Sam: Hello and welcome to French en route, the podcast for French learners. My name’s Sam and I’ll be taking you on a virtual tour. On this tour we’ll meet native French speakers from around the globe who’ll share their stories with us — all in French, of course! But don’t panic, because that’s where I come in. I'll be here to explain a few things and give you tips as we go along.

To make things easier, we’ve put together a synchronized transcript that you can read whilst listening. You can find this, alongside images and videos related to each episode, at babbel.com/podcasts or follow the link in the episode description.

So! Today’s destination is Saint-Denis, which is just outside Paris. Our storyteller Elisabeth, whose nickname is Baboune, is going to tell us about something that happened in her last year at la Légion d’honneur — an all-girls boarding school, or internat, founded in 1805 by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte himself! Honneur et patrie — ‘Honour and Fatherland’ is the motto of this distinguished institution. Let’s hear what else Baboune has to say about it…

Baboune: Salut ! Je m'appelle Elisabeth, mais tout le monde m'appelle Baboune. Tout le monde, sauf mes professeurs de la Légion d'honneur. Quand j'arrive ici, j'ai 12 ans. C'est la rentrée scolaire et je découvre mon internat…

Il y a un parc immense, une chapelle, une infirmerie, et les dortoirs, bien sûr… C'est un endroit magnifique, hors du temps. Un monde à part. Et je vais y rester 7 ans : une nouvelle vie commence !

Sam: Baboune tells us she was twelve years old when she arrived at the Legion of Honor. She then tells us: C'est la rentrée scolaire et je découvre mon internat… It’s the start of the new term and she explores her boarding school. Il y a un parc immense: There’s a huge park, a chapel, an infirmary and the dormitories, les dortoirs, which Baboune told me are housed in a beautiful old cloister. This former abbey is magnificent, timeless and — since she’ll be staying there for the next seven years — this is the beginning of a new life!

Baboune: Ici, il n'y a pas de garçons. Seulement des filles. On a toutes le même uniforme : une robe bleue marine, un chemisier blanc, et une ceinture de couleur… L’année de mon histoire, j’ai 18 ans et j’ai une ceinture multicolore, enfin !

Du matin au soir, on étudie. On fait aussi beaucoup de musique. On a très peu de temps libre. Mais dans le parc, on se sent libres : on chante, on s’amuse, on se raconte nos secrets…

Sam: So the first thing she says is: Ici, il n'y a pas de garçons. There are no boys here. And I’ve also been told that the girls all have something in common: Their fathers, grandfathers, or great-grandfathers were awarded la Légion d’honneur, which is the highest order of merit in France. As at most boarding schools, they all wear the same uniform: A marine blue dress, a white blouse, and a colored sash. By the time of Baboune’s story, she’s eighteen and has a multicolored sash, encompassing all the colors of the previous years.

The girls study from morning to evening, and in the little free time they have, they amuse themselves in the relative freedom of the park. Now if French boarding schools are anything like English ones, the girls probably get up to a bit of mischief now and then… what do you think?

Baboune: Ma vraie liberté, c'est la salle d'arts plastiques. Elle est au fond du parc, monumentale, extraordinaire ! Il y a des sculptures, des peintures partout… Et surtout, ici, personne ne nous surveille !

Mes copines fument des cigarettes. C'est interdit, mais on s'en fiche. On n'a plus peur des punitions.

Un jour, on est là, devant l'atelier, et je remarque quelque chose par terre. Quelque chose que je n'ai jamais vu avant…

Sam: Baboune finds true freedom, as she puts it, in the visual art room (la salle d'arts plastiques), which is at the bottom of the park. Here she says Il y a again, which as you’ve probably guessed by now means 'there are’ or ‘there is’. Anyway, there are sculptures, paintings and, conveniently, there is no one to keep an eye on them!

Her friends smoke, which is forbidden, but they couldn’t care less! On s’en fiche ! They’re in front of the studio one day — probably smoking — when Baboune notices something on the ground she’s never seen before… Can you guess what?

Baboune: Il y a une ouverture ! Une trappe ! Bien sûr, on l'ouvre. Et là, on voit un escalier qui descend sous la terre… incroyable, un passage secret ! Sans hésiter, on descend l'escalier.

Au bout, il y a un long couloir. Très sombre. On est super excitées… Parce qu'à la Légion d'honneur, il y a une légende : la légende des souterrains ! On dit qu'ils sont partout sous nos pieds et qu’ils vont très loin…

Sam: Il y a une ouverture ! “There’s an opening!”, a trapdoor. They open it, of course, and find steps leading down to a secret underground passage. Without hesitating, they go down the steps and find a long corridor, un long couloir. It’s very dark but they’re excited because there’s a legend. It’s said that there are underground tunnels everywhere beneath their feet and ils vont trèèès loin… “they go veeeery far.” Where will the girls end up?!

Baboune: On marche longtemps. On ne sait pas où on est. On voit d’autres couloirs, parfois tout petits. Et soudain une grande pièce : à l’intérieur, il y a des chaises, une table, une lampe…

Quelqu'un vient souvent ici, mais qui ?! Et pourquoi ? Il y a aussi du matériel médical… C’est super bizarre !

Enfin, Céline voit un escalier : on a trouvé la sortie, ça y est ! Mais tout à coup, on entend une voix…

Sam: They’re walking for ages and no longer know where they are. They see other, sometimes very small, corridors. Suddenly they come upon a large chamber furnished with chairs, a table, a lamp… someone comes down here often, but who?! And why? There's also medical equipment, which seems bizarre… Finally, Céline spots a staircase: They’ve found the exit. But, all at once, they hear a voice!

Baboune: Oh non, c’est l’infirmière, madame Barjot !!! Elle est très, très stricte… Si elle nous voit, on est foutues ! Alors on se cache et on attend… Finalement, elle s’en va ! On peut partir !

Quelle émotion, on a trouvé les célèbres labyrinthes de la Légion d’honneur ! Mais quelle déception aussi ! L’aventure s’est arrêtée… à l’infirmerie de l’école !

Quelques mois plus tard, la Légion d'honneur, c'est fini ! Je pars étudier à Paris. Mais j'ai des amis et des souvenirs pour la vie, comme cet après-midi dans les labyrinthes !

Sam: Oh non, c’est l’infirmière !!!, exclaims Baboune. “Oh no, it’s the school nurse!!! She’s very, very strict… and if she sees us, we’re screwed!” — on est foutues ! So the girls hide and wait… and finally she leaves! They can make a swift exit.

What a thrill! They found the famous labyrinth of the Legion of Honor. But also what a disappointment — the adventure came to an end in the school infirmary! I guess they thought the tunnels might lead all the way to Paris.

Baboune goes on to tell us that a few months later she leaves school to study in Paris. But she’s made friends and memories for life — like that afternoon in the labyrinth!

Well, that was all a bit Harry Potter, non ? There’s a taste of the French underground for you!

And if you enjoyed Baboune’s story but didn’t understand everything, remember you can replay this episode as many times as you like. If you’re brave enough to enter the labyrinth alone, on the other hand, you can listen to the French-only version without me to guide you!

If you're thirsty for more head straight to our Babbel lessons. We’d love to hear your feedback, which you can send us via email at podcasting@babbel.com or directly through the podcast app.

Thanks for listening and see you for the next episode of French en route…

A bientôt ! See you soon!