Since Monday, June 9, 2025, the final episode of Season 3 of our podcast has been available on all platforms. This interview with author and engaged citizen Tristan Champion marks the end of a season particularly rich in encounters and beautiful personal stories. Here’s a recap of the Season 3 episodes:

• Are you a Norwegophile? Interview with Cécile
  Cécile moved to Norway because she fell in love with the country when she was young. Today, she speaks fluent Norwegian, which she learned in France through courses, films, and books. In this episode, she talks about her relationship with Norway and with the Norwegian language. She also discusses her work at the French Embassy and her multilingual daily life.

• Fint Fransk Orkester: a little bit of Montmartre in Norway
  Fint Fransk Orkester is the closest you can get to Montmartre in Paris without leaving Norway. The group is based in Stavanger and consists of Eva, Dominique, Johan, Andreas, and Theodor. With style, elegance, and humor, they take you on a journey through the heart of the French chanson tradition and introduce you to a unique world filled with original songs and colorful characters. While touring Norway, the group stopped by Fransk kulturhus to share their story and warmly discuss culture and musical inspiration.

• “Women are still neglected in history books”: Interview with Marie-Christine Stigset
  Marie-Christine taught French and English in Norway for many years. Today, she is known as an author and writes historical novels about the French Revolution. She recently published Le Barbet du Plan du Lion, a book about the resistance movement in the Nice and Menton region during the Revolution. In this episode, she talks about her life between France and Norway, and how her career in Norway influenced her writing. She acknowledges that her books are also political and states that women still do not have enough space in the literary world.

• “It all started with a trip to Norway”: Morgane studies Nordic literature at the Sorbonne
  Morgane studies Nordic languages and literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. She learned Norwegian while living in France and now travels frequently to Norway to further explore the culture. In this episode, she discusses her interest in the Nordic world and her inspiring life between Oslo and Paris.

• Kristine Begot: an author, three cultures
  Since 2020, Kristine Begot has published several novels. Her latest book, Å lime sammen knuste vaser (“To Glue Broken Vases Back Together”), is deeply influenced by the seven years she spent in France. In this episode, she shares her journey as a writer and explains how her writing style is inspired by three cultures and three languages: Norwegian, Polish, and French. According to her, becoming a writer is a bit like learning a foreign language: you must first master the basics before you can truly unlock your creativity.

• Oslo, de mémoire: Interview with Didier Blonde
  Didier Blonde is recognized in the French-speaking world for his work on memory, remembrance, and the mysteries of the past. He has published numerous popular works that blend fiction and personal narrative. His books are marked by a search for traces, an exploration of buried memories, and forgotten destinies. Among his most distinctive novels are Le nom des morts, Les fantômes du muet, Carnet d’adresses, and Leïlah Mahi 1932, the latter of which earned him the Prix Renaudot de l’essai in 2015. In his latest novel, Oslo, de mémoire (2024), he follows in the footsteps of Norwegian writer Cora Sandel. The reader embarks on a literary and intimate journey between Oslo and Paris, where the author revisits his own memories while exploring the deep connections between places and memory. In this episode, Didier Blonde discusses his unique style and explains the various parallels in the book: between Oslo and Paris, between the 1980s and today, between youth and adulthood.

• “A good translation requires cultural knowledge” – Interview with Laurent Cornic
  Laurent Cornic is a certified translator. Over the years, he has fallen in love with Norway in all its diversity – he is passionate about art, architecture, and culture. In this episode, he shares his professional view on the French and Norwegian languages and reveals some of his personal favorites in culture and lifestyle: from Oslo to Bergen, from Trondheim to Bjørvika, from Tromsø’s football fields to the capital’s music scene.

• Special 2-part episode: “Nordics from A to Ø” with the French-speaking Swedish podcast Stockholm Syndrome
  In this special episode, Fransk-norsk kafé and Stockholm Syndrome team up for a playful journey through Norway and Sweden… from A to Ø! The concept? One letter, one iconic word or expression from each country, and an attempt (sometimes successful!) to get the other team to guess it. Between culture, gastronomy, quirky traditions, and historical nods, we explore everything that makes the Nordic countries so unique. From kos to midsommar, from utepils to smörgåsbord, get ready for an offbeat and surprising A to Z. An episode full of laughter, learning, and the celebration of our small differences… and big similarities!

• Ina Therese Lindvik Nornes – a chef building bridges between Norway and France
  In this episode of Fransk-norsk kafé, Gilles is delighted to welcome Ina – a well-known, passionate, and inspiring chef who builds bridges between Norway and France through food. Trained in France, she has developed a unique perspective on French gastronomy, always marked by a strong Nordic signature. Many know her from the TV series Ina i Frankrike, and her role as “team mom” for the Norwegian national culinary team has made her a key figure in the culinary world. Today, we talk with Ina about food, identity, culture, and what it really means to cook between two worlds.

• Tristan Champion – author and committed dad in Norway
  Gilles welcomes a guest that many parents of young children – especially dads – will surely relate to. Tristan Champion is French, lives in Norway, and has published a funny and sincere comic book about being a stay-at-home dad in Norway. Perhaps you’ve also read his blog Barbapapa? In this episode, we talk about what it really means to be a French dad in Norway, about cultural differences, everyday parenting – and how humor and illustration can be used to deliver an important message. So grab a cup of coffee – this will be a great conversation!

As in the two previous seasons since February 2023, our podcast Fransk-norsk kafé offers an intimate and exclusive space for all those who help keep the Franco-Norwegian friendship alive.

Of course, a new season is on its way starting in August 2025, with even more exciting guests, personal and family stories – from France, Norway, and beyond!

Find Fransk-norsk kafé on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcast!

Any questions? Get in touch: