Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to you, this growing global community.

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.27.a - Beyond the Cliché: Fashion, Faith and Foundations

2. Feature: She Fled With Nothing. She Just Sold Everything.

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.27- French Worm-Holes Worth Falling Into - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 11.7.2026

Consider upgrading your subscription

1. She Fled With Nothing. She Just Sold Everything.

I need to tell you about something extraordinary that I found out about late last year. You know how sometimes a story grabs you and won’t let go? This is one of those.

On 11 December, a fashion auction closed in Paris.

Model and muse Farida Khelfa sold off her entire archive—200 pieces spanning 40 years, including 92 Alaïa pieces. Museums had been circling. Collectors were salivating. But here’s what made me sit up straight: she donated half the proceeds to the RIACE Fund, which helps refugees and unaccompanied minors.

Why does that matter? Because in 1976, at sixteen, Farida ran away from her traditional Muslim home in suburban Lyon and hitchhiked to Paris with absolutely nothing.

The place she fled? Les Minguettes in Vénissieux, which would become ground zero for France’s first large-scale suburban riots. It was the first place where cars were burned in protest in France. That neighbourhood launched the 1983 March for Equality and Against Racism, where over 100,000 people marched through Paris demanding dignity.

But by then, Farida was already on the runways.

Lightning Strikes

When Farida arrived in Paris, a fifteen-year-old named Christian Louboutin invited her to live with him and his mother. Yes, that Christian Louboutin. She fell in with the crowd at Le Palace—Paris’s answer to Studio 54—where she ran the door, deciding who was cool enough to enter.

One night, Jean Paul Gaultier met her. He later recalled: “It was as if a lightning bolt had struck us. Instant love.”

Here’s what kills me: Farida didn’t just model his clothes—she literally was the inspiration. Her style—ski pants with high heels, American Marines jackets, massive earrings—became Gaultier’s aesthetic. When he put her in his first show, he told her to walk like she was on the street. So she did. Chewing gum. Looking like the badass she was.

Gaultier described her as having “long, black curly hair, puffed up on top, like a banana, her relaxed gait and her Algerian heritage”—she reflected the new diversity in French fashion. One journalist wrote that she walked casually down the runway chewing gum, and it was audacious, shocking, utterly modern.

Years later, travelling with Gaultier to Japan for a show, she laughed, discovering every model had been made up to look like her.

That’s just the beginning of how a girl from Les Minguettes remade Paris fashion in her own image. The rest of this story, the years archiving Alaïa’s life’s work, the auction that closed in December, and what she chose to do with it, continues in the full essay.

Continue reading the full story →

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Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

2. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.27.a - Beyond the Cliché: Fashion, Faith and Foundations - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 11.7.2026

Consider upgrading your subscription

1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

a) Villa E-1027: Eileen Gray’s modernist masterpiece
by Suzanne Rietmeijer

Eileen Gray was a pioneer in the world of design and architecture, at a time when very few women were able to make their mark in either field.“

Long before the Second World War, she had already made a name for herself with her distinctive designs and furniture. But Gray was more than a designer. On the Côte d’Azur, she also created one of the most remarkable modernist houses of the twentieth century: Villa E-1027.

How did she manage to carve out such an exceptional place for herself? And what about Le Corbusier: did he play a part in her success, or is that a misunderstanding that has lingered for far too long?…” writes Suzanne Rietmeijer

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) French wine: Bourgogne et Beaujolais
by Eveline Chartier

The Bourgogne (aka Burgundy) and Beaujolais wine regions share a lot of history, although they have very different characters today. “

Discover the important elements that make them unique…”

Read the full story→

Leave a comment

c) The Rebel Who Became a Muse: How a Runaway from France’s Most Notorious Project Shaped Paris Fashion
by Judy MacMahon

I need to tell you about something extraordinary that I found out about late last year. You know how sometimes a story grabs you and won’t let go? This is one of those.”

On 11 December, a fashion auction closed in Paris. “

Model and muse Farida Khelfa sold off her entire archive—200 pieces spanning 40 years, including 92 Alaïa pieces. Museums had been circling. Collectors were salivating. But here’s what made me sit up straight: she donated half the proceeds to the RIACE Fund, which helps refugees and unaccompanied minors.”

Why does that matter? Because in 1976, at sixteen, Farida ran away from her traditional Muslim home in suburban Lyon and hitchhiked to Paris with absolutely nothing…”

Read the full essay→

Leave a comment

d) La Grande Mosquée de Paris: a delight to visit
by Jenn Bragg

“…If you know me, you know I love different cultures, especially when different cultures exist together. For this reason, I really love the Paris Mosque, one of the largest in France. It was built in the 1920s and is located in the 5th arrondissement. In other words, it’s on a nice piece of real estate near the famous Rue Mouffetard and Jardin des Plantes on the eastern side of the Left Bank.”

This is interesting to me because you’re taking something relatively new — in terms of construction as well as culturally to France back then — and putting it in the middle of a very old part of Paris. I love that…” writes Jenn Bragg

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

2. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

This week, I handed you four worm-holes and four wonderful guides.

• Suzanne Rietmeijer on Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027.

• Eveline Chartier on Bourgogne and Beaujolais. J

• Jenn Bragg inside the Grande Mosquée de Paris.

• And the full Farida Khelfa essay — a story I’ve been wanting to tell you for months.

I hope at least one of them pulled you somewhere unexpected.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week.

Which corner of France surprised you most this week?

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

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le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to you, this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.26.a - The Shelf That Talks Back

2. Feature: The People France Almost Let Disappear

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.26- - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 4.7.2026

1. The People France Almost Let Disappear

“Honestly? Something catches my attention, almost always sideways,” I told Robert, a Mighty Supporter, who’d asked me how on earth I find all these French Culture stories. “A photograph in a weekend paper. A magazine left in a train or in the back of a plane seat pocket. A sentence in something I was reading for a completely different reason.” And then I go digging, hoping to find a juicy story, and most of the time, honestly, it’s a dry gully. Nothing there. You climb back out and get on with your day.

I didn’t tell him the rest of it properly at the time, so I’m telling you instead.

Every so often, the gully isn’t dry. There’s a whole life down there, fully formed, and I cannot stop until I’ve hauled the entire thing up into the light.

Sixteen years of doing this, and somehow, without ever sitting down and planning it, the collection has just grown. Room by room. Person by person. New bits appear that I didn’t design, and then I have to go back and work out where they actually belong, which, if I’m honest, is most of what I was doing this week.

Sorting. Filing. The unglamorous bit nobody sees. Moving a misplaced essay here, writing a tidy little description there.

And then, completely out of nowhere, while doing absolutely none of the fun part, I noticed something.

This has happened before, actually, now that I think about it properly. Not often. But every so often, while I’m sorting rather than searching, a thread just appears between pieces I wrote months apart, sometimes years apart, with zero intention of them ever sitting next to each other. And this week it happened again, and I got that little fizz you get when something clicks that you weren’t even looking for.

It started with a jeweller. Jeanne Toussaint, whom I’d written about only recently, so there she was already sitting right at the front of my mind. She ran the house of Cartier for fifty years. Never signed a single piece she made, not one, which still gets me every time I think about it. In 1940, Paris was occupied, the man she’d loved had gone into exile and was not coming back, and she put a brooch in the shop window on the rue de la Paix. A small bird, trapped behind golden bars, in the colours of France. The Germans noticed, obviously they noticed, and she talked her way out of it somehow. And then, four years later, the day Paris was liberated, she put a second brooch in that exact same window. Same bird. Cage door open this time. Singing.

I think about that window more than almost anything else I’ve written all year. Honestly. Fifty years shaping one of the great luxury houses on earth, and most people who’d happily buy into her taste today have never once heard her name.

So there’s that one, sitting on the shelf. And right beside it, written ages before, completely unconnected at the time, is Sophie Germain.

She had to become a man on paper just to study mathematics. Wrote under a man’s name, Antoine Le Blanc, won a prize from the Academy of Sciences in 1816, work that decades later helped hold up a tower nobody thought could possibly stand. And when Gustave Eiffel put seventy-two names up in gold letters around the first floor, the scientists who’d actually made the thing possible, not one of them was a woman. Not one. She got a nickname instead. L’oubliée. The forgotten one.

It took a hundred and ninety-five years, it took to fix that. A hundred and ninety-five. I keep doing the maths over and over because I genuinely cannot make sense of it. Seventy-two women have finally joined the men this year.

And there it was. Two essays, written months apart, never meant to go anywhere near each other, just sitting there on the same shelf holding the exact same shape.

I’ll tell you where it went next, but properly, because honestly, the next one is the essay that made me sit completely still when I first wrote it, let alone rediscovered it this week, tidying shelves…

Upgrade to become an Annual Subscriber or Mighty Supporter →

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Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

2. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.26.a - The Shelf That Talks Back - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 4.7.2026

1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

a) Memories Here and Back There
by Mark Jespersen

Like most folks newly arrived on the scene in France, we were overwhelmed yet excited. Most mornings, we would enjoy breakfast around our old kitchen table, talking about and trying to make sense of our new life, how to fit in and not stand out too much, drive safely to a destination, or just order lunch. This went on for about five years.”

We were rolling along nicely in France, in our old Renault Twingo, living the dream, as many of our friends reminded us. And they were right, especially if you could overlook the bureaucratic challenges.”

Grasping the fundamentals of the French enjoyment of life, la joie de vivre, was something that took a bit longer to understand and to admire…” writes Mark Jespersen.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) Lesser-Known French Cultural Experiences
by Shelby Chambers

I was sitting on a sofa at my co-working space the other day, half working, half annoyed at someone loudly taking a call in the common area (why do y’all do that?), when I myself got a call from an unknown number. In the past, I never answered these because they meant I was due to have a humbling phone conversation in French with a telemarketer or Amazon delivery guy. But now that I have a child and all, I can’t ignore the unknown number calls in case that child has a fever or fell off of something or other. So I answered it.”

It was worse than a call from the daycare nurse: it was the Prefecture de Police calling about my citizenship request.”

The woman on the other end of the phone verified…” wrote Shelby Chambers.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) The Man Who Carried Man Ray Up the Stairs
by Judy MacMahon

The suburb is called Pantin. You won’t find it in most travel guides. It sits just outside the périphérique, northeast of Paris, in that particular zone of France that has a canal, a car park, and light industrial units that, on closer inspection, turn out to house the silk atelier of Hermès and the headquarters of Chanel.”

France does this. It puts its most extraordinary things in unremarkable places and waits to see who notices. It has been doing this for centuries. The patience is almost a provocation.”

I found out about Pantin the way I find out about a lot of things, (if you read my work regularly you’ll know what I’m about to say): a magazine, left in the pocket of an aeroplane seat, my sort of magazine, and a feature about two people in their eighties still working, still weaving — literally weaving — tapestries by hand in a business park northeast of Paris.”

Eight hundred tapestries over fifty years. Man Ray. Basquiat. Steel threads woven into wool…”

Read the full essay→

Leave a comment

d) Rue des Francs-Bourgeois: Grandeur and Generosity in the Marais
by Pierre Guernier

In the Marais, history hides behind window displays and museum doors. The sign Rue des Francs-Bourgeois might seem ordinary, yet it tells of charity, nobility, and revolution. Between the hôtel particuliers and trendy boutiques, the street still balances its two souls — grandeur and generosity.”

At the heart of the Marais, Rue des Francs-Bourgeois feels like…”, writes Pierre Guernier.

Read the full article→

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2. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

This week, four writers take you somewhere France doesn’t always put in the brochure. Mark finds his footing slowly, in a Renault Twingo, over five years. Shelby answers a call she almost didn’t pick up. Pierre listens to what a street in the Marais is actually saying. And in a business park in Pantin, two people in their eighties are still weaving, still taking the next commission, still there.

That’s the France we’re here for - it is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

If you haven’t yet read the PAID edition this week, it’s worth it (it drops about 16 hours after this FREE one) — They are different! - I went somewhere unexpected while sorting my own work, and I don’t think I’ll forget what I found there.

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

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Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to you, this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.25.a - What France Keeps in the Cold

2. Feature: The Refrigerator in Versailles

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.25- The France That Doesn’t Make the Brochure - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 27.6.2026

1. The Refrigerator in Versailles

So there’s this refrigerator in Versailles. The temperature was held at exactly 12 degrees. And inside it, something that shouldn’t exist anymore: Chanel No 5 as it actually smelled in 1921.

Not the version in duty-free. Not even close. The real thing—Ernest Beaux’s original formula, reconstructed ingredient by ingredient, molecule by molecule. It sits there alongside nearly 6,000 other perfumes at a place called the Osmothèque, which is essentially a library for smells.

Last year, an original 1921 bottle of No. 5 sold for $72,000. The collectors weren’t buying it for what was inside—time had murdered those last drops. They wanted the object itself, the history. Because perfume doesn’t age like wine, mon ami. It just dies.

Which is precisely why the Osmothèque exists.

Un Musée Que l’On Peut Sentir

Picture yourself in central Versailles, not far from the château, holding a small strip of paper. You’ve just dabbed it with Napoleon’s personal cologne—the one he wore on Saint Helena during his final exile. Lemon, bergamot, neroli. Surprisingly fresh for a man in such dire circumstances.

The formula comes from notes left by his valet, Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis. The perfumers at the Osmothèque hunted down every ingredient to recreate it exactly as it would have been mixed in 1815.

Now try this one: Le Parfum Royale, reconstructed from a formula that Pliny the Elder recorded in the 1st century. Yes, that Pliny—the one who died watching Vesuvius erupt. You’re literally smelling ancient Rome.

This is what the Osmothèque does. It makes history breathable.

The archive opened in 1990, founded by legendary perfumers Jean Kerléo, Guy Robert, and Jean-Claude Ellena.[1] Last September, it moved into expanded premises to house a collection that keeps growing—around 1,000 “lost” perfumes reconstructed, fragrances everyone assumed had vanished forever.

Thomas Fontaine, the current president and perfumer, moves between these temperature-controlled refrigerators with the care of someone handling something irreplaceable. Which, of course, he is. These bottles aren’t meant to be sold or worn. They’re meant to be remembered. Studied. Understood as the œuvres d’art they are.

Except here’s the maddening thing: French law doesn’t recognise perfume as art.

The rest of this essay explores the strange legal paradox at the heart of French perfume:

Here I’ve explored how one of France’s greatest art forms became classified as cosmetics, what regulations were erased from historic fragrances, and why the Osmothèque may be fighting for the survival of perfume itself.

→ Consider upgrading to continue reading The Immortality Factory
OR
→ Read on if you’re already a paid subscriber.

Consider upgrading

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

2. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.25.a - What France Keeps in the Cold - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 27.6.2026

1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

a) Belle Epoque treats in Moulins, Allier
by Betty Carlson

Moulins, Allier, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, is a slightly sleepy préfecture that doesn’t see a lot of tourists.

However, it reveals fascinating vestiges of a showy Belle Epoque past.

A truly grand Grand Café

Considered one of the most beautiful cafés in France, Le Grand Café was built in 1899. Coco Chanel, who lived and worked in Moulins from 1900 to 1906, was a confirmed regular customer.…” writes Betty Carlson

Read the full story here→

Leave a comment

b) Sequana: The Forgotten Goddess of the Seine
by Patricia Russo

Inspiration

Every river has a soul. Every soul remembers the source.

Before the Seine was lined with stone, she moved freely. Before Paris rose from her banks, there was a woman, a goddess, whose name is nearly lost to time.

Her name was Sequana.

And if you listen closely, beneath the sounds of traffic and tide, you can still hear her - and maybe even feel her too. I’ve been curious about this legend and the source of the Seine for many years; I’m sharing my findings with you in today’s post…” writes Patricia Russo

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) I Didn’t Leave the Stage. I Just Changed Venues.
by Jenny Becker

The life still looked right. The script just wasn’t mine anymore.

There was nothing obviously wrong with my life in Seattle.

That was part of the problem.

From the outside, it looked like a well-run production. Lights on. Cues hit. Lines delivered on time. I knew where to stand, what to say, how to move through a room without knocking over anything expensive or emotional.

I had systems. Structure. A calendar that could have qualified as a minor military operation.

I was efficient in a way that made people say things like, “Wow, you really have it together,” which is both a compliment and, in hindsight, a quiet warning.

Because I did have it together.

I just wasn’t entirely sure why…” writes Jenny Becker

Read the full article→

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d) American Library in Paris: Interview, Executive Director — Kristina Vér Foley
by Elisabeth Sauvage Callaghan

Even though I was born and raised in France and lived there until I was 23 years old, and returned to my native country many times after I had moved to the USA permanently in 1975, I was never aware of the existence of the American Library in Paris until four years ago or so. “

A great friend of mine, Claudette Boudreaux, told me about a novel that she had just read and loved. This book, The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, was “based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II.” This story, which was featured recently in MyFrenchLife™ – MaVieFrançaise® in an article titled “The Woman Who Stayed” – that woman being Dorothy Reeder, the American Library in Paris Director during WWII, who “kept it open, ran an underground book network to Jewish readers banned from entering,” and returned to America “without making a fuss” when the war was over…” writes Elisabeth Sauvage-Callaghan.

Read the full article→

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2. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

I noticed it only after reading all three pieces together. Betty, Patricia, Jenny — and threading through their stories, quietly.

I noticed the other women: Coco Chanel in her Moulins years, still Gabrielle Chanel, singing in a grand café before she became a legend. Sequana, a goddess whose name the Seine still carries, even if we forgot to say it aloud. And these wonderfule female contributors: Betty, Patricia, and Elisabeth, with her wonderful interview about ALP and Jenny, watching her own well-ordered life from a slight distance and asking the question that changes everything: but is this mine?

France has always been good at that. Giving women a place to become something. Or to remember something. Or to find the name for what was already there.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

Please consider upgrading

Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Share

Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.24.a - The Secret Keepers

2. Feature: Fifty Years, Eight Hundred Tapestries, One Staircase

3. Introducing new Contributor: Elisabeth Perotin

4. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

5. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.24 - A Gateway to Another Century - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 20.6.2026

1. Fifty Years, Eight Hundred Tapestries, One Staircase

A story about what France hides in plain sight — and why it's always worth looking closer.

The suburb is called Pantin. You won’t find it in most travel guides. It sits just outside the périphérique, northeast of Paris, in that particular zone of France with a canal, a car park, and light industrial units that, on closer inspection, house the silk atelier of Hermès and the headquarters of Chanel.

France does this. It puts its most extraordinary things in unremarkable places and waits to see who notices. It has been doing this for centuries. The patience is almost a provocation.

I found out about Pantin the way I find out about a lot of things: a magazine, left in the pocket of an aeroplane seat, my sort of magazine, and a feature about two people in their eighties still working, still weaving — literally weaving — tapestries by hand in a business park northeast of Paris.

Eight hundred tapestries over fifty years. Man Ray. Basquiat. Steel threads woven into wool.

I kept turning the pages back, re-reading. The world was larger than I’d thought. And France, as usual, had been keeping secrets. [Ha! How often do I say that?]

Frédérique Bachellerie and Péter Schönwald founded Atelier 3 in 1972. She is eighty-three. He is eighty-two. They are still taking commissions.

What they do — and the distinction matters more than it might first seem — isn’t really reproduction. It is interpretation. At Atelier 3, the weaver works from the front of the loom, watching the piece develop in real time. This is not the Gobelins method. At that great state manufactory in the 13th arrondissement, weavers have worked from the reverse of the fabric, executing numbered cartoons, for four hundred years. The outcome is decided before the first thread is laid. At Atelier 3, the weaver brings herself to the work the way a musician brings herself to a score — never playing it exactly the same way twice, the piece alive in the making of it.

Bachellerie and Schönwald rejected the reverse-loom tradition. Quietly, without a manifesto, in a business park in Pantin.

Their stories are as unlikely as their work. Bachellerie was born in France, raised in Hungary during the Communist era, and went to Chile in 1961 to study textiles at the School of Applied Arts in Santiago. South American folklore entered her bones and never left. She returned to Hungary with a diploma nobody recognised, made her way eventually to Paris, and kept pushing at the edges of a medium the art world had largely decided was finished. Schönwald arrived in Paris from Budapest, worked as a TV producer, as a bookseller, and had yet to weave a single thread when they met. He learned. They founded the studio together.

Then, in 1973 — one year after they opened — a nearby gallery was showing a lithographic series by Man Ray. The Revolving Doors: geometric coloured collages he had begun in 1919, formal and strange and full of interior logic. Bachellerie persuaded the gallery owner, Françoise Tournier, to let them interpret one. To echo Man Ray’s black pencil, they wove steel threads into wool. Tournier loved it and commissioned nine more.

Then she brought the artist himself to see them.

Man Ray was eighty-three. He couldn’t climb the stairs to the studio, so Schönwald — thirty years old, the bookseller turned weaver — carried him up.

At the top, Man Ray looked at the spinning wheels and said they reminded him of Marcel Duchamp. Then he was quiet for a moment.

“It’s a shame I’m this age,” he said. “We could do some very fun things. We could do some very fun things together.”

He died not long after.

The complete Revolving Doors series — all ten tapestries — was shown recently at Boccara Gallery in New York. Its first presentation in the United States. Fifty-two years after a thirty-year-old carried their maker up a flight of stairs.

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Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

2. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.24.a - The Secret Keepers - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 20.6.2026

1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

Introducing new Contributor, Elisabeth Perotin

Born and raised in Reims, the historic home of Champagne, I have always been deeply rooted in French culture, while also keeping a close eye on the English-speaking world. With part of my American family living in New Mexico, I have forged a unique and precious connection with the United States. This has taught me to see France from two perspectives: that of a local and that of a traveler.”

As a professional photographer, my camera is my greatest storyteller. It is this deep love for my country and my endless fascination with the secret, poetic corners of Paris that inspired me to create my website frenchglimpses.com, and later my Substack newsletter, where my photos illustrate every stroll and every recipe.”

This creative journey has culminated in a dream project: my book, “A Sweet Trip to Paris,” to be published in December in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia by Murdoch Books.”

I am absolutely delighted to share these glimpses of the French art of living with the MyFrenchLife community.”

Elisabeth

→ Please help me introduce Elisabeth as a new member of our amazing Contributor team and enjoy reading her wonderful first article→

Leave a comment

a) Anchored Silence: A Morning in Paris’s Oldest Secret Garden
by Elisabeth Perotin

Paris has a way of concealing its most precious treasures from view. “

To find the Passage de l’Ancre, you have to leave the bustle of the Rue de Turbigo and look for a discreet, narrow opening. To the casual passerby, it’s invisible. But for those who know how to stroll, it’s a gateway to another century.”

When I push open the gate, the clamor of the 3rd arrondissement vanishes, replaced by a sudden and striking silence. The Passage de l’Ancre is often cited as one of the oldest passages in the city, but to me, it feels more like a private alley in a forgotten village. My photographer’s eye is immediately drawn to the light—even on a gray morning, the shopfronts that line this passage with their shimmering colors seem to hold a soft, inner glow…” writes Elisabeth Perotin”

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) What We Pass Along
by Laura L. Barkat

If our own writing doesn’t move us, why do we write?”

Yesterday, I shoveled snow again, days after the snow.”

But not for my property.”

The night before, I’d come home from picking up my daughter from work, and I stepped onto my sidewalk only to see a woman shoveling snow directly onto it. She apparently kept the shovel in her SUV for moments just like this one, to shovel snow anywhere, to help make space for her vehicle.”

As I rounded my hedge to come upon this scene, I asked her if she was going to clean the snow off the sidewalk. “Because this isn’t nice,” I said…” writes Laura.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) Why the French Don’t Work for the Look Americans Pay For
by Kamille Longstreet

Americans love to believe the French have some secret formula for beauty. The perfect, undone bun. The smudgy eyeliner that somehow looks intentional. The shutters painted in just the right shade of faded sage green. We copy it, bottle it, and sell it back to ourselves as lifestyle products. Shabby chic furniture. French girl makeup routines. Instagram corners styled to look like they’ve been left alone for a century.”

The punchline is that in France, it really was effortless. Just not in the way we mean when we say that word…” writes Kamille Longstreet

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

d) The Woman Who Made Cartier — and Never Signed Her Name
by Judy MacMahon

She shaped one of the greatest luxury houses on earth for fifty years, defied Nazi occupation with a brooch in a shop window on the rue de la Paix, and made the panther immortal. Jeanne Toussaint never signed a single thing she created. France has a long and complicated relationship with that particular kind of woman…”

Read the full essay→

2. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

Welcoming a new contributor is always one of the quiet pleasures of this work — and this week I'm particularly delighted to introduce Elisabeth Perotin, a photographer from Reims who writes the way she shoots: looking for light in overlooked corners.
→Her first piece takes you somewhere it’s too easy to take for granted.
→Then Kamille Longstreet puts to rest a myth we've all been sold about French effortlessness.
→And Laura Barkat asks the question every writer needs to sit with.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

I loved putting this edition together.

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

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Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

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Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

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Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.23.a - Permission Not Required

2. Feature: the woman who Put a Caged Bird in a Jeweller’s Window

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.23 - France with Zombies - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 13.6.2026

1. The Woman Who Put a Caged Bird in a Jeweller’s Window

How Jeanne Toussaint spent fifty years making jewels for women who refused to ask permission

I came to this story sideways; yes, I know it’s the way I come to most of the ones that end up mattering to me, and you would have noticed that I’m sure.

It was a Saturday morning, and I was reading the weekend papers, the kind of slow reading you do when you’re not really looking for anything, and there was a photograph of a woman laughing. Not smiling for a camera. Actually laughing, head thrown back, pearls catching the light, absolutely unselfconscious. The caption said she was Jeanne Toussaint, photographed by Cecil Beaton in 1962. She was in her mid-seventies. She looked like someone who had never once in her life waited for permission to feel joy.

I put the paper down and thought: “Who is she?” Would you have known?

She was, it turns out, the woman behind nearly everything you think of when you think of Cartier.

Not Louis Cartier. Not the three brothers whose family legend has been so brilliantly excavated by Francesca Cartier Brickell in The Cartiers, the book that finally told the untold story. Not the maharajas or the Hollywood stars or the Duchess of Windsor dripping in jewels on every available occasion.

Jeanne Toussaint.

Belgian-born, Paris-made, officially titled Director of Fine Jewellery at Cartier Paris from 1933.

Unofficially titled something far better: La Panthère.

Louis Cartier gave her the nickname. He said she had what he could never have: the eye of a woman. He was her lover for years, could not marry her because her background was considered unsuitable by his family, and ended the affair in 1918.

She stayed at Cartier anyway.

She stayed for fifty years.

Think about that for just a minute longer.

The man she loved married someone else. She remained, and she shaped the house into something the world had never seen, and she never signed a single thing she made.

To read the full piece, you’ll need to be an Annual subscriber or a Mighty Supporter. If France understood deeply is what you come here for, PAID subscriptions are yours for the asking, well, actually for the taking.

Here it is: https://www.myfrenchlife.org/p/jeanne-toussaint-cartier-artistic-director-panther

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Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

2. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.23.a - Permission Not Required - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 13.6.2026

1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

a) Discovering Paris’ Hidden Theaters—Zombies and all
by Elizabeth Joubert

If you’d asked me a couple of weeks ago, I’d have told you I didn’t want zombie attacks in my entertainment. The cultural obsession with vampires, wizards, and monsters that dominated the last two decades just didn’t do it for me. “

Until it did.”

The zombies got me not via a megabestselling franchise, but through a small production in a black box theater in Paris. It was unfamiliar territory for me; perhaps I was vulnerable.”

Paris has 130 playhouses*, and until last week, I’d only been to one…” wrote Elizabeth Joubert.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) Seasons in the Southwest: Early Summer
by Valerie Riviera

Sitting in our dining room with the balcony door open to the early summer air, I can see straight across the river to La Plage. The old cowbell clangs. Another dish is up. Our local guinguette — one of the festive riverside restaurants that appear along the Dordogne each summer like a seasonal promise — is just coming back to life. The plane trees have fully leafed out now, thick and generous, and whatever wisps of buildings you could see have disappeared behind them.”

I have a personal goal of trying…” wrote Valerie Riviera.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) A Great American Painter in Paris
by Jenn Bragg

Once in a while, in doing my research, I discover that some well-known Americans traveled to Paris during my favorite period, between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Recently, I learned that one of my favorite American artists, Edward Hopper, was one of them.”

If you haven’t heard of Edward Hopper, he was a Realist painter most known for ‘Nighthawks’, which shows a couple of lonely souls sitting in a late-night diner. He produced it in 1942 when he was around 60 years old.” wrote Jenn Bragg

Read the full article→

.

Leave a comment

d) The Woman Who Never Signed Her Name
by Judy MacMahon

She put a caged bird in a Paris shop window to defy the occupation. She made the panther immortal. She never once signed her name. Who was this woman? I’d heard of her, of course, but I didnt know the depth of her story.

Consider upgrading

2. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

What a surprising, alive edition this has been.

Elizabeth Joubert walked into a black box theatre not expecting much, and came out converted. Zombies did it. I love that. The best France stories are always the ones where you didn’t see the door before you walked through it.

Valerie Riviera sat at her dining room table with the balcony door open and described a guinguette coming back to life on the Dordogne. The cowbell, the plane trees leafing out, the river just there. I read it twice.

And Jenn Bragg reminded me that Edward Hopper went to Paris four times before he became Edward Hopper. That the painter of American loneliness learned something essential in the city that taught everyone. I hadn’t known that. Now I can’t unknow it.

Thank you, Elizabeth, Valerie, and Jenn, for bringing your France to us this week.

And if you’ve ever wondered what sits behind the paywall for Annual subscribers and Mighty Supporters — this week it’s Jeanne Toussaint, the woman who shaped Cartier for fifty years and never signed a thing she made. She alone is worth the upgrade.

Thank you, dear readers, for being here, for reading with such care, and for being part of this wonderful global community of francophiles. It means more than you know.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

Please consider upgrading

Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Share

Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.22.a - The Light Changed Everything

2. Feature: Alone Together in Paris

3. Introducing new Contributor: Suzanne Rietmeijer

4. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

5. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.22 - They Came, They Stayed, They Wrote- here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 6.6.2026

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors

2. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.

3. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.22.a - The Light Changed Everything - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 6.6.2026

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors - check out these profiles

2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles

Introducing new Contributor, Suzanne Rietmeijer

My name is Suzanne Rietmeijer, a Dutch writer who swapped Amsterdam for Paris over ten years ago. Growing up, I spent all my holidays in the Var, in the South of France, but the dream of moving here came much later.“

I have a master’s degree in history, and in the end it was French history that got me hooked. Okay, in all honesty, it was French history, food and wine.“

By day, I’m editor-in-chief of the Dutch glossy magazine Côte & Provence, covering, you guessed it, the Côte d’Azur and Provence. I write about French culture, food, art and history. In addition I write my Substack: Baguette Gazette.”

When I’m not on the Parisian Rive Droite, you’ll find me with my dog in an old cabin I’m renovating in the mountains behind Nice.” writes Suzanne as she introduces herself.

Please help me introduce Suzanne as a new member of our Contributor team and enjoy reading her wonderful first article→

Leave a comment

a) Matisse’s new lease on life, 1941-1954
by Suzanne Rietmeijer

Matisse, Chagall, Renoir, Picasso: just a few of the many celebrated artists who settled in the South of France for a time, and whose museums you can still visit in Nice, Cagnes and Antibes. I love visiting them, but if you’re used to the grand exhibitions of Paris, the South of France does require a slight adjustment. It happens, for instance, that the handful of star works are all out on loan, and you’ve turned up for what feels like very little. Then again, not for nothing exactly, because half the pleasure is in soaking up the atmosphere, and to catch a glimpse of what these artists once found in the light, the landscape and that unhurried rhythm of life.”

The exhibition at the Grand Palais covers the years 1941 to 1954, a period Matisse spent entirely on the Côte d’Azur. So as I wander past his works inside the beautifully restored Grand Palais…” writes Suazanne Rietmeijer.

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) Paris Parenting Pros and Cons and Cons
by Shelby Chambers

Is it hard raising a child in Paris? Yes! Is it also wonderful, interesting, and beautiful? Yes!”

I had an idea I’d been meaning to write about for several weeks now. I thought this week was going to be the week; all signs pointed to it being the week. Only one consulting project due. No meaningful rain in the forecast. Fridge was stocked, so I couldn’t use “errands” as an excuse. It was going to be a very productive writing week.”

But I have this child, you see. He’s 21-ish months, a number that only means something if you also have a child, otherwise it’s just annoying to read/hear. Okay, okay, he’s one-and-a-half. And that kinda baby/kinda toddler loves a virus, he can’t get enough of them. And any time I have ambitious plans like “work” or “wash my hair,” he gets sick…”

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) French Wine: Les Bulles aka French Bubbles
by Eveline Chartier

1/4 - A series about French Wine. Each of the four articles comprises ~ 3 other articles. This first one is about French bubbles in which you can immerse yourselves

LES BULLES aka FRENCH BUBBLES!

French bubbly wines have not always been as we know them today, but they are very much an appreciated part of what makes France, France. Read about how to enjoy sparkling wines as well as their different styles.

• Why Bubbles Matter – Les bulles sont importantes!

  • Learn the tricks of the trade – by respecting the bubbles! The key to enjoying sparkling wines is preserving their bubbles, from cold bottles to seal tops. Contrary to the belief that a bottle must be finished once opened, sparkling wines can be kept for several days! Here are some rules to live by!

• Champagne – Truly Special

  • Dive into the history of Champagne, touching on its early mishaps and the breakthrough discoveries that shaped its production and developed its distinctive styles. The Champagne region grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grapes, each contributing to unique flavors and characteristics. Explore this iconic sparkling wine!

• Crémant de Bourgogne

  • In past articles, I have been less than kind to Prosecco. I’m extending an olive branch to Prosecco fans by exploring a traditional method sparkling wine that could appeal to Prosecco lovers too. Medium-dry traditional method sparklings pair perfectly with seafood dishes like crab cakes and tempura shrimp with a spicy sauce. Dive into this sparkling experience!…

Read the full article → a real immersion in French bubbles.

Leave a comment

3. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

New contributor Suzanne Rietmeijer joins us from Paris — by way of Amsterdam and a mountain cabin behind Nice. Shelby Chambers reports from the coalface of Paris parenting. And Eveline Chartier begins a wine series that may cost you money.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

Please consider upgrading

Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Share

Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.21.a - France as It Contradicts, France as It Moves Us

2. Feature: Every Country Is a Hypocrite. France Is Just Honest About It.

3. We honour wonderful woman, Contributor and friend: Suzanne Vidal Grosso

4. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

5. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.21 - France as it Happens: New Arrivals, Fond Farewells, Fresh Stories - here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 30.5.2026

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors

2. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,

3. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.21.a - France as It Contradicts, France as It Moves Us- It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 30.5.2026

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors - check out these profiles

Profile #6 - Pamela Clapp

• To Find THE LIST of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine CONTRIBUTORS:
  [https://myfrenchlife.org/p/contributors-myfrenchlife-zine ]

• TO FIND Pamela’s WORK:
  [https://www.myfrenchlife.org/t/pamela-clapp ]

  

Pamela in MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: Can be found here
CONNECT WITH PAMELA CLAPP - With Love from Paris→

2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: new articles

In Memorium: Suzanne Vidal Grosso

It is with deep sadness that I share news of the passing of beloved writer, photographer, beautiful person, and Contributor to MyFrenchLife™️ - MaVieFrancaise®, Suzanne Grosso Vidal.

There are some people whose presence lingers long after the conversation ends — warm, curious, generous souls, often with ever-present smiles, who make the world feel both larger and more intimate at the same time. Suzanne Grosso Vidal was one of those rare people.

Through her writing and photography, Suzanne invited us into her life in the South of France with honesty, humour, and deep humanity. She had a gift for noticing beauty in ordinary moments — a café conversation, a village street, the cadence of another language — and for reminding us that life is richest when lived with openness, wonder, and even more so when with friends and family.

What was evident was Suzanne herself: thoughtful, funny, warm-hearted, and deeply alive to the world around her. Whether writing about France, culture, family, or the small absurdities of daily life, she made readers feel like friends sitting across the table from her or walking beside her.

• On France, after 30 years, Suzanne said: “Living in France is like living in a museum. No matter where you go, there is a story to tell.”

• On identity: “I think I’m not serious enough to be French.”

She wrote that living abroad had “allowed me to grow,” and in sharing her reflections so generously, she helped many others grow too.

Suzanne will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

«Avec tout mon respect et ma profonde gratitude, Suzanne»
Judy MacMahon

Introducing new Contributor, Debra Fioritto

I’m a travel and food writer with a long-running love affair with France. “

On my Substack, A Love Affair with France, I share what I find on the ground — the wine villages and market towns, the family-run bistros, the conversations with vintners and shopkeepers that change how you see a place. “

I’m drawn to the slow pleasures of returning somewhere often enough to know it well, and to the small, ordinary moments that make a region feel like itself. I write for readers who want to discover France alongside me — and I’d love to have you along.”

Debra

Please help me introduce Debra as a new Contributor team member and enjoy reading her wonderful first article→

a) A Love Affair with Bandol
by Debra Fioritto — A Love Affair with France

You come for the wine. You come back for the place. One perfect day in France’s most quietly addictive appellation

The road up to Château Pibarnon is one lane wide and climbs through the hills above the Mediterranean. “

The first time you drive it, you worry about meeting someone coming down. We did, about halfway up — a truck came around a bend and managed to pull just enough off the road that we could squeeze past on our way to the top. The gate at the summit was open. We pulled in alongside a long golden-stone mas and got out. Lemon trees framed the door to the tasting room, the fruit heavy enough to pick. But before going in, we walked to the edge of the ridge because below us the restanques — the dry-stone terraces — fell away in the shape of a bowl, ringed in green, with a glimpse of the sea gleaming past the lip. “

It’s the kind of view that makes you forget why you came...”, writes Debra Fioritto

Read the full article→

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b) Temple of the Imagined
by Patricia Russo

A Visit to the Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris

There are places in Paris where time doesn’t exist, where a staircase becomes a spiral of the soul, where the walls don’t just hold paintings, they hold visions. Today’s post is about one of my very favorite places in Paris. The Musée Gustave Moreau is not just a museum; it’s a reliquary of dreams.

The Hidden Chapel of Symbolism

Tucked away in the 9th arrondissement, on a quiet street of understated façades, is the former home and studio of Gustave Moreau (1826–1898), the French Symbolist painter who believed…” writes Patricia Russo.

Read the full article→

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c) A glass, a chair, a parking space – the city that lives outdoors
by Marie Gundersen

19 years ago, I visited Paris for the first time. A trip that was going to change my life – I just didn’t know it yet. The beauty swept me off my feet: the monuments, the parks, the architecture. But what made an even stronger impression were the terraces. I remember walking up the stairs from a metro station, seeing the lights and all the people talking, reading, and eating. That scene has stayed with me. Since then, I’ve spent hundreds of hours at Parisian terraces, and now, it feels like coming home.”

Speaking of homes, Paris is a city of small apartments, many of them without balconies. The street is where life happens. Local authorities have long understood this, and consistently worked to accommodate it. A recent example is their decision to grant thousands of businesses a temporary permit for additional outdoor seating…” writes Marie Gundersen.

Read the full article →

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d) She Chose Life
by Judy MacMahon

Monique Lévi-Strauss turned 100 this year. You probably know the name. I suggest that you don’t know the woman.

It was a Thursday in 1950, at the Musée de l’Homme. Lunch was ending. Claude Lévi-Strauss — anthropologist, rising star of French intellectual life, the man who would go on to reshape how the world thought about myth and kinship and the structures hidden inside everything — turned to his trilingual translator and asked: Vous êtes libre à déjeuner jeudi prochain? [Are you free for lunch next Thursday?]”

She said yes.”

Et tous les autres jeudis? [And all other Thursdays]…”

Read the full article→

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e) Why Does France Feel So Paradoxical? (Spoiler: It’s Not Just France)
by Judy MacMahon

Every country contradicts itself. France philosophises about it, America ignores it, Australia jokes about it. Guess which approach makes you seem most hypocritical?

I need to admit something. I love paradoxes. Always have.”

This particular one goes back quite a few years. I was on my way to a function, running a little late, not entirely sure of the address. I was walking with a younger French friend — we always covered a myriad of topics when we were together, and even rushing, the conversation never became superficial. That was simply how it was with her.”

At that moment, she turned to me and explained, with complete sincerity, that France is the most egalitarian country in Europe. We were standing outside Sciences Po at the time, watching students who’d been groomed for elite education since they were twelve years old file past in their tastefully expensive casual wear…”

Read the full article→

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3. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

A new voice joins us. A beloved one is carried forward. And three writers remind us why we come here — for the ridge above the sea, the staircase that holds visions, the terrace where Paris comes alive. This is France, witnessed.

And that, perhaps, is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

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Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.20.a - Three Generations, 40,000 Bistros, One Curtain That Wouldn’t Close

2. Feature: The Table That Holds France Together

3. The Writers’ Room spotlight #14 - [MyFrenchLife Magazine Contributor Profiles, where you’ll learn more about our contributors than others know!]

4. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles from across France.

5. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.19- What France Does to People Who Weren’t Looking→here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 23.5.2026

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors

2. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,

3. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.20.a - Three Generations, 40,000 Bistros, One Curtain That Wouldn’t Close - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 23.5.2026

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors - check out these profiles

Profile #5 - Keith Van Sickle

• To Find THE LIST of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine CONTRIBUTORS:
  [https://myfrenchlife.org/p/contributors-myfrenchlife-zine ]

• TO FIND Keith Van Sickles’ WORK:
  [https://www.myfrenchlife.org/t/keith-van-sickle ]

Keith in MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: Can be found here
CONNECT WITH KEITH VAN SICKLE - keithvansickle.com→

2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: new articles

Introducing New Contributor, Jenny Becker

I’m a former business owner from Seattle who now lives in rural France in a 17th-century stone house in the Dordogne, where everyday life has a way of becoming a story whether I intend it to or not. What started as a leap into a completely different life slowly became a fascination with the rhythms of village life, French culture, food, markets, misunderstandings, bureaucracy, and the wonderfully strange moments that happen when you try to build a life in another country.

I write about the small collisions between expectation and reality usually involving food, language, rural customs, or situations that go slightly off the rails. My stories often begin with something ordinary and end somewhere I absolutely did not expect.

Most days involve writing, renovating, wandering through markets, attempting to understand France, and being outwitted by both bureaucracy and vegetables.

Here you’ll find Jenny’s Substack: A French Table 1—>

Please help me welcome Jenny to our talented Contributor team, writing from rural France.

Below you’ll find Jenny’s first article published in our magazine→

a) I Went to Buy a Dress in Bordeaux
by Jenny Becker - A French Table 1

THE DRESSING ROOM INCIDENT

The zipper stops halfway up my back, and I immediately blame France.”

Not the country. The lighting.”

The dressing room at Galeries Lafayette is aggressively bright, the kind of brightness that makes you aware of cartilage. The curtain refuses to close all the way, which is how I end up stepping backward into Cabin 8 and discovering a man in gray boxer briefs holding a pale blue shirt like we’ve both been assigned the wrong scene.”

We freeze.”

The mirrors multiply us into an exhibit called Poor Timing…” writes Jenny Becker.

Read the full article →

Leave a comment

b) The Room that Holds Everyone
by Judy MacMahon

Why the French bistro was never really only about food — and what disappears when it closes.

“The bistro isn’t a relic. It’s a practice. And like all practices, it survives only if enough people choose to keep it.”

A century ago, France had half a million bistros. Today, fewer than 40,000 remain.”

That number stopped me when I read it. Not because it’s surprising, exactly, but because of what it means to lose something at that scale without anyone quite deciding to let it go. No law was passed. No policy failed spectacularly. The bistro simply became, incrementally, harder to sustain and easier to replace with something that looks similar but carries none of the weight.”

I’ve often wondered what that weight actually is…” I wrote…

Read the full article →

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c) 20 Streets of Paris #5: Discover Rue du Temple
by Pierre Guernier

You can almost feel the ghosts of knights when you walk down Rue du Temple. Once the stronghold of the Templars, it’s now a place of cafés and boutiques, but the air still hums with secrecy. Look up at the street sign and imagine chainmail and whispers — for beneath the shopfronts, the Middle Ages still murmur.

Rue du Temple is named for one of the most fascinating lost landmarks of Paris…” wites Pierre Guernier.

Read the full article →

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d) THE WRITERS’ ROOM: Shining the spotlight on MyFrenchLife Contributors — a new home

The Writers’ Room is where the storytellers become the story.

Our talented Contributor team now spans nearly 40 writers, photographers, and creatives living across France — and in this special series, we go beyond the byline to discover the little-known stories readers don’t usually hear.

The unexpected turns. The private passions. The little-known stories. The moments that shaped a life in France. Each week, one Contributor shares their story, then hands the conversation to another Contributor — creating a growing chain of voices and connection.

There is now a dedicated place to find these, as I’ve now given The Writers’ Room a dedicated home of its own so that you can find it at any time, 24/7.

Until now, these conversations lived only inside the PAID edition of le Bulletin, but with nearly 40 Contributors across France, and a growing archive of fascinating personal stories, it felt time to create one place where Annual subscribers and Mighty Supporters can easily explore them all.

→Find the Writers’ Room — Exclusively for Annual subscribers and Mighty Supporters.

Leave a comment

3. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

Sometimes, France has a way of arriving sideways.

A former business owner from Seattle steps into the wrong dressing room in Bordeaux and finds the story she didn’t know she was looking for. A Paris street named for knights who vanished centuries ago still hums with something you can’t quite name. A number — 40,000 — sits quietly at the end of a long decline nobody chose.

That’s this week’s FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS.

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

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Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

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Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.19.a - The Clothes Know. So Does the Calendar

2. The Writers’ Room returns next week - [MyFrenchLife Magazine Contributor Profiles, where you’ll learn more about our contributors than others know!]

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.19- France Gets Into Everything. Even the School Run→here during the weekend.

Warm regards
Judy - 16.5.2026

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors

2. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,

3. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.19a - The Clothes Know. So Does the Calendar - It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 16.5.2026
   

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors - check out these new profiles

Profile #4 - Betty Carlson

• To Find THE LIST of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine CONTRIBUTORS:
  [https://myfrenchlife.org/p/contributors-myfrenchlife-zine ]

• TO FIND BETTY CARLSON’S WORK:
  [https://www.myfrenchlife.org/t/betty-carlson ]

Betty in MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: Can be found here
CONNECT WITH BETTY CARLSON - France in Between→

2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: new articles

Introducing New Contributor, Kamille Longstreet

I’m an American writer who traded a tiny Los Angeles apartment for a three-hundred-year-old French château - a decision that continues to surprise me.

I live in rural France with my husband Sean and our two young children, and I document the whole chaotic, beautiful project on my Substack, Once Upon a Castle: the château restoration, the village, the seasons, what it’s actually like to raise an American family in rural France, and the ongoing negotiation between the life we imagined and the one we’re actually living.”

Below you’ll find Kamille’s first article published in our magazine. Please help me welcome Kamille.

a) What No One Tells You About Putting Your Kids in Full French Immersion.
by Kamille Longstreet

When we moved to France, we made a very brave - some might say questionable - decision. We enrolled our young children in the local village school. Not an international school, not a bilingual program, just a normal French public school where not a single soul spoke English. Total immersion.”

The logic was sound. Everyone - books, blogs, actual French people - said it was the best way for kids to learn the language and the culture. Also, the nearest international school was forty minutes away, and we didn’t move to the French countryside just to spend three hours a day in a commuting loop. So we did it. We dropped our kids into a completely foreign environment with nothing but love and hopeful stares.”

And it was hard. For them. For us. For our poor, tear-streaked steering wheel…”

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

b) On Time
by Pamela Clapp

Time isn’t a personality trait in France.

It isn’t languid DNA. The French get anxious, too. They get flustered, they rush, they mutter at traffic lights, they curse at steering wheels when the city pushes back. My French husband thinks I drive like someone trying to annotate the street rather than beat it. « Sois plus agressive ! » he says, hand braced on the passenger handle. Paris time lingers, but it honks. Just not on the same minutes Americans honk on…”

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

c) How to Find Your French Family (or, where are you, camille?)...
by Laura L Barkat (LL)

Start by knowing very little.

Commence par en savoir très peu.

That your mother always told you, “We’re French and Indian.”

That she said your grandmother swore in French. But on the day, as a four-year-old, you swore at a car, in English in a parking lot—little black-patent-leather shoes and pretty dress notwithstanding—it was because, so your grandmother admitted, she had sworn in front of you while driving. (You have no memory of ever riding with your grandmother)…” writes Laura.

Read the full article→

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d) Same Building. Two Floors. Ninety Years Apart
by Judy MacMahon

What a bartender’s white jacket, Hugo Matha’s silk neckerchiefs, and George Orwell scrubbing pots in a Parisian cellar taught me about the most French idea I know.

I was supposed to be working. Instead, I was reading a magazine about bartenders’ jackets. Bartenders’ clothing in Paris, does that count as ‘work’?”

It was the Financial Times weekend supplement, How To Spend It, glossy and full of things I admire from a respectful distance. The piece was about the white dinner jacket: why it has never really gone away, what it means when a bartender wears one, and how different bars around the world are reimagining it. London, Tokyo, New York, Copenhagen. Details I adored: one Mayfair bartender sourced a fabric so washable he soaked it in coffee and grenadine for three days to be sure the claim was true. Another bar permits any tie, except green. Red is also out. Don’t ask why.” Judy MacMahon

Read the full article→

Leave a comment

3. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

Some of the best writing about France starts not with monuments or explanations, but with small moments that don’t quite behave the way you expect — a school gate, a passing remark, a different sense of time.

That’s this week’s France as it happens.

À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

Please consider upgrading

Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Share

Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo

Bonjour, my dear friends and subscribers, both new and long-time.

Un grand merci (a big thank you) for being part of this wonderful global family of Francophiles. Your support enables me to continue growing and improving MyFrenchLife™ Magazine and the le Bulletin newsletter, offering more to this growing global community.

Consider upgrading your subscription

Here’s what you’ll find today:

1. This week “16.18.a - They Found Us. And France Has Never Been More Inexhaustible.

2. The Writers’ Room returns next week - [MyFrenchLife Magazine Contributor Profiles, where you’ll learn more about our contributors than others know!]

3. This week’s ‘What’s happening in ‘MyFrenchLife™ Magazine’ - a selection of new contributors and fresh articles.

4. You can also find the free newsletter ‘‘16.18 - France Gets Under Your Skin. These Writers Show You How→here, on Saturday.

Warm regards
Judy - 9.5.2026

Read more

Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter

Bonjour mes ami(e)s !

It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors

2. In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,

3. Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.18.a - They Found Us. And France Has Never Been More Inexhaustible.. It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←

   À bientôt !
   Warmly,
   Judy - 9.5.2026
   

1. A New Chapter for MyFrenchLife™ Magazine Contributors - check out these new profiles

Profile #3 - Shelby Chambers

• To Find THE LIST of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine CONTRIBUTORS:
  [https://myfrenchlife.org/p/contributors-myfrenchlife-zine ]

• TO FIND SHELBY CHAMBERS’ WORK:
  [https://www.myfrenchlife.org/t/shelby-chambers ]

2. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine: new articles

→Introducing New Contributor Elizabeth Joubert

I’m a Californian who was a marine biologist before moving to France and trading my wetsuit for pen and paper. “

After three years in Limoges, we made the Paris area home. We have two daughters, who speak perfect Franglais. Thanks to frequent school holidays, I’m an expert at entertaining kids in Paris.”

I love the ballet, opera, and museums; my carte blanche for the Musée d’Orsay is a treasured possession. My writing, which focuses on culture and identity, has appeared in Newsweek, Zibby Mag, The Haven, and my Substack, This Week in France. “

A nature lover, I like to explore the parks and green spaces around Paris where I live with my husband and two daughters. I spend several weeks a year hiking and skiing in the Alps.”

In the land of bread and cheese, I am both gluten- and dairy-free, curse the heavens,” said Elizabeth Joubert.

It’s now my pleasure to ask you to join me in welcoming Elizabeth and learning more about her and her life through her beautiful first article with us: “Finding Nature in the Heart of Paris.”

a) Finding Nature in the Heart of Paris
by Elizabeth Joubert

I’m fanatical about our abundant parks and green spaces, which were an unexpected gift of our move to Greater Paris. When we came to the city from the rural outskirts of Limoges, we knew we’d have more access to culture, but were delighted to realize we’d increased our access to nature, too.”

My French husband and I started our lives together in California, but I had the bright idea to move to France when we had our first baby, so we could all be bilingual (it worked out in the long run, but boy, was that a transition). We’d hoped to go to Paris, but ended up in an agricultural community that was the definition of bucolic. I worked to appreciate the local character, which included lots of farm animals…” wrote Elizabeth.

Read the full story→

Leave a comment

b) Everything You Always Wanted to Know About French Herb & Spice Blends
by Laura Washburn Hutton

There were two choices: fill in the forms for my French taxes or clean the spice cabinet. No prizes for guessing what happened.”

There were the usual duplicate spice jars and a few out-of-date items for keeping, because you never know. And, a surprising number of blends, given that I’m not a huge fan of spice blends.”

Surprisingly, also, hardly any are French.”

There are always exceptions…” wrote Laura Washburn Hutton

Read the full story→

Leave a comment

c) Little French Joys That Keep Me Going
by Shelby Chambers

…I’m not sure if it’s due to age, motherhood, or desperate times, but I’m on a corny and earnest mission of late to try to appreciate the little things in life. “

Maybe some appreciation will make this year a tad more bearable until the midterm elections, until work picks up, until the sun comes out again, both figuratively and literally…” writes Shelby Chambers.

Read the full story→

Leave a comment

d) Four Notes and a Nation
by Judy MacMahon

The man at the centre of the story is Michaël Boumendil, founder of a Paris-based sound branding agency called Sixième Son. In 2004, the SNCF came to him with a problem. The SNCF had always used a jingle, but it was the old one, the Do-Me-Sol of the 1990s, and it had gone stale. The company was going through a full rebrand, new logo and all, and the sonic identity needed to keep pace. Boumendil’s brief was simple: give France’s national railway a sound that people would actually feel something about.”

Before a single note was composed, Sixième Son did something quite unusual…”

Read the full story→

Leave a comment

3. Merci mille fois

“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon

Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.

This week feels like a proper gathering.

Elizabeth Joubert joins our community as a new contributor, bringing nature, Paris, and a perspective that’s entirely her own.

Laura Washburn Hutton turns a spice cabinet into a rabbit hole — as they tend to do. Shelby Chambers gives small joys the attention they deserve.

And in Four Notes and a Nation, I was digging deep. I went looking for the story behind the most heard sound in France. I loved writing that piece. Sound is such an intimate thing, and this story took me somewhere unexpected. I hope it does the same for you.

Merci à toutes. To Elizabeth, Laura, and Shelby — thank you for taking our readers deeper into France, beyond the cliché, exactly where we love to be.

À bientôt.
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org

Leave a comment

Please consider upgrading

Thanks for reading ‘le Bulletin’! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Share

Subscribe now

‘le Bulletin’ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support us, I personally ask you to consider becoming a free or annual subscriber.

Here’s how you can stay in touch & personalise your le Bulletin experience, and deepen your French connection.

🔓 Here you can UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE FRENCH STORIES:
Become an annual member and save! Enjoy exclusive, intimate glimpses into France and French lives delivered straight to your inbox.

Unlock Exclusive French Stories

⭐ How you can BECOME A CHERISHED MIGHTY SUPPORTER:
If you love le Bulletin, you can help us share more stories of remarkable French women and authentic French experiences. Plus, enjoy special perks!

Become a Mighty Supporter

🎁 Perhaps you’d like to SHARE THE INSPIRATION:
Gift le Bulletin to friends and family who admire the strength and spirit of French women. It’s the perfect way to share your passion for France.

Gift le Bulletin

💡 And don’t forget… you can always EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES:
Discover even more inspiring stories in our complete newsletter archive. Perfect for satisfying your Francophile cravings whenever suits you, wherever you live.

Add us to your address book: info@MyFrenchLife.org -
Copyright © MaVieFrancaise®- MyFrenchLife™️. All Rights Reserved. -
le Bulletin is the Newsletter of MyFrenchLife.org

MyFrenchLife.org - Come with us to experience France beyond the cliché.
*Photo in the le Bulletin banner at the top of each newsletter © Annewill Stroo