16.26 - The France Most People Drive Straight Past
FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS—On fitting in, finding out, and the extraordinary things hiding in unremarkable places
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Bonjour mes ami(e)s !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. 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: “16.26.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
“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 reminder that ‘The Writers Room’ now resides here →
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.
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.
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…”
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.
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
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