16.13 - Life in France: Starting Over, Slowing Down, Paying Attention
In the FREE le Bulletin: Our newest contributor arrives from Saint-Émilion, spring stirs in the Southwest, Paris reveals its most sacred hour, & a quiet street in the 8th holds a very good table...
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes ami(e)s !
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: “16.13.a - Château Dreams, Sacred Nights and a Spring Arriving Before You Can See It.“ It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 4.4.2026
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 →
Introducing new Contributor: Valerie Rivera
Valerie introduces herself:
Hi! I’m Valerie Rivera — a retired Air Force veteran, twin mom, Stanford MBA, and professional offsite facilitator turned small-town France storyteller.”
These days, I’m gently deprogramming myself from a lifetime of productivity and rediscovering the quiet joy of presence. I’ve traded checklists and deadlines for shutters and market days.From our petite ville near Saint-Émilion, I write about the humor, surprises, and small joys of starting over in France — from navigating la belle langue and the local brocante scene to learning how to slow down enough to savor the moment.”
Welcome to our talented Contributor team, Valerie, we’re looking forward to ‘reading’ you often :)
Here is Valerie’s first contribution.
My first in a quarterly series is live! I’m calling it “Seasons in the Southwest.”
It’s the perfect excuse to capture the flavors, the scenery, and the vibe of my life in France… things that otherwise might not make it into a post.
a) Seasons in the Southwest: Early Spring
by Valerie Rivera
Notes from the in-between, when printemps has not quite arrived
The rain — which had been falling for a record 36 days in a row — stops just as quickly as it started. Sun peeks through the clouds. The river waters recede, and their flooded banks begin to dry out. This is a typical series of events as spring struggles to break forth from the gray winter days, though an inundation like this hasn’t been seen in 25 years. And while it’s still early, the migration of the cranes around the third week of February — squawking and filling the sky with a mesmerizing formation — makes you realize you’re almost there. Spring is coming. You can feel it before you can see it.
Please help me welcome Valerie→Read the full story→
b) The Most Sacred Experience in Paris
by Patricia Russo
A Night of Adoration at Sacré Cœur
I’m always just a little bit stumped when someone asks me what my favorite church in Paris is; not surprisingly, because there are nearly 200 churches in Paris. Even though I’ve lived here for seven years, I am constantly discovering my newest “favorite church” each week.”
But when someone asks me for my opinion on the most sacred experience in Paris, which has come to be my most recent expertise as the Founder of Sacred Paris, I do not hesitate for a second…”
“What matters is not the destination, but the yearning to go there.” - Phil Cousineau
I will never forget, and it never gets old, the first time…” writes Patricia Russo.
c) Chromo-cartes: clever advertising in 19th-century France
by Jenn Bragg
The 19th century saw many changes in Paris. Perhaps the biggest change was the massive modernization push under Baron Haussmann that lasted nearly 20 years. This is the Paris we know today.
During that century, the middle class grew, and many urbanites had more money to spend. That meant shopping was no longer just for the very rich. Then, in 1852, a new department store — Au Bon Marché, said to be the world’s first — revolutionized the way people shopped…” writes Jenn Bragg.
d) Restaurant Review: Helen, Paris 8
by Claude Kolm
Helen (not Hélène) opened in 2012. In 2015, the restaurant received a Michelin star, which it still holds.”
It is located on a quiet side street just off the avenue de Friedland in the eighth arrondissement, north of the Champs-Élysées and south of the Parc Monceau, an area where few tourists ever wander. Certainly, there’s little about the restaurant from the street that would attract the attention of a casual stroller…” writes Claude Kolm.
2. Merci mille fois
“Thank you so much for supporting my work and reading ‘le Bulletin’.
Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.
If you’re enjoying the FREE edition, there is a lot more waiting for you in this week’s PAID le Bulletin newsletter. It’s not too late to upgrade and join us there.
Four writers this week, four very different corners of France, and yet something runs through all of them: the quiet satisfaction of finding what you weren’t quite looking for.
Valerie didn’t go to Saint-Émilion to write. Patricia didn’t expect adoration to become her expertise. Jenn followed a chromolithograph down a rabbit hole into 19th-century commerce. Claude turned left off the avenue de Friedland and found something worth remembering.
That’s the France I’ve always loved best. The one that turns up when you stop rushing past it.
À bientôt,
Judy x
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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