Sublime

Writing So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word; It is 'Adieu, adieu! remember me.' I have sworn 't.

Le parking payant is an affront to the French ethos and must be resisted, even if that involves circling the town for half an hour in search of a place.

Coming from a country where the customer is always right, I’ve found that actions and transactions in France can be a bit of a game, to see who has the upper hand. Some of this goes back to when France was a monarchy and society was stratified and feudal. That changed during the French Revolution, when the people took the power from the higher-ups

Tu es un expatrié. Tu as perdu contact avec le sol. Tu deviens précieux. De faux standards européens t'ont gâté. Tu te tues à force de boire. Tu te laisses obséder par le sexe. Tu passes ton temps à parler au lieu de travailler. Tu es un expatrié, tu comprends ? Tu traînes dans tous les cafés.

Marieke est aussi l’une des plus poignantes de Brel sur l’échec amoureux. Même s’il lui tend une note d’espoir (« Ay Marieke, revienne le temps… »), ce désespoir face aux amours trop brèves l’obsédera dans toute son œuvre.

Provence is not a land of lush pastures, and a cow, so they say, is as rare as a genial tax inspector. But the goat flourishes in the scrub and the mountains, and goat cheeses are surprisingly versatile.