Thank you so much, Dave ! I'm delighted you enjoyed the story. If you ever visit the Ferme Saint-Siméon, I hope you'll think of all the painters who found inspiration there. If you're interested, here's the hotel's website — it has preserved the spirit of this remarkable place :
I regret - and apologise - that I can only read in translation.
When I was at school - in a small town in Australia - there was one teacher of French, and it was not a compulsory subject. I had a big argument with her and dropped out of her class.... Really - a terrible mistake. A few years later, aged 18, I was hitch hiking around Europe and I adored France. I spent some time working as a grape picker in the South, and the local people were very kind to me. I have never forgotten...
Thank you for sharing this lovely story, Dave. And please don't apologise — I'm delighted that Substack's translation allows my articles to travel all the way to Australia ! Yours memories of France are wonderful, and I'm glad they came back while reading about Honfleur. I hope you'll have the chance to return one day and discover even more of its beautiful places. I'm glad the article brought back happy memories of France.
Oh - dear Alix (I think that is your name?) it does embarrass me that I have so little of your language. My wonderful partner, Meg, has a lot more.
There is so much I could say about my travels in France, aged 18. I have never written about it, but maybe I will.
I always expected to be back soon, but my life went in other directions. I lived for many years in Central Australia, in the desert, living and working with First Nation Aboriginal people. Then I had a family, and no money to travel....
Since 2019 I have made three trips back to France, two of them quite long. I even revisited the villages where I worked on the grape harvest long ago ...
You may be interested to see my Post "Portal" about our visit to Pont d'Arc
Encore merci pour votre bel enthousiasme concernant mon travail, c’est gratifiant et c’était l’objectif de cette newsletter de plonger dans l’histoire d’une oeuvre et d’une époque ! Bien sûr, j’irais voir vos articles avec les liens que vous m’avez indiqués (mais pas aujourd’hui car c’est notre fête nationale et je suis déjà en famille)….
Cet article est une belle surprise.☺️ Je connais l’hôtel Saint-Simeon, j’aime y aller pour prendre le thé quand je suis en Normandie. Très contente d’apprendre son histoire et de lire ce beau récit. 🍃
Merci pour votre retour, Myrtille, et si vous connaissez l’endroit, c’est encore plus intéressant de comparer avec l’ambiance contemporaine. La semaine prochaine, je publierais un article plus léger, sur la gastronomie normande notamment la recette du “maquereau à l’oseille” inspiré par la mère Toutain…
Fascinating! Now I too would love to visit...
Dave :)
Thank you so much, Dave ! I'm delighted you enjoyed the story. If you ever visit the Ferme Saint-Siméon, I hope you'll think of all the painters who found inspiration there. If you're interested, here's the hotel's website — it has preserved the spirit of this remarkable place :
https://www.fermesaintsimeon.fr/
Oh - it was lovely!
I regret - and apologise - that I can only read in translation.
When I was at school - in a small town in Australia - there was one teacher of French, and it was not a compulsory subject. I had a big argument with her and dropped out of her class.... Really - a terrible mistake. A few years later, aged 18, I was hitch hiking around Europe and I adored France. I spent some time working as a grape picker in the South, and the local people were very kind to me. I have never forgotten...
Best regards
Dave
Thank you for sharing this lovely story, Dave. And please don't apologise — I'm delighted that Substack's translation allows my articles to travel all the way to Australia ! Yours memories of France are wonderful, and I'm glad they came back while reading about Honfleur. I hope you'll have the chance to return one day and discover even more of its beautiful places. I'm glad the article brought back happy memories of France.
Oh - dear Alix (I think that is your name?) it does embarrass me that I have so little of your language. My wonderful partner, Meg, has a lot more.
There is so much I could say about my travels in France, aged 18. I have never written about it, but maybe I will.
I always expected to be back soon, but my life went in other directions. I lived for many years in Central Australia, in the desert, living and working with First Nation Aboriginal people. Then I had a family, and no money to travel....
Since 2019 I have made three trips back to France, two of them quite long. I even revisited the villages where I worked on the grape harvest long ago ...
You may be interested to see my Post "Portal" about our visit to Pont d'Arc
https://davidkirkby.substack.com/p/portal?r=471m47
Or my post about a visit to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in Paris....
https://davidkirkby.substack.com/p/sunday-in-the-park-with-everyone?r=471m47
It is late here now, at the end of a long day, so Bonne Nuit from me.
Best Wishes - Dave
Encore merci pour votre bel enthousiasme concernant mon travail, c’est gratifiant et c’était l’objectif de cette newsletter de plonger dans l’histoire d’une oeuvre et d’une époque ! Bien sûr, j’irais voir vos articles avec les liens que vous m’avez indiqués (mais pas aujourd’hui car c’est notre fête nationale et je suis déjà en famille)….
Oh - of course! Happy Bastille Day!
Vive la France! 🇫🇷
D :)
Cet article est une belle surprise.☺️ Je connais l’hôtel Saint-Simeon, j’aime y aller pour prendre le thé quand je suis en Normandie. Très contente d’apprendre son histoire et de lire ce beau récit. 🍃
Merci pour votre retour, Myrtille, et si vous connaissez l’endroit, c’est encore plus intéressant de comparer avec l’ambiance contemporaine. La semaine prochaine, je publierais un article plus léger, sur la gastronomie normande notamment la recette du “maquereau à l’oseille” inspiré par la mère Toutain…
J’attends avec impatience la recette! 😋