16.29 - The Rule Nobody Explains
FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS— a Dordogne town with an unspoken code, the job the French never discuss, and a green door in Le Marais that keeps its own mysteries.
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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: “16.29.a - French Rooms, French Rules and the Real Paris- It’s not too late to upgrade & read it←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 25.7.2026
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) A Day (and a Lifetime) in Terrasson-Lavilledieu
by Jenny Becker
This is how I know I’m about to lose the day.”
Terrasson-Lavilledieu is a small town in the Dordogne with two names, one river, an abbey that has grasped too much, and a strict but unspoken code of conduct that no one will explain to you until you’ve broken it publicly…” wrote Jenny Becker.
b) The Job Who Must Not Be Named
by Kamille Longstreet
When we first moved to France, I thought the biggest culture shock would be the cheese aisle. Or the near-theatrical use of bonjour and bonsoir as social punctuation. But no.”
The real shock was this: Nobody talks about their job…” wrote Kamille Longstreet
c) The Forest in the City : A Private Tour of Paris’s Most Mysterious Sanctuary — Le musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
by Elisabeth Perotin
Paris in May is a city of gentle awakenings. The harsh winter light has given way to a soft, golden glow that filters through the chestnut trees. Yet, even in the heart of spring, the Marais retains its mysteries. While the crowds gather on the terraces of Rue des Archives, I feel irresistibly drawn to the calm and shade of the neighborhood’s historic stone walls.
I push open a heavy green door on Rue des Archives, leaving the afternoon light behind…” wrote Elisabeth Perotin.
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.
Three pieces this week, and every one of them is about discovering something France never quite explains, whether by breaking a rule first or simply stumbling into it.
Jenny in Terrasson-Lavilledieu, breaking a code of conduct nobody had thought to mention before she’d already broken it. Kamille, discovering that in France, your job simply isn’t dinner conversation, and finding that out the way most of us do, by asking anyway and feeling the silence that followed. And Elisabeth, pushing open a heavy green door on Rue des Archives and finding a museum most Parisians walk straight past, the kind of mystery Le Marais keeps only for those who slow down long enough to notice it.
I think that’s rather how France works on all of us in the end. Nobody hands you the rulebook. You just live here long enough, or read closely enough, and it starts to make sense sideways.
That’s the France we’re here for - it is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS this week
À bientôt,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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