15.43 - Underground messages, fishy towns & Baudelaire's wildest poem
In this FREE le Bulletin we immerse ourselves in Paris' underground mail tubes to the Baie de Somme: stories that make France irresistible.
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes amis !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today! Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll find fresh articles,
Watch out for and don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin on Saturday this weekend: “15.43.a -What’s keeping me awake at 3am (and why it should worry you too)” - It’s not too late to subscribe←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 25.10.2025
1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles
“There are many talented contributors to MyFrenchLife Magazine and I thank all of you for sharing your experiences with us in such an engaging manner.
You take us right across France & deep into many worm-holes. We delight in discovering
and learning more about France beyond the cliché”
Merci
Judy
a) Carte pneumatique: Paris’ popular messaging system
by Jenn Bragg
Does anyone else think the postal system has become terribly chiant (tiresome) these days? As someone who used to write letters and postcards to friends and family from all over the world, it has become less and less reliable in my opinion.
Communication has changed dramatically over the centuries. In medieval times, messages were sent orally via messenger (often because the population was illiterate). By the 19th century, telecommunications had taken hold with the development of Morse code and later, the telegraph.
Telegraph communications were extremely popular in Paris in the 1800s. However, this overground messaging system had its problems
b) St-Valery-sur-Somme
by Nick Garnett
Our journey from Calais to St-Valery-sur-Somme couldn’t have had a more auspicious beginning, although with the benefit of hindsight, Valery turned out to be very fishy indeed.”
Nearly twenty years ago, before we had a property in France, we visited often: weekends, school holidays and the odd scrambled mid-term week kept our levels of French addiction topped up. For shorter breaks, we favoured a stretch of coastline from Le Crotoy to St-Valery-sur-Somme in the Baie de Somme. Flat, extensive views, great bird life, cheap hotels and great markets kept us coming back for a few years in a row,” wrote Nick Garnett.
c) L’Homme et la Mer – Charles Baudelaire
by Morgane Andersson
Le Poème de la semaine
This newsletter is a special one featuring one of my all-time favorite poets, poems, painters, and paintings. I hope they’ll transport you, move you, and stay with you, just as they’ve stayed with me.
Charles Baudelaire – L’Homme et la Mer
From his iconic collection Les Fleurs du mal, this poem dives deep into the mirror-like relationship between man and the sea. Vast, mysterious, and sometimes cruel, both share wild beauty and inner turbulence. It’s one of Baudelaire’s most emblematic poems, rich in sound, symbolism, and rhythm.
2. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Chers amis (dear friends)
Thank you for taking the time to spend this moment with me today. I know your inbox is probably overflowing (mine certainly is!), so the fact that you opened this and read along means the world to me.
I hope one of these stories sparked something for you – a memory, a laugh, maybe even a plan for your next French adventure. That’s what I love most about these newsletters: we’re all discovering France together, one article at a time, one poem at a time.
Bisous et à très bientôt
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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