Dear visitor,
Thank you for being interested in this site about France.
France and me
My name is Sebastien. I am born in France, near Saint-Etienne, close to where ‘La Loire’ sprouts.
But I grew up in my mothers country, Holland. I was thus rooted in between two almost incompatible cultures : the Dutch and the French.
At 24, I left Holland to start life in France, my birth country. I had been visiting for holidays, but now became French citizen. A social and cultural discovery began. I discovered a very different life.
Learning much about social behavior, hard work and study, I also learned to be open and interested in other people and their cultures. This is a French quality. France is very international, and as I traveled, I met different nationalities and learned new ways of seeing and relating to things.
Integrating in France was not easy though. For years I tried to come to understand the general mentality. Through my Dutch education, I am naturally closer to the Anglo-American make-up than the French one. French lifestyle is very different and not easy to grasp for non-French people.
“L’Art de vivre” (The Art of living) as the French say, is a bit of a mystery. The French have definitively developed their own taste and finesse, and have their way of doing things.
“Haute culture” (high culture) and brut behavior are part of the French common scene. Although they’re usually hospitable and generous, in some deep layers of their social connections, integration remains a mystery.
“L’art de vivre” seems to be reserved for an authentic French root. My fascination to fathom and share this, is the drive behind this site.
About the site
The site is in its beginning stage. I am working on structure, layouts and articles.
I love artistic expressions and do not want to be an algorithm-driven, touristic information database.
You won’t get a list of 24,000 results on a search.
In France, there is too much to do and to discover to put everything into one website
and give it all its proper attention.
So I try to do things the French way, on the feel of it, with a sense of balance and harmony.
I make selections, write about places and events. Parallel to that, you will have opportunity to find villas nearby, hopefully for you to spent a great time.