appellations south of France’s Burgundy region, the year’s youngest wines are made via carbonic maceration. Whole grapes are tossed into a tank and the process starts right there, each grape fermenting in its own skin.

Because the grapes aren’t crushed, tannins are minimized and fruit flavours maximized, the upshot being a light-bodied, fresh and fruity wine with flavours often described as strawberry, bubble-gum, kirsch and banana. This year the Beaujolais Nouveau features rich black raspberry fruit with a peppery edge and a little licorice sass.

Santé!

The Fondation Louis Vuitton has just opened its doors. This extraordinary space for art and culture was conceived by architect Frank Gehry as a vessel whose sails soar amidst the trees of the Bois de Boulogne.  The foundation aims to “promote and support contemporary and artistic creation” in France.

At the heart of each spaces, the public will be invited to discover the permanent collection of works belonging to the Fondation or the Arnault collection, as well as temporary exhibitions – two a year – and musical events in the auditorium.

LVMH will give the museum and its contents to the city of Paris in 55 years.

For more information visit https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en.html.

We all have a good reason for studying French: a job opportunity? a career path? Or maybe a romantic date or simply just to please ourselves with no ulterior motives.

Find each week a new good reason to learn the French language.

A language that opens up the world

After English and German, French is the third most used language on the Internet, ahead of Spanish. An ability to understand French offers an alternative view of the world through communication with French speakers from all the continents and news from the leading French-language international media (TV5, France 24 and Radio France Internationale).