16.41 - Three Places That Will Win You Over
Tomas k - Senior News Editor 
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
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 articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.
And coming later today for PAID subscribers: 16.41.a — It’s not too late to upgrade & to be sure you receive it ←
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy
17.10.2026
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) The soul of Montorgueil: butter, oysters and art of living in the heart of Paris
Elisabeth Perotin
A morning flânerie in Paris is enough to awaken all my senses: the intoxicating aroma of fresh bread just out of the oven, and that of the fruits from the primeur, the sound of footsteps on the cobblestones, and the noise of the metal curtain of the cheese factory... One of the places where this symphony resonates most brilliantly is rue Montorgueil. If the neighboring district of Le Marais is a temple of fashion and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, that of literature, the Montorgueil district is an undisputed paradise for the taste buds. Here, we can still feel the pulse of the “belly of Paris”, a nickname Émile Zola gave the Halles district, where the capital’s best fresh products were once sold.”
As a photographer, I find the light here perfect; throughout the day, it plays hide-and-seek between buildings, casting golden reflections on … “ wrote Elisabeth.
b) A morning in the Potager du Roi
by Debra Fioritto
Kathy and I stepped off the RER C at Versailles and walked up the elegant street leading to Versailles Palace. But we weren’t going to the palace; we were visiting a kitchen garden, the Potager du Roi, designed by La Quintinie, born 400 years ago this year, to serve the appetites of Louis XIV.
We were early for our appointment but were able to get into the garden before meeting with Antoine Jacobsohn, the head of the Potager du Roi. A fine mist rose from small mounds of black earth. We walked down the military-style straight rows that stretched out from the pebbled pathway. Three young gardeners were digging with trowels … “ wrote Debra.
c) Issy-les-Moulineax: my home, my heart, my place to play
Elizabeth Joubert
If you follow the Seine along its course through Paris, you’ll eventually cross an invisible border into Issy-les-Moulineaux. The banks of the river will be a little more natural, the surrounding street traffic will be a little quieter, and there will be many, many more strollers.”
This is a place where television studios rub elbows with family activity centers, a city that touches Paris and has a metro, bus, and tramway, yet feels a little greener and calmer and more modern than her attention-grabbing neighbor. This is a place that wins people over, to the point where business owners and coaches and families dedicate themselves. I know, because I’ve lived here for more than a decade, and though I thought I’d be disappointed not to live within Paris’s city limits, before the first week was out, she had my heart.”
Issy-les-Moulineaux didn’t obtain its character by luck or accident. ..” wrote Elizabeth.
INVITATION & RSVP:
2. The MyFrenchLife™ French BookClub is back. DISCUSSION EVENT: 7 & 8 NOVEMBER 2026
HERE you’ll find the invitation and RSVP form→ This event is across many time zones - check the time for your location←
Judy
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.
A pastry shop from 1730, a kitchen garden planned for Louis XIV, and a suburb that wins people over. Three places, and a very good argument for a long weekend in and around Paris.
Which would you visit first?
And if you’d rather stay in with a book, the BookClub is back in three weeks. We’re reading Live Fast (Vivre vite) by Brigitte Giraud, in French or English, and the discussion is on 7 and 8 November. RSVP is essential to receive the access link.
I wonder where our Contributors will take us next week in FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS?
À bientôt !
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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