16.04 - Time Travel Through France: A 1190 Tower, Napoleon's Vision & the Original Riviera, ALL are thriving today + Your Event Invitation
In this FREE le Bulletin discover 3 writers 3 centuries 3 French revelations: from medieval fortifications to Napoleonic ambition to belle époque faded grandeur. Let's explore these enthralling places
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes amis !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today, at the beginning of a new year! Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll find these wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché,
Don’t miss the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin in your inbox: “16.04.a - .“ It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 31.1.2026
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
Our list of valued Contributors →
a) 20 Streets of Paris #1: Rue de Rivoli – Napoleon’s Grand Boulevard
by Pierre Guernier
NEW SERIES: First Episode—A journey of discovery through Parisian history, one street sign at a time - Let’s go!
So you think you know Rue de Rivoli? You know where to shop, or where not to shop, which café has the best terrace, and how to navigate the arcades when it rains. But do you know why it’s called what it’s called? What Italian battlefield earned a place on this Parisian street sign? Why Napoleon himself dreamed this street into existence? Pierre Guernier does—and this month, he’s revealing the layers of stories hidden beneath those elegant arcades. Fair warning: you’ll never walk this street the same way again.
If you walk through Paris with your eyes fixed on the shopfronts, you might miss the quiet stories written above them. Look up for a moment—the blue enamel sign reads Rue de Rivoli, a name that carries the echo of cannon fire and the ambition of an empire. Beneath its graceful arcades, history and elegance march side by side, as they have since Napoleon dreamed of reshaping the city in his image.
Few streets in Paris capture such grandeur as Rue de Rivoli…” writes Pierre Guernier
b) The story of the Grande Boucherie & Tour Saint-Jacques
by Jenn Bragg
If you go to Paris and find yourself in the 4th arrondissement not too far from Chatelet, you’re likely to see Tour Saint-Jacques. At 54 meters, or 177 feet in height, it’s a lone tower that has all the hallmarks of church design. But it’s not a church; it’s just a tower that was once part of a church that is now its own monument.”
Let me take you back to the year 1190. (That is not a typo.)”
That’s the year King Philippe Auguste built a wall in Paris to fortify the city against the potential of invading ships coming up the Seine…” writes Jenn Bragg
Read the entire article→
c) The Grand Old Hotels of Hyères
by Betty Carlson
Some call it the original French Riviera town.
Although gritty Hyères now represents anything but the cliché of the Côte d’Azur, the city was one of the area’s first winter tourism destinations, going back to the late 18th century when aristocratic English families started to escape hibernal gloom there.
From the town center, you can’t see the sea, and the nearest beach is an hour’s walk away. But no matter — this was an era when tans were considered unseemly and the point of a Mediterranean holiday was simply to soak in the clement climate.
As time went on, Nice, Cannes, and other seaside locales gained favor, leaving Hyères centre with an intriguing architectural heritage: its former palaces, or luxury hotels.
I set out to see what had become of them.
Read the full article→
2. REMINDER: Only days to go
RSVP→In Conversation with Mark Greenside - online #Bookclub Event: 7-8 February 2026
You are invited to attend this free event.
Mark your diary & → RSVP now - Registrations will close 48 hours before event
In 1992, at the age of 47, Mark Greenside bought a house—almost by accident—in a tiny Breton village. He has lived there ever since, splitting his time between Brittany and California.
With self-deprecating humor, Mark has written three entertaining books about his life in France. In his latest, I Am Finally, Finally French, he reflects on his three decades in Brittany—what he has learned, how he has become part of his community, and how life in France has changed him.
Join us for a lively, fun conversation with Mark about what life is like in a small Breton village. He will be joined by MyFrenchLife contributor Keith Van Sickle, himself a part-time expat in France, and our own Judy MacMahon.
Here is our FORM ← RSVP with your email address, so closer to 7-8 February. Registrations close 48 hours beforehand… we will email you the online event ACCESS LINK within 48 hours before the event.
Here you’ll find → a collection of Keith’s reviews of Mark’s books.
3. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Chers amis (dear friends)
Pierre, Jenn, and Betty—three writers who aren’t just telling you about France, but asking why.
- Why does that street have that name?
- Why does that tower stand alone?
- What happened to those grand hotels?
Pierre Guernier walks Rue de Rivoli and sees beyond the elegant arcades to Napoleon’s ambition, to an Italian battlefield from 1797 that still echoes through Parisian stone. Jenn Bragg stands before Tour Saint-Jacques and asks the question most tourists never think to ask: Why does this church tower stand completely alone? Then she takes us back 836 years to Philippe Auguste and finds the answer. Betty Carlson travels to explore Hyères and discovers something far richer than pretty beaches—the ghosts of grand palaces where English aristocrats once wintered before Nice and Cannes stole the spotlight.
This is what makes MyFrenchLife™ different.
Our Contributors are researchers and wanderers who read the old documents, walk the forgotten streets, and care enough to share their discoveries with all of us. Not clickbait. Not surface-level tourism. Just thoughtful, history-rich storytelling that stays with you.
Thank you for being the kind of reader who wants substance, who appreciates the layers, who understands that France becomes so much more fascinating when you know the stories beneath what you’re looking at.
Don’t forget—our conversation with Mark Greenside is coming up on 7-8 February! After 30 years in a tiny Breton village, Mark has stories and insights that only come from truly living French life. Keith Van Sickle will be hosting what promises to be a warm, funny, deeply engaging chat. RSVP now—registrations are flowing in, and you won’t want to miss this.
If you’re enjoying these deeper explorations and want even more, but you haven’t upgraded to PAID subscription yet. Maybe now is the time… I’d be grateful and you’d love it.
And… I hope that you enjoyed the three new deep-dive French culture articles this week - there are some really good things happening in France :)
Thank you for being here, for reading with curiosity, for being part of this wonderful community of Francophiles.
À bientôt, mes amis,
Judy x
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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