Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

La Bonne Aventure

                           

1988

Walking down the street in Paris, my path to the bakery was blocked by three gypsies. I looked at their brightly colored skirts and shawls, and smiled. One of them held her hand out for me to stop, I had no choice; the other gypsy grabbed my hand, I looked in her eyes, in French she said:

"LA PROCHAINE FOIS, C’EST UN GARCON!" (Next time it will be a boy!)

Right then and there my fortune was told…

I was pregnant,

with a girl,

and I would have a boy the next time.

Just like that on the way to the bakery, my buns were baked.

Photo of a 19th century French  engraving,"The Fortune Teller- La Bonne Aventure"

Comments

55 responses to “La Bonne Aventure”

  1. Paris Parfait

    Such a clever post, Corey! Love the engraving.

    Reply
  2. maggie

    Hi Corey:
    How fantastic!
    Have a great day
    Maggie

    Reply
  3. Shannon Lewis

    What a fantastic image…the colors, gypsies, and the premonition.

    Reply
  4. cruststation

    wow, did that really happen? love that picture.

    Reply
  5. Dawn

    Oh Corey…you make me chuckle right out loud..!
    :o)

    Reply
  6. susan@artesprit

    oh corey, this makes me giggle!
    and the baked bun in the oven…tee hee.

    Reply
  7. andrea

    Ok are you messing with me? If that is a true story, I will freak. How cool is that?! Wow. You live such an enlightened life.
    …buns cooked. FUNNY!
    a.

    Reply
  8. jennifer

    too fun! love the engraving – wow!

    Reply
  9. Annie

    Very mysterious about the gypsies. And buns baked? How funny. Corey is showing her droll side.

    Reply
  10. mary ann

    how positively divine!
    u r 1 wicked clever & witty gal!
    gotta love that!
    🙂 mary ann xo

    Reply
  11. berrie

    AMAZING! Yep You’re buns were baked right then and there! Love this post a bunch! xo

    Reply
  12. ally bean

    lol forever on that one. too clever.

    Reply
  13. DebR

    Cool story!!

    Reply
  14. meredith

    I, too, have been approached by these palm readers. I was once told that I had a long life line, hmmm, I’ll let you know in 40 years if this prediction comes true.

    Reply
  15. Ulla

    How wonderful that they stopped you… Gypsies are so empowered with their knowledge… sometimes we forget to hold our own talents with such reverence and joy… Blessings on you and yours.

    Reply
  16. deirdre60

    Did you believe her right away? My mother was told by a gypsy that she’d live across the water and have six children. She forgot about it until it was all true.

    Reply
  17. Jill

    Something like that happened to me, as well. I was 8 months pregnant and a tiny old woman walked up to me, circled me, and said I’d have a daughter. Until that point I thought I was having a boy because everyone kept saying so. But then I believed it was a girl, and so it was!

    Reply
  18. mikaelah

    hahahahahahahahahahaaa….
    what a great story!
    I met a gypsy and she told me so many stories…and I guess I told her a few as well. I did not realize till the end of our time together that she was a gypsy. I wish she had not vanished.

    Reply
  19. endment

    Fascinating engraving – doesn’t it simply send your imagination on a trip?

    Reply
  20. amber

    Oh wow! LOL! How cool!
    My grandpa used to tell me stories of Gypsies where he grew up. He used to get secret rides with them on their loaded up cars and wagons, and beat all this brothers to school. Hehe. I used to hearing about the Gypsies.
    🙂

    Reply
  21. Josephine

    Interesting…I must say that if I were a gypsy and I saw you walking toward me, I would want to look into your eyes as well! The eyes are the window to the soul, my father always said.

    Reply
  22. isabel

    There were three gypsies a come to my door
    And downstairs ran this lady, O!
    One sang high and another sang low
    And the other sang bonny, bonny, Biscay, O!
    Then she pulled off her silk finished gown
    And put on hose of leather, O!
    The ragged, ragged, rags about our door
    She’s gone with the raggle taggle gypsies, O!
    “““(traditional folk song)

    Reply
  23. Jeanne

    Your stories enlighten me and leave me smiling all day long.
    Love you Sugar Plum~

    Reply
  24. Tammy

    So cool! I’m part Hungarian, we must of had a gypsy or two in our ancestry. LOL

    Reply
  25. la vie en rose

    what a cool experience!

    Reply
  26. Adeleine

    So your daughter is about my age then…
    That is amazing- I have encountered gypsies before when travelling around Europe.

    Reply
  27. blackbird

    Oooooh!
    When I was pregnant, I went out of my way to AVOID gypsies.

    Reply
  28. Lea

    Great story and beautiful picture too, as always. I have a similar tale to tell. My late grandmother had her fortune told by a gypsy in August 1958. The woman just appeared in her garden where my grandmother was working and my grandmother was a little annoyed so she asked the woman to leave. But the gypsy woman didn’t want any money or anything, she just said: In this house, first you’ll have a funeral, then a wedding. My grandmother felt chills down her spine. Well, only a few days later an accident happened. A
    heavy wooden coathanger fell on my grandmother’s tiny dog, breaking her back and killing her instantly. The next day she hosted my parents’ wedding in her garden.
    Seems like those gypsies know their stuff…

    Reply
  29. diana

    Beautiful picture…. hmmmm I wonder how many times I have written that about your posts…. oh well… it was true..every single time !!

    Reply
  30. Cat

    One of those memories never to forget…one of those moments meant to be…

    Reply
  31. jinxthegypsy

    wow!! a beautiful and unforgettable memorey.

    Reply
  32. Catalina

    Interesting! Once in Spain, a gypsy took my hand as well and told me “something” that I don’t remember……..but she didn’t tell me that I should continue walking in life following myself and not to the boy that was with me……..:)

    Reply
  33. snowsparkle

    ah! such a wonderful prophesy! and what lovely buns you’ve baked!

    Reply
  34. ms*robyn

    I love having my fortune told! I had it done in a market in Singapore years ago and the gorgeous asian man told me that I would travel the world and be treated like a princess & I guess you could say that has come true!
    hello lovely friend, I am back (I hope) xoxo

    Reply
  35. La Fée Coriandre – Sofia

    that’s a cute story, wish I could find myself some gypsies too to tell me the same 🙂

    Reply
  36. haiderdroubi

    y met a fortune teller…and y are a great real life-stories teller…in yr website..life becomes more adorable …

    Reply
  37. Kristy

    A few years ago wherever I went I would stumble across gypsies.As beautiful as they can be it so annoys me that they feel they can force their beliefs on someone else.Especially by scaremongering.I think I have received more than several curses for politely refusing! Somehow I left feeling more blessed instead!Our destiny is pre-defined by someone much greater so in His hands I trust 🙂

    Reply
  38. mary jane

    The news of my son Daniel was given to me by a cousin…..at the time I told her that my days for giving birth were over at 42…six weeks later I realized the truth had been told that day…so I’m a believer now..and he is a gift from heaven…he is 15 now and my husband and I are so lucky to have watched him grow…

    Reply
  39. Jenny

    A man of Cherokee Indian descent told me I was pregnant with my second daughter before I knew. He was correct. I told my sister was pregnant before she knew. My husband’s Irish grandmother said she could tell if a woman was pregnant because their noses would become sharper at the end…Your soul and the soul of your unborn daughter must have reached out to the gypsy’s soul that day!

    Reply
  40. cathy

    Beautiful! Another one that grabbed my attention, i’m glad to have discovered an inspiring blog

    Reply
  41. wishes Heros

    That is a great story! You tell them in a lovely way. It is always a pleasure to read you!

    Reply
  42. expatraveler

    oh corey that is so funny!
    I’ve been busy but I’ve read all of your posts and have caught up. 🙂

    Reply
  43. Michelle

    Wow- that’s a great story. My grandmother went to a palm reader at the carnival and was told she would marry a man named Paul and have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl and the girl would be born first. She was right on all counts!

    Reply
  44. bonnie

    I love the engraving and details on the hands. Well written story!

    Reply
  45. Megan

    A haunting image and a good tale. Sometimes we know things…lots of times we know things…in ways that don’t need to be explained.

    Reply
  46. Catherine

    Thanks to Sunday Scribblings for taking me back to this post. A great story.

    Reply
  47. Don

    Very interesting…

    Reply
  48. Rebekah

    The art is CAPTIVATING. I can get lost in its beauty and possibility. I love, love, love the story. MMMM. Gypsies.

    Reply
  49. Mardougrrl

    Hee! Thank you for putting this up for SS–I loved the picture and the story. 🙂

    Reply
  50. Scott

    Wonderful picture and a very clever story told in few words…a gift indeed

    Reply
  51. Amber

    Oh, yes! I love this post. What a GREAT story to tell your kids.
    🙂

    Reply
  52. Ceebie

    What a cool story…I try to resist believing in these sixth senses (my mom has this uncanny knack for reading my mind that I am trying to deny is true), until I read stories such as yours.

    Reply
  53. Imelda

    Great story! I love that it’s all told in just a few lines. Nothing extra. Just a sharp and wonderful tale!

    Reply
  54. Tammy

    LOL I’ve been swamped here but have kept up with your visit. Fun post!
    Hope Shelley is well 🙂

    Reply
  55. lisa

    this is my first visit to your blog and oh my, how wonderful. Beautiful family, beautiful love story, beautiful collections – beautiful everything! I will be visiting often.

    Reply

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