This week at Ohlala French Coffee, we will be talking about the theme of the city. This week my students are going to describe the city where they live at length. To help them talk about it and to help you too, I'm going to introduce you to the city where I live. Let's get started!

Well, I'm not exactly going to introduce you to the town where I live, because I live in a place.

It's very small and there are no points of interest. There are just houses.

So I'm going to introduce you to the town right next to me. It is a small city located in Ardèche.

We consider that a city is a city from 2000 inhabitants.

Below 2000 inhabitants, it's a village.

It is a city at the confluence of two rivers: the Dorne and the Eyrieux which cross the city.

One of the characteristics of the Ardèche is its hilly landscape and this town is located at the foot of two valleys. 

It is an industrial city which is known for its textile and jewelry production.

We find in this small city several museums: a scientific, technical and industrial museum and also a museum on the creation and the know-how of jewels.

I haven't visited these museums yet, because I arrived last year and a month later France went into lockdown. 

As in most French cities, there is a more authentic part of the city that is often called the bourg.

This is where you will find the market place. There is a market every Wednesday and in the summer we have a local producers' market on Friday nights.

We also have the church and a lot of small shops: a butcher's shop, a bakery, an organic grocery store, a pharmacy, a bar, etc. We have everything necessary.

We find narrow streets full of charm. I love French country towns like this one, it's always typical especially at this time of year when we have flowers and sunshine.

Even if it's a small town, it's still quite dynamic! There are cultural, musical, artistic and also sportive events. 

What I like best here is that there are many places to walk around. We are lucky to have a greenway and to be able to walk or bike. In fact, the greenway was built on the old railroad, so it's a total of 90km.

 

Un lieu-dit = 🇬🇧 hamlet

Une ville = 🇬🇧  a city

Au confluent de = 🇬🇧  at the confluence of 

Vallonné = 🇬🇧  rolling 

Une vallée = 🇬🇧. valley 

Des bijoux = 🇬🇧  a jewellery

Le savoir-faire =  🇬🇧  a skil, a know-how 

Le bourg = 🇬🇧  a village center 

La place = 🇬🇧  a square 

Une épicerie =  🇬🇧  a grocery 

Étroit = 🇬🇧  narrow

Une voie verte = 🇬🇧  walking and cycling path

 

City and Country Vocabulary:

Vocabulary of the city in French

French countryside Vocabulary

 

How is the city where you live ?

 

I'll see you soon for new adventures, in French of course! 🇫🇷