Something I often feel needs clarification when I make videos about France: just because I am living, learning and experiencing what it is like living in France does not mean that one can't live a life of passion and care elsewhere. It's not only the French that live this way. I thought I made this clear at the end of the video when I said one can live like this anywhere, but alas: 'tis not the case. There are lots of people living this way all over the world. This is just what I have personally observed while living....in France. 🙃Good day!
You did make it clear at the end of the video. Personally I think people comment for several reasons. First, we would all love to go to France and the slow easy life just makes it all the more appealing. Second, it seems America in general doesn’t live a slow easy lifestyle. Americans are too obsessed with making money and getting ahead in life. You are right that anyone can live the slower life any place they live because it’s a mindset more than exactly where you live. But it’s just harder when you live in a fast pace environment and the people you live with tell you how you should be, but their ideas don’t fit your personality. Then we see your video and want to move to France. But in reality we really need to change ourselves not our place of residence. Your videos are excellent and very well done. You are clear in your presentation. We all just want an excuse to go to France.
It is a pity that that has to be mentioned. There are many around the world who live this way but since you are in France, obviously you would vlog about life in France.
Thank you for this film. I returned from France a couple of days ago, and, it was the Easter Week End ; Paris was at its wildest. The traffic was a gridlock and we had to stand in line for everything. So I took my American family through the old back streets that I used to haunt when I was a student we enjoyed the tiny shops, and friendly little bistros, discovered private gardens, and ancient fountains, *fed the pidgeons* exchanged views with the long time residents. By the end of the day everybody was relaxed and refreshed and happy with a truly Parisian experience
What a wonderful & inspiring message to wake up to this morning. Your vlogs are such good reminders of all the beauty we are surrounded by, despite the tragedies & horrors. Thank you.
This is beautiful. I have French blood in me, and I so resonate with this, being a foodie and budding artist. I love the “tableaus” the cheese lady makes, how she glamorizes and creates art out of cheese. I love the idea of dancing with life and living with passion. Amazing.
Well said, Ms. Woods. I think, especially now in these horrific and crazy times, that we all need to learn to dance instead of sitting on the sidelines...not sure my two left feet agree or appreciate that, but at least I have two feet and that's a place to start. Many blessings to you during this Eastertide, a time of beginnings...
Absolutely lovely video and message. I so love and admire that not only do the French care deeply about quality and presentation but that in general it is not about gaining attention but simply because it’s important to them because quality and beauty matter. After my reading with you last week, I am planning a month-long trip to France in July. This video squashed any worry or hesitation I had about doing so. Thank you for creating this! 💖💕
THANKS for such a BEAUTIFUL video! Quotable for the day: "How can you dance with life more? How can you make the everyday more beautiful?" LOVE this! In listening to your Fromage Friend, I was reminded of that Rumi quote: Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do." 🙂
Hello Helena, I was very happy about you mentioning the language learning platform "Lingoda" in this video. I am acutally a teacher at Lingoda. I am one of the German teachers. You inspired me to catch up my French again. I used to speak French fluently because I learned it very well for my education as a translator. Unfortunately, I didn't work with French and I lost totally contact with the language. O.k., I could have kept contact with it by myself but I was not motivated enough. I love LINGODA. I am so thankful working there. It is such a nice working place and every student is a blessing to me. I learn so much from them. So to say, I don't just teach the lesson but I get so much back from my students. Every day, I am learning something new. Love it. Keep up the good work, Helena.
I'm currently doing a German course with lingoda using my CPF (french training plan ) so 90h free for me. I was test for B2 but a bit to demanding for me, I préfère to restart at B1-2 level and found a nice groupe of people with a really net teacher Frank, we meet each Friday for 2 hours for me. I "try" a lot of teachers to found the one for me in my hours. I'm thinking of continue at the end of my 90 hours with some "spring" program.
They are the most detailed oriented people i ever worked with. Very detailed. I love it. They dont simply half ass things. Every little detail matters.
What a beautiful film! I have the word 'passion' tattooed across me shoulder, and when someone sees it, they think it refers to sexytimes, but it doesn't. It is about having a passion for something, anything, that brings pure joy into our lives. I love to listen to someone talking about their passion, even if it's about something I'm not personally interested in. It's such a delight to watch someone's face light up.
@@Misinformed_lol I don't. I like tattoos, and I wanted at least one from being quite young. However, because I work in a corporate environment, I made sure I can keep them out of sight at work. I got my tattoos purely for my own pleasure, most people don't know I have them at all.
@@itsacarolbthing5221 how beautiful!! I love that Carol!💕 Inspiring. Tattoos are beautiful reminders of moments of time, momentos of our lives! I've always thought of tattoo-ing "courage" on my wrist 🥰
Hi Helena: Enjoying your platform. I lived in Paris 4 yrs in the 80's, a State Dept job assignment. I was in the 16th, Blvd Suchet, across from Bois du Bologne. Many many great memories and as I recall took all of 24 hrs to become a lifelong food snob. I was single in those days, had a car and traveled all over Western Europe. Also took many train trips. I also was an insane runner then and made Versailles Gardens my Sunday jaunt for long runs. If there is a more spectacular running course I can't imagine what it is like. Look forward to more videos. All the best. Catheline Garrity (Las Vegas). (P.S. We have a Paris Resort/Casino here in LV but is not quite the same. Their valet people are taught to say "Bonjour" to arriving guests. I always went further in French conversation trying to engage them, but it was clear their French level was "Bonjour" and that was it. I would tell them "its okay, I forgive you. If they want you to be a fluent French speaker demand a higher salary + beaucoup d' TIPS."
Buongiorno mermaid! Thank you so much for this beautiful video. We have have a saying in Slovakia about foreign languages that goes: "As many languages you know, as many times you are a human." So I am working on my French and Italian now, I speak another four too. Thank you for taking us to beautiful destinations and countries, thank you for sharing your deep thinking with us. You are precious. XX
So nice to hear from the people themselves, I'd love to see bread making from beginning to end and other shops! This was such a nice video, thanks for putting the faces of the locals!
I have quite a few videos in the "life in france" series with different people sharing their stories in France! Anytime I meet someone I'm really inspired by and they feel comfortable sharing their story, I'll find a way to bring their light to the channel 💕 Glad you liked it, Carmen!
Thank you for another lovely, inspiring video! Taking pride in one's craft and presentation is such a beautiful thing and it makes me sad that it's not as revered as it deserves to be. You've reminded me to slow down and to take pride in my work, as I am not immune to the efficiency and convenience culture surrounding me.
Helena, you have captured the very essence of what I adore about France and the way her people put their passion and creativity into their work. I was so impressed with this when I travelled around this magnificent country with a friend a few years back. Even buying vegetables at the market where the vendor insisted I return an item so he could present me with one that was flawless.....I will never forget that.
Ma très chère Helena. Si vous saviez à quel point je vous aimes lorsque vous faite ce genre de vidéo. Tout prend du sens. "Danser avec la vie" parait si facile alors. La passion partagée nourrie celui qui la reçoit. beaucoup d'amour a vous.
I would love that type of lifestyle. My family came from France to Canada in the 1600’s . My maiden name is a French name. My son has been living in France for about 3 years now and he absolutely loves it. Maybe I should move there too.
Thank you, Helena, so much for your thoughtful and insightful reminders of how life should be. This message brought me to tears. Good tears, happy and hopeful tears. My world just slowed down and became more beautiful. 🙏🙏❤️❤️
This is a beautiful video, and wonderfully recounted story! I live in Italy, which has it's beautiful aspects, but after many years here am contemplating moving to France for precisely the reasons you state in your video. Strangely, those very things are often lacking here, except for in some places. Culturally France is way ahead in terms of a more refined and sensitive approach to life. The beauty of your video is striking...but let us not forget, beauty is also in the eye of the beholder!
My bliss is phototherapy. In the attempt to keep up with the latest and greatest the joy disappeared. Watching your lovely work, I’m taking my camera from the bag to the garden. 💕
This is so inspiring! I love Virginie's outlook on life, creativity and passion and how she brings that to her profession. I wish this mindset for everyone! I will take her advice to heart. 💛 Thank you Helena! Gorgeous video!! 😍
Dear Helena, thank you for this beautiful message...how can we dance with life more. So well said and it's a wonderful reminder. It's exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you
Helena thanking you for brining the French closer to me. Because of my French heritage I live this way of life every day even living in a concrete jungle. I love your videos, keep them coming with much love and light! xox
Guatemala still.has this too....I have lived here 20 yrs...they are bakers, hand made traditionalmSpanish style furniture makers, dyers, weavers, huipile makers, metal.workers, traditional tile painters....jade jewelry makers.they have many many craft traditions then there are the flowers and gardens in courtyards,,orchid collections, coffee growers roasters and exporters. Mexico too has a VERY strong hand made traditon ...both are lovely cultures that live for.each day, pleasure in creativity, no rush, little daily stress, the family is their heart.
Thank you so much for inspiring me to continue on my path of creating my passion. I am a painter yet a newbie on the island of Kefalonia in Greece, and have been grappling with finding ways of expressing my art, yet quietly interweaving with the locals and enjoying the different aspects of this new way of living. 🌸 I found your video both encouraging and inspiring. Thank you.
They love food, they love walking, they love flowers, they love beautiful esthetics even in the most smallest thing. They are particular. I love it. Even a signboard, a window. It's like being very thoughtful about every little creation.
Beautiful Helena! I appreciate the translation you did for the interview, it was fun trying to follow along but I definitely needed the help. I've always loved this about the French. I would love to become truly masterful over an art like this someday. I'm a serial dabbler, haha, I paint, I bullet journal, I play piano and sing, I write, I create videos, I garden, I do graphic design, I dance... but I don't consider myself masterful at any of them. I would love to truly develop that kind of talent, knowledge, and care for something in my life. It's absolutely beautiful to see
oh ditto!! Fellow multi-passionate soul, I'm right there with ya!🤗 ❤ That's so amazing you play with so many fun toys and pleasures in life! Fully living 🥰
@@helenawoods doing my best to ☺️ and yes, I found the multi-passionate world lately and I never knew there was an actual word for it! Things make so much more sense now.
Nice, beautiful, meaningfull video. With the point of vue of a visitor, someone who watches from outside. Now, to really understand a culture you have to become a part of it, aka you have to work with people, bring something to the community, have and/or share projects and actively live with people. And it's even more interesting because making choices implicates you for real.
Hi Helena. Thank you for this beautiful video. It’s so inspirational! I am a Canadian and have purchased a flat in Nice and desperately trying to learn the language. I have taken many lessons in various ways and find it so difficult. I have signed up for Lingoda hoping it will take me to the level I need. Thank you again. Luv your vlogs keep up the good work !!!!
Beautiful video, well narrated and lovely visuals. Your friend reminded me that from childhood many of us created mountains from our heap of mash potato, gravy was the sea to be sailed upon by a green leaf canoe, with pea shaped people sitting on the boats. :-)
The French have definitely a wonderful carriere culture!! I admire our fellow neighbours very much for that. We Germans can learn a lot regarding to this 💚 And the interview, so inspiring! 😍 Amazing work Helena!!
How in the world did you come to live there...amazing your perseverance , for a life like that... Bravo for the courage to achieve that for yourself..❤ Love I get to see all of this... like a vacation I would never take... My home is French inspired...
Thank you so much for that inspiring and cheering video! Maybe you could do more stories like that. About local crafters and just people stories. It is very interesting to know others and other worlds. It would be great, if all the world lived in such a harmony! Creating and sharing! Thanks again! Wish you all the best!
Definitely! 💕 I have quite a few of these kinds of videos where I share other people's stories in my "Life in France" playlist. Anytime I feel particularly inspired by someone I meet along my travels, I always ask if I can share their story. 🥰 Thank you ❤️
I had a small gateau de chocolat and baguette in a village pâtisserie and boulangerie in Bretagne. Almost twenty years ago. Second to none. You can't travel France and not return heartbroken. I am German and I'd miss a lot of things in France. And still, I somehow miss something far more essential in my culture of origin. France is deep.
Helena, je te félicites et te remercie. Je te félicite d'avoir compris très tôt dans ta vie qu'il te fallait changer (radicalement) pour être heureuse, je te félicite pour avoir été capable d'identifier ce qu'il te fallait changer dans ta vie, et surtout d'avoir été capable de le faire. Je te remercie, infiniment, en tant que français, d'avoir compris ce, et ceux qui meuvent vraiment ce, ceux qui font les véritables forces vives de ce pays, et de savoir les faire connaître avec autant de poésie, autant de talent, je suis très, très heureux de constater, que notre pays t'inspire pour le meilleur et que tu le lui rends bien avec un talent rare, très rare. Merci d'être ce que tu es, merci Dieu de t'avoir accordé un tel talent, merci. Par contre, tu me fais pleurer d'émotion trop souvent, c'est pénible... (Je plaisante, tu parviens à me faire pleurer d'émotions toujours positives). Je te souhaite le meilleur, vraiment, absolument et au cours de toute ta vie, que Dieu te bénisse (même si ce n'est pas ta "tasse de thé", si je m'en souviens bien), tu le mérites. Longue et belle vie à toi et ceux qui te sont proches.
YES! THIS! I try to explain to my friends (I am American) that you can be good at just a few things, make sure it's above standards, quality, craftmanship, soul imprinted on it and in it. That you can live in a small space (apartment living is looked down on here, I feel), with a curated wardrobe and just the things you love. I think Americans have too many choices and not enough quality. It's why you don't see a big box store plopped down in the middle of many European countries. I think the American dream has become just over consuming from too many choices, there is very little quality in anything that is made here (It is VERY hard to find quality made anything in America, they usually go out of business before they get started). Status and one upping the next person here is very common and tiring. Bigger means success here, which often is quite the opposite- bigger usually mean they are in debt. Quality meals out? Maybe in the cities, by the immigrants who built those cities, but not so much on the outskirts.
Lived in France for a number of years and the key to knowing much about the people is in learning the language. The lifestyle outside Paris is very basic. Most often revolves around the land, food, family, community. And that's not unique. If you live other places in Europe for very long, you find the same.
There is a french kiss, food, wine ... Whatever is french is wonderfully unique. I once seen a french family departure to a train. I counted an exchange of 7 hugs and 8 kisses 💋. French people are very warm hearted people. Trouble is, I can't mirror in French.
This is how it used to be. People enjoyed their work cause they did what they loved. Now it’s about mass production. Brand names to feel and look important. Than wearing, eating or displaying something someone made with love, passion and pride in their craft.💗🥰🔥🏵
What a beautiful video Helena! It so inspired me and every frame lit a fire in my heart. I hope the French way of life never never dies. You featured lovely shops, but are other shops generally filled with mass produced items made in China? What is the overiding state of things?
I don't know how to feel about this, as someone from the US that currently lives in France and has lived in Korea for 5 years, honestly, I don't see that much of a difference, lol. Sure, there are small cultural differences and the longer you live someplace you start to notice them all the time, but they aren't better or worse than in other places, just different, people still get up, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, get dressed, go to work, come home, make dinner, watch some tv, go to bed, do the whole thing over again. If I had to be honest, I think I spent more time on personal pursuits while I was living in the US, because I didn't have to spent all my free time adjusting to life in a different country and trying to learn a new language, not saying my life back in the States was better (I had more worries about how to pay for healthcare on minimum wage and not having a lot of vacation time, even though I had a higher degree), but things like making friends and community while living outside your birth country can be extremely difficult, I always saw how the immigrants in my hometown tended to stay with each other, and living abroad I now understand why. It's little things like that. But as to a "secret" about French way of life or way of life in another other country that you didn't grow up with, there is no secret, lol, except maybe the government makes sure the population has certain needs taken care of through taxes so that you don't have to stress out about it like in the US, but that's not lifestyle related
Love it! Thanks for sharing your opinion and experiences, Emilie! 💕 I think that the French take great care and pride in the quality of their work/creations. There is a lot of passion behind the little things. Everything from the source of the products to the small details in the presentation. There's an emphasis on quality and making things beautiful. This happens in many other places too, absolutely! But compared to what I know from where I personally am from (the USA),and my experiences while living in the USA, the difference is stark. It's something that sticks out to me, in a very obvious way, living here and when I travel back to the USA I notice it even more. 🤗
Something I often feel needs clarification when I make videos about France: just because I am living, learning and experiencing what it is like living in France does not mean that one can't live a life of passion and care elsewhere. It's not only the French that live this way. I thought I made this clear at the end of the video when I said one can live like this anywhere, but alas: 'tis not the case. There are lots of people living this way all over the world. This is just what I have personally observed while living....in France. 🙃Good day!
True, but some places can be more uplifting than others! I already made my comment above...
You did make it clear at the end of the video. Personally I think people comment for several reasons. First, we would all love to go to France and the slow easy life just makes it all the more appealing. Second, it seems America in general doesn’t live a slow easy lifestyle. Americans are too obsessed with making money and getting ahead in life. You are right that anyone can live the slower life any place they live because it’s a mindset more than exactly where you live. But it’s just harder when you live in a fast pace environment and the people you live with tell you how you should be, but their ideas don’t fit your personality. Then we see your video and want to move to France. But in reality we really need to change ourselves not our place of residence. Your videos are excellent and very well done. You are clear in your presentation. We all just want an excuse to go to France.
It is a pity that that has to be mentioned. There are many around the world who live this way but since you are in France, obviously you would vlog about life in France.
Please start a podcast, that voice is so good
@@michelejones5538in USA you can’t afford your hobbies unless your parents can
Thank you for this film. I returned from France a couple of days ago, and, it was the Easter Week End ; Paris was at its wildest. The traffic was a gridlock and we had to stand in line for everything. So I took my American family through the old back streets that I used to haunt when I was a student we enjoyed the tiny shops, and friendly little bistros, discovered private gardens, and ancient fountains, *fed the pidgeons* exchanged views with the long time residents. By the end of the day everybody was relaxed and refreshed and happy with a truly Parisian experience
What a wonderful & inspiring message to wake up to this morning. Your vlogs are such good reminders of all the beauty we are surrounded by, despite the tragedies & horrors. Thank you.
This is beautiful. I have French blood in me, and I so resonate with this, being a foodie and budding artist. I love the “tableaus” the cheese lady makes, how she glamorizes and creates art out of cheese. I love the idea of dancing with life and living with passion. Amazing.
Your videos always leave me feeling so much more inspired. The effort you put in them really shines through. You’re doing amazing Helena 🌷🌈
Well said, Ms. Woods. I think, especially now in these horrific and crazy times, that we all need to learn to dance instead of sitting on the sidelines...not sure my two left feet agree or appreciate that, but at least I have two feet and that's a place to start. Many blessings to you during this Eastertide, a time of beginnings...
Absolutely lovely video and message. I so love and admire that not only do the French care deeply about quality and presentation but that in general it is not about gaining attention but simply because it’s important to them because quality and beauty matter. After my reading with you last week, I am planning a month-long trip to France in July. This video squashed any worry or hesitation I had about doing so. Thank you for creating this! 💖💕
Exactly, we call it "Art de vivre" and this art is to enjoy life and beauty in all its forms, particularly the food, and leisure times.
THANKS for such a BEAUTIFUL video! Quotable for the day: "How can you dance with life more? How can you make the everyday more beautiful?" LOVE this! In listening to your Fromage Friend, I was reminded of that Rumi quote: Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do." 🙂
@@elsagrace3893 Are you referring to the Rumi quote? It has no meaning to YOU. For others, it does; no pretending necessary.
Hello Helena, I was very happy about you mentioning the language learning platform "Lingoda" in this video. I am acutally a teacher at Lingoda. I am one of the German teachers. You inspired me to catch up my French again. I used to speak French fluently because I learned it very well for my education as a translator. Unfortunately, I didn't work with French and I lost totally contact with the language. O.k., I could have kept contact with it by myself but I was not motivated enough. I love LINGODA. I am so thankful working there. It is such a nice working place and every student is a blessing to me. I learn so much from them. So to say, I don't just teach the lesson but I get so much back from my students. Every day, I am learning something new. Love it. Keep up the good work, Helena.
I'm currently doing a German course with lingoda using my CPF (french training plan ) so 90h free for me. I was test for B2 but a bit to demanding for me, I préfère to restart at B1-2 level and found a nice groupe of people with a really net teacher Frank, we meet each Friday for 2 hours for me. I "try" a lot of teachers to found the one for me in my hours. I'm thinking of continue at the end of my 90 hours with some "spring" program.
@@brigittelacour5055 Wonderful, keep up the good work. I hope to teach you, too, one day.
They are the most detailed oriented people i ever worked with. Very detailed. I love it. They dont simply half ass things. Every little detail matters.
Thank you Helena!
As a french who lives in Toulouse, I love the way you show my own culture!
Love your channel so much!
See you soon!
Marie 💖
ahhh thank you Marie!! Your words mean a lot! 💕
@@helenawoods Thank you Helena for your answer!
A bientôt!
Marie ❤
Thank you for the inspiration. Sometimes one wants to just get on with life and miss so much on the way. Stop take a breath and look around.
What a beautiful film!
I have the word 'passion' tattooed across me shoulder, and when someone sees it, they think it refers to sexytimes, but it doesn't. It is about having a passion for something, anything, that brings pure joy into our lives. I love to listen to someone talking about their passion, even if it's about something I'm not personally interested in. It's such a delight to watch someone's face light up.
Observation is a unique gift
Why do you need tattoo to show who you are?
@@Misinformed_lol I don't. I like tattoos, and I wanted at least one from being quite young. However, because I work in a corporate environment, I made sure I can keep them out of sight at work. I got my tattoos purely for my own pleasure, most people don't know I have them at all.
@@itsacarolbthing5221 how beautiful!! I love that Carol!💕 Inspiring. Tattoos are beautiful reminders of moments of time, momentos of our lives! I've always thought of tattoo-ing "courage" on my wrist 🥰
@@helenawoods go for it!
Beautiful philosophy: Making your everyday life beautiful expressing yourself. Thank you Helena
Hi Helena: Enjoying your platform. I lived in Paris 4 yrs in the 80's, a State Dept job assignment. I was in the 16th, Blvd Suchet, across from Bois du Bologne. Many many great memories and as I recall took all of 24 hrs to become a lifelong food snob. I was single in those days, had a car and traveled all over Western Europe. Also took many train trips. I also was an insane runner then and made Versailles Gardens my Sunday jaunt for long runs. If there is a more spectacular running course I can't imagine what it is like. Look forward to more videos. All the best. Catheline Garrity (Las Vegas). (P.S. We have a Paris Resort/Casino here in LV but is not quite the same. Their valet people are taught to say "Bonjour" to arriving guests. I always went further in French conversation trying to engage them, but it was clear their French level was "Bonjour" and that was it. I would tell them "its okay, I forgive you. If they want you to be a fluent French speaker demand a higher salary + beaucoup d' TIPS."
Buongiorno mermaid! Thank you so much for this beautiful video. We have have a saying in Slovakia about foreign languages that goes: "As many languages you know, as many times you are a human." So I am working on my French and Italian now, I speak another four too. Thank you for taking us to beautiful destinations and countries, thank you for sharing your deep thinking with us. You are precious. XX
Ravie de voir Virginie dans cette très jolie vidéo qui met à l’honneur notre petite île ♥️
So nice to hear from the people themselves, I'd love to see bread making from beginning to end and other shops! This was such a nice video, thanks for putting the faces of the locals!
I have quite a few videos in the "life in france" series with different people sharing their stories in France! Anytime I meet someone I'm really inspired by and they feel comfortable sharing their story, I'll find a way to bring their light to the channel 💕 Glad you liked it, Carmen!
Thank you for another lovely, inspiring video! Taking pride in one's craft and presentation is such a beautiful thing and it makes me sad that it's not as revered as it deserves to be. You've reminded me to slow down and to take pride in my work, as I am not immune to the efficiency and convenience culture surrounding me.
love your words 💕🤗 thank you Margaret
Helena, you have captured the very essence of what I adore about France and the way her people put their passion and creativity into their work. I was so impressed with this when I travelled around this magnificent country with a friend a few years back. Even buying vegetables at the market where the vendor insisted I return an item so he could present me with one that was flawless.....I will never forget that.
Ma très chère Helena.
Si vous saviez à quel point je vous aimes lorsque vous faite ce genre de vidéo.
Tout prend du sens. "Danser avec la vie" parait si facile alors. La passion partagée nourrie celui qui la reçoit. beaucoup d'amour a vous.
I most appreciate helen for giving words regarding the inspiration created in craft & shared with all
@12:22
Props to the abundance of Passion
I dont know why, but whenever i feel down and then i just watch your videos and listen to what you are saying, so that drive me to be peace honestly.
ah that means so much ❤
I would love that type of lifestyle. My family came from France to Canada in the 1600’s . My maiden name is a French name. My son has been living in France for about 3 years now and he absolutely loves it. Maybe I should move there too.
Absoluttely! Bye-bye qc. Vive la France
Thank you, Helena, so much for your thoughtful and insightful reminders of how life should be. This message brought me to tears. Good tears, happy and hopeful tears. My world just slowed down and became more beautiful. 🙏🙏❤️❤️
oh I'm so glad Jane! 💕
This is a beautiful video, and wonderfully recounted story! I live in Italy, which has it's beautiful aspects, but after many years here am contemplating moving to France for precisely the reasons you state in your video. Strangely, those very things are often lacking here, except for in some places. Culturally France is way ahead in terms of a more refined and sensitive approach to life. The beauty of your video is striking...but let us not forget, beauty is also in the eye of the beholder!
Happy Easter everyone! I sincerely hope that this is a time of rebirth, creativity and immense joy for you all x
Happy Easter! 💕✨ Have a beautiful day!
My bliss is phototherapy. In the attempt to keep up with the latest and greatest the joy disappeared. Watching your lovely work, I’m taking my camera from the bag to the garden. 💕
I truly enjoy all your magical and inspiring videos. Thank you for all the time you spend making them.
You inspired me a lot Helena❤I wish i could visit France again❤❤Keep safe.Always watching from the Philippines😘
I love your videos, the music the content you are a very lucky lady, I love France the music, the food, the people the language..thank you for sharing
Really well made video! Thank you for sharing!
This is so inspiring! I love Virginie's outlook on life, creativity and passion and how she brings that to her profession. I wish this mindset for everyone! I will take her advice to heart. 💛 Thank you Helena! Gorgeous video!! 😍
Charming and inspirational. Thank you💐🥰
Dear Helena, thank you for this beautiful message...how can we dance with life more. So well said and it's a wonderful reminder. It's exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you
You captured the spirit perfectly. I felt my spirit soaring as if I was back there.
Such a beautiful and inspiring video, Thank you for working hard on it and all the content that you create.
thank you 🥰
Helena thanking you for brining the French closer to me. Because of my French heritage I live this way of life every day even living in a concrete jungle. I love your videos, keep them coming with much love and light! xox
so wonderful! 💕🤗 Thank you Marci
Guatemala still.has this too....I have lived here 20 yrs...they are bakers, hand made traditionalmSpanish style furniture makers, dyers, weavers, huipile makers, metal.workers, traditional tile painters....jade jewelry makers.they have many many craft traditions then there are the flowers and gardens in courtyards,,orchid collections, coffee growers roasters and exporters.
Mexico too has a VERY strong hand made traditon ...both are lovely cultures that live for.each day, pleasure in creativity, no rush, little daily stress, the family is their heart.
thank you again for posting this and highlighting on quality . this is important to apply in life . tQ again helena woods 😊❤️🌹✨
Beautiful and inspirational!
Thank you for sharing this. 🥰 watching from Normandie and inspired to dance more in the everyday beauty..
Just delightful!
What a beautifully filmed video and its narration is excellent. Because of this I'm subscribing. Bravo!
Thank you so much for inspiring me to continue on my path of creating my passion. I am a painter yet a newbie on the island of Kefalonia in Greece, and have been grappling with finding ways of expressing my art, yet quietly interweaving with the locals and enjoying the different aspects of this new way of living. 🌸 I found your video both encouraging and inspiring. Thank you.
Love this video- thank you
France is my favorite holiday destination. I am applying for a french long stay visa next year.❤❤❤
you make simple things full of meaning and full of life
❤️🥲🥰
This was lovely and a real treat. It made me think hard and give myself a little bit of forgiveness. Thank you. I'd absolutely love to see more.
It’s very true that this feeling of passion does exist within each of us we just have to tap into it. I know how it feels finally.
yes!! 💕
Thank you for inspiration from a person who cherish the beauty and passion xoxo
A beautifully put together video thank you
They love food, they love walking, they love flowers, they love beautiful esthetics even in the most smallest thing. They are particular. I love it. Even a signboard, a window. It's like being very thoughtful about every little creation.
I really enjoyed this particular video presentation of yours 😊
Excellent post. Thank you
I am happy with all of them. I mean what i saw . It was really really awesome. 💗💗💗
Beautiful Helena! I appreciate the translation you did for the interview, it was fun trying to follow along but I definitely needed the help. I've always loved this about the French. I would love to become truly masterful over an art like this someday. I'm a serial dabbler, haha, I paint, I bullet journal, I play piano and sing, I write, I create videos, I garden, I do graphic design, I dance... but I don't consider myself masterful at any of them. I would love to truly develop that kind of talent, knowledge, and care for something in my life. It's absolutely beautiful to see
oh ditto!! Fellow multi-passionate soul, I'm right there with ya!🤗 ❤ That's so amazing you play with so many fun toys and pleasures in life! Fully living 🥰
@@helenawoods doing my best to ☺️ and yes, I found the multi-passionate world lately and I never knew there was an actual word for it! Things make so much more sense now.
Thank you so much for this video! Very inspiring 🤍🤍
Excellent video i do love it many thanks quiet life of france.
Very good and true! Merci bien!
An insightful video; thanks.
What a beautiful gift you are to the world. 🙏🏻❤️ You are living your purpose very well. Thank you for sharing with us.
oh thank you! So happy to share. I feel in alignment for sure! 🤗💕🌿
Merci pour l'inspiration ! Your choice of words is beautiful, and the images are mesmerising, as always 👌 Bravo 🤗
Alexandra 🌷
See me smiling as i listen n watch ur video about France. I adore France😘🥰
Awesome video!!!
Love this!!
Nice, beautiful, meaningfull video. With the point of vue of a visitor, someone who watches from outside. Now, to really understand a culture you have to become a part of it, aka you have to work with people, bring something to the community, have and/or share projects and actively live with people. And it's even more interesting because making choices implicates you for real.
Wonderfully captured beauty... Thanx!
This was incredible to watch! ❤️
You make beautiful and inspiring videos, thank you!
Your videos are flawless 😊
Hi Helena. Thank you for this beautiful video. It’s so inspirational! I am a Canadian and have purchased a flat in Nice and desperately trying to learn the language. I have taken many lessons in various ways and find it so difficult. I have signed up for Lingoda hoping it will take me to the level I need. Thank you again. Luv your vlogs keep up the good work !!!!
how amazing! That's so exciting, Deb! Lingoda is seriously the BEST for learning French. Excited for you to start learning 🤗
@@helenawoods thank you. Hoping one day to take the ferry from nice to Corsica heard beautiful things about it. Have a wonderful day. 💕Happy Easter 🐣
Beautiful video, well narrated and lovely visuals. Your friend reminded me that from childhood many of us created mountains from our heap of mash potato, gravy was the sea to be sailed upon by a green leaf canoe, with pea shaped people sitting on the boats. :-)
Aw so cute!! Love this 😍
Beautiful video!
The French have definitely a wonderful carriere culture!! I admire our fellow neighbours very much for that. We Germans can learn a lot regarding to this 💚 And the interview, so inspiring! 😍 Amazing work Helena!!
thank you Alina! You live in such a beautiful, magical place 😻🌿✨
Sounds to me like Spain and Ialy too
for sure!
...this is great!
How in the world did you come to live there...amazing your perseverance , for a life like that... Bravo for the courage to achieve that for yourself..❤
Love I get to see all of this... like a vacation I would never take...
My home is French inspired...
Thank you Magical being!✨
This felt like a cold mango juice on a hot summer day , Grateful for you!❤️
aw I love that!! ☀
Dancing your life ✨✨✨💕🕊✨
Thank you so much 🐣🌸🦋
Thank you so much for that inspiring and cheering video! Maybe you could do more stories like that. About local crafters and just people stories. It is very interesting to know others and other worlds. It would be great, if all the world lived in such a harmony! Creating and sharing! Thanks again! Wish you all the best!
Definitely! 💕 I have quite a few of these kinds of videos where I share other people's stories in my "Life in France" playlist. Anytime I feel particularly inspired by someone I meet along my travels, I always ask if I can share their story. 🥰 Thank you ❤️
@@helenawoods Then you share and become an inspired inspirer :))) Thank you! Waiting for your next inspirations!!!!
I had a small gateau de chocolat and baguette in a village pâtisserie and boulangerie in Bretagne. Almost twenty years ago. Second to none. You can't travel France and not return heartbroken. I am German and I'd miss a lot of things in France. And still, I somehow miss something far more essential in my culture of origin. France is deep.
There is definitely something special about France
Que bueno si pasan los subtítulos en español...Gracias!!!
Helena, je te félicites et te remercie. Je te félicite d'avoir compris très tôt dans ta vie qu'il te fallait changer (radicalement) pour être heureuse, je te félicite pour avoir été capable d'identifier ce qu'il te fallait changer dans ta vie, et surtout d'avoir été capable de le faire. Je te remercie, infiniment, en tant que français, d'avoir compris ce, et ceux qui meuvent vraiment ce, ceux qui font les véritables forces vives de ce pays, et de savoir les faire connaître avec autant de poésie, autant de talent, je suis très, très heureux de constater, que notre pays t'inspire pour le meilleur et que tu le lui rends bien avec un talent rare, très rare.
Merci d'être ce que tu es, merci Dieu de t'avoir accordé un tel talent, merci. Par contre, tu me fais pleurer d'émotion trop souvent, c'est pénible... (Je plaisante, tu parviens à me faire pleurer d'émotions toujours positives). Je te souhaite le meilleur, vraiment, absolument et au cours de toute ta vie, que Dieu te bénisse (même si ce n'est pas ta "tasse de thé", si je m'en souviens bien), tu le mérites. Longue et belle vie à toi et ceux qui te sont proches.
lovely!
YES! THIS! I try to explain to my friends (I am American) that you can be good at just a few things, make sure it's above standards, quality, craftmanship, soul imprinted on it and in it. That you can live in a small space (apartment living is looked down on here, I feel), with a curated wardrobe and just the things you love. I think Americans have too many choices and not enough quality. It's why you don't see a big box store plopped down in the middle of many European countries. I think the American dream has become just over consuming from too many choices, there is very little quality in anything that is made here (It is VERY hard to find quality made anything in America, they usually go out of business before they get started). Status and one upping the next person here is very common and tiring. Bigger means success here, which often is quite the opposite- bigger usually mean they are in debt. Quality meals out? Maybe in the cities, by the immigrants who built those cities, but not so much on the outskirts.
Passionate people are magnetic.
Lived in France for a number of years and the key to knowing much about the people is in learning the language. The lifestyle outside Paris is very basic. Most often revolves around the land, food, family, community. And that's not unique. If you live other places in Europe for very long, you find the same.
“We’re going to make cheese feminine!” (I also love the passion of the French!. I want to come visit you!”
Am proud to be French 🇫🇷💗💗
Lovely!
There is a french kiss, food, wine ...
Whatever is french is wonderfully unique.
I once seen a french family departure to a train. I counted an exchange of 7 hugs and 8 kisses 💋.
French people are very warm hearted people.
Trouble is, I can't mirror in French.
Do you do all your own cinematography? It's amazing!
This is how it used to be. People enjoyed their work cause they did what they loved. Now it’s about mass production. Brand names to feel and look important. Than wearing, eating or displaying something someone made with love, passion and pride in their craft.💗🥰🔥🏵
What a beautiful video Helena! It so inspired me and every frame lit a fire in my heart. I hope the French way of life never never dies. You featured lovely shops, but are other shops generally filled with mass produced items made in China? What is the overiding state of things?
I don't know how to feel about this, as someone from the US that currently lives in France and has lived in Korea for 5 years, honestly, I don't see that much of a difference, lol. Sure, there are small cultural differences and the longer you live someplace you start to notice them all the time, but they aren't better or worse than in other places, just different, people still get up, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, get dressed, go to work, come home, make dinner, watch some tv, go to bed, do the whole thing over again. If I had to be honest, I think I spent more time on personal pursuits while I was living in the US, because I didn't have to spent all my free time adjusting to life in a different country and trying to learn a new language, not saying my life back in the States was better (I had more worries about how to pay for healthcare on minimum wage and not having a lot of vacation time, even though I had a higher degree), but things like making friends and community while living outside your birth country can be extremely difficult, I always saw how the immigrants in my hometown tended to stay with each other, and living abroad I now understand why. It's little things like that. But as to a "secret" about French way of life or way of life in another other country that you didn't grow up with, there is no secret, lol, except maybe the government makes sure the population has certain needs taken care of through taxes so that you don't have to stress out about it like in the US, but that's not lifestyle related
Love it! Thanks for sharing your opinion and experiences, Emilie! 💕 I think that the French take great care and pride in the quality of their work/creations. There is a lot of passion behind the little things. Everything from the source of the products to the small details in the presentation. There's an emphasis on quality and making things beautiful. This happens in many other places too, absolutely! But compared to what I know from where I personally am from (the USA),and my experiences while living in the USA, the difference is stark. It's something that sticks out to me, in a very obvious way, living here and when I travel back to the USA I notice it even more. 🤗
For learning A language have you ever tried babbel or Rosetta stone?
Hi 👋 Be in the present! !
Southern Europe you are describing Spain, Italy Portugal
amazing 💕 🥰
inspired