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★ Bonus chapter

Direction Avignon !

Off to Avignon · Catching the TGV at Gare de Lyon
Bonus · Unit 7 Relaxed reading Vocabulary from Lessons 25 → 28 + 3 new words
1

The setting

Where and who
Place: the Gare de Lyon in Paris. A Saturday morning in May, around 9:30.
Characters: Chloé (Parisian, 26 years old) is taking her two Chinese friends for a weekend in Provence. 吴谨言 (Wu Jinyan) is her flatmate in Paris (they've been sharing for 2 years), and 张婧仪 (Zhang Jingyi) is visiting — it's her first time in Europe! Wu Jinyan and Zhang Jingyi are well-known Chinese actresses — they appear as guest characters across the bonus chapters. As an English-speaking learner you don't need to know who they are to enjoy the dialogue.
Chloé waits for her friends under the big departures board at Gare de Lyon
Scene 1 Under the departure board — "Par ici, les filles !" Meeting up at the station
C

Chloé

Parisian, 26 years old. Interior architect. Energetic and organised. Loves Provence — her family has a house there.

吴

Wu Jinyan · 吴谨言

Chinese Master's student at Sciences Po. Has lived in Paris with Chloé for 2 years. Curious and quiet.

婧

Zhang Jingyi · 张婧仪

Wu Jinyan's childhood friend. On a 10-day visit to Paris. Her first ever trip to France!

2

The dialogue

Read along
  • Chloé —Eh ho ! Jingyi ! Jinyan ! Par ici ! Hey! Jingyi! Jinyan! Over here!
  • Wu Jinyan —Chloé ! On est désolées, le métro était bondé ce matin. Chloé! Sorry — the metro was packed this morning.
  • Zhang Jingyi —Bonjour Chloé ! Ravie de te rencontrer enfin ! Jinyan parle de toi tout le temps. Hi Chloé! So glad to finally meet you! Jinyan talks about you all the time.
  • Chloé —Bonjour Jingyi, bienvenue à Paris ! Pas de panique, le train ne part qu'à 9 h 53. On a le temps ! Hi Jingyi, welcome to Paris! No panic — the train only leaves at 9:53. We've got time!
  • Wu Jinyan —Le quai n'est pas encore affiché ? The platform isn't displayed yet?
  • Chloé —Pas encore. Regardons l'écran… Voilà ! TGV pour Avignon, voie 11. On y va ! Not yet. Let's check the board… There! TGV to Avignon, platform 11. Let's go!

🚆 GARE DE LYON · DEPARTURES · 09:35

09:53TGV INOUI 6113AVIGNON TGV · MARSEILLE11
10:07TGV INOUI 6817LYON PART-DIEU17
10:15TER 891234MELUN · MONTARGISA
10:24TGV INOUI 6843NICE · CANNES5
The three friends buy pastries at the platform kiosk
Scene 2 At the platform kiosk — "Trois croissants, s'il vous plaît !" Picking up breakfast
  • Chloé —On va prendre quelque chose pour le voyage. Vous aimez les croissants ? Let's grab something for the ride. Do you like croissants?
  • Zhang Jingyi —Oh oui, j'adore ça ! En Chine, on n'en mange pas souvent. Oh yes, I love them! In China we don't eat them often.
  • Wu Jinyan —Moi, je préfère le pain au chocolat ! I prefer pain au chocolat!
  • Chloé (to the seller) —Bonjour ! Trois cafés, deux croissants et un pain au chocolat, s'il vous plaît. Hello! Three coffees, two croissants and one pain au chocolat, please.
  • Wu Jinyan —Merci Chloé ! Tu as raison, il faut un bon petit-déjeuner pour 2 h 40 de train. Thanks Chloé! You're right — we need a proper breakfast for a 2 h 40 train ride.
  • Chloé —Et n'oubliez pas : à Avignon, il fait beau, mais il fait aussi très chaud ! Vous avez vos lunettes de soleil ? And don't forget — Avignon is sunny, but also very hot! Have you got your sunglasses?
  • Zhang Jingyi —Oui, j'en ai apporté ! On va voir la lavande, c'est ça ? Yes, I brought some! We're going to see the lavender, right?
  • Chloé —Ah ! Pas en mai, malheureusement ! La lavande, c'est en juillet. Mais tu vas adorer Avignon : le Palais des Papes, le pont, les terrasses… Ah! Not in May, unfortunately — lavender blooms in July. But you'll love Avignon: the Palais des Papes, the bridge, the café terraces…
The three friends settle into the TGV as it pulls out of Paris
Scene 3 On the TGV — "320 km/h, c'est rapide !" On board the high-speed train
  • Wu Jinyan —Wow, ça démarre déjà ! On est partis à l'heure, super. Wow, we're moving already! Right on time — great.
  • Zhang Jingyi (looking out the window) —C'est rapide ! On voit déjà la campagne ! It's so fast! I can already see the countryside!
  • Chloé —Le TGV monte à 320 km/h ! On va arriver à Avignon en 2 h 40. The TGV goes up to 320 km/h! We'll be in Avignon in 2 h 40.
  • Zhang Jingyi —Et après, qu'est-ce qu'on va faire ? And then, what will we do?
  • Chloé —Alors, programme ! Aujourd'hui, on se promène dans Avignon, et on dîne sur la place de l'Horloge. Demain, on se lève tôt pour visiter le Palais des Papes. L'après-midi, on prend un bus jusqu'à Aix-en-Provence. OK, here's the plan! Today we'll wander around Avignon and have dinner on Place de l'Horloge. Tomorrow we get up early to visit the Palais des Papes. In the afternoon we take a bus to Aix-en-Provence.
  • Wu Jinyan —Et le retour ? And the trip back?
  • Chloé —Dimanche soir, TGV de retour à 19 h. On va arriver à Paris à 22 h. J'ai tout calculé ! Sunday evening, TGV at 7 pm. We'll get back to Paris at 10 pm. I've planned it all!
  • Zhang Jingyi —Tu connais bien la Provence ? Do you know Provence well?
  • Chloé —J'y vais tous les ans avec ma famille. Ma grand-mère habite près d'Aix. On s'arrête toujours chez elle un jour ou deux. I go every year with my family. My grandmother lives near Aix. We always stop at her place for a day or two.
  • Wu Jinyan —Quelle chance ! Tu vas nous présenter à ta grand-mère ? How lucky! Will you introduce us to your grandmother?
  • Chloé —Bien sûr ! Elle adore les invités. Et elle fait la meilleure ratatouille du monde ! Of course! She loves having guests. And she makes the world's best ratatouille!
  • Zhang Jingyi —Oh, j'ai déjà faim ! Oh, I'm hungry already!
The three friends arrive at Avignon TGV station under the sun
Scene 4 Arriving in Avignon — "Bienvenue en Provence !" Stepping into the Provençal sun
  • Chloé —Voilà, on y est ! Bienvenue en Provence, les filles ! Here we are! Welcome to Provence, girls!
  • Zhang Jingyi (stepping off the train) —Il fait vraiment chaud ! C'est trop différent de Paris ! It's really hot! So different from Paris!
  • Wu Jinyan —Le ciel est tellement bleu… Et regarde, on voit déjà la cathédrale, là-bas ! The sky is so blue… and look, you can already see the cathedral over there!
  • Chloé —Allez, prenez vos valises, on prend la navette jusqu'au centre. Notre hôtel est à 5 minutes du Palais des Papes ! Right, grab your suitcases — we take the shuttle to the centre. Our hotel is 5 minutes from the Palais des Papes!
  • Wu Jinyan (smiling) —Vivement les vacances qui commencent ! Bring on the holidays!
  • Zhang Jingyi —Vivement la ratatouille de ta grand-mère ! Bring on your grandma's ratatouille!
  • Chloé (laughing) —Allez, on y va ! Le soleil nous attend ! Come on, off we go! The sun is waiting!
3

3 new words

Just three to learn

All other vocabulary comes from Lessons 25 to 28 (Unit 7) and earlier units.

  • un quai n.m. platform The place where you board a train. Technically distinct from la voie (the track number, "track 11") — but in everyday French "voie 11" = "quai 11".
    Ex.: Le quai n'est pas encore affiché. "The platform isn't displayed yet."
  • le TGV n.m. high-speed train Train à Grande Vitesse ("high-speed train"). Commercial speed up to 320 km/h (≈ 200 mph). First service in 1981 (Paris–Lyon). Sub-brands: TGV INOUI (premium), TGV OUIGO (low-cost).
    Ex.: On prend le TGV pour Avignon.
  • la lavande n.f. lavender Iconic purple plant of Provence. Bloom: June → August. Used in perfume, cooking and decoration.
    Ex.: On va voir la lavande, c'est ça ? — Pas en mai, malheureusement !

💡 Bonus expression: Vivement … ! "Bring on…!" / "Roll on…!" — to express joyful impatience. Very common:
• Vivement les vacances ! "Bring on the holidays!"
• Vivement la ratatouille de ta grand-mère ! "Bring on your grandma's ratatouille!"
• Vivement demain ! "Roll on tomorrow!"

4

Comprehension

Did you follow?

True or false? Vrai ou faux ?

1. Chloé is French and lives in Paris.

2. Wu Jinyan and Chloé are flatmates.

3. Zhang Jingyi has been to France several times before.

4. The train leaves at 9:53 from platform 11.

5. The Paris–Avignon trip takes about 2 h 40.

6. Wu Jinyan prefers croissants.

7. They will see lavender in bloom.

8. Chloé's grandmother lives in Avignon.

Pick the right answer

  1. Which station does the train leave from?
  2. Which day are they leaving?
  3. What does Chloé buy at the kiosk?
  4. What's the TGV's top speed?
  5. What's the Sunday programme?
  6. What does Chloé's grandmother make so well?
  7. How long does the Avignon → Paris trip take on the way back?
5

Avignon & the TGV

Culture corner

🚄 The TGV — French engineering pride

The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train") was launched in 1981 on the Paris–Lyon line. Today it's one of the world's fastest trains:

  • Commercial speed: 320 km/h (world record: 574.8 km/h in 2007!).
  • Network: more than 2,800 km of high-speed lines across France.
  • Several brands: TGV INOUI (premium), OUIGO (low-cost), Eurostar (to London), Thalys (to Brussels, Amsterdam).
  • Paris → Marseille in 3 h, Paris → Lyon in 2 h, Paris → Bordeaux in 2 h 04. Book early for low fares!

🏛️ Avignon, the city of the Popes

Avignon is a city in southeastern France, on the banks of the Rhône, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region. It's famous for:

  • The Palais des Papes — 14th-century gothic palace, the largest in Europe. UNESCO heritage. The Popes lived here from 1309 to 1377.
  • The Pont d'Avignon (officially pont Saint-Bénézet) — medieval bridge made famous by the children's song "Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse…"
  • The Festival d'Avignon — every July, the largest French-language theatre festival in the world. The whole town fills with performers and street shows.
  • Place de l'Horloge — the heart of the city, lined with café terraces and restaurants.

🌿 Provence — colours, scents, sunshine

Provence is known worldwide for:

  • 🌾 Its lavender fields in June–August — especially on the Valensole plateau.
  • 🌻 Its sunflowers in July, painted by Van Gogh in Arles.
  • 🍅 Its cuisine: ratatouille (vegetable stew), bouillabaisse (Marseille fish soup), tapenade (olive paste), aïoli (garlic mayonnaise).
  • 🏛️ Its beautiful cities: Aix-en-Provence (Cézanne's home), Arles (Van Gogh's), Marseille (the great port), Nice (the Riviera).
  • ☀️ More than 300 days of sunshine a year!

💡 Train-travel vocabulary to take it further:

  • un billet (de train) "(train) ticket" — digital version: un e-billet.
  • un aller-retour "round trip / return" vs un aller simple "one-way".
  • composter son billet "to validate one's ticket" — required before boarding some regional trains.
  • la voie / le quai "track / platform" — voie is the track number on the board, quai is the physical platform.
  • la SNCF = Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, France's national rail company.
  • "Les voyageurs pour Avignon, en voiture, le train va partir !" — typical pre-departure announcement.