Blue sky and red land, dazzling sun, streets filled with emotion, culture and art,
All of this leads to relaxation and healing,
Feeling at home in the nature and people of Namdo and Provence

The author has a special connection with the southern part of our country and Provence, France.
At the age of 31, after completing her studies abroad, she was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Chonnam National University and lived in Gwangju for three years. Starting in 2018, she stayed in Aix-en-Provence for three to four months at a time for five years to participate in research projects with her husband.
During his stay in both places, the author felt true rest and healing.
Above all, I felt a deep sense of closeness in my heart because of the warm embrace of the land and nature, and the caring and compassionate people.
Just like home.


Although the South and Provence are geographically distant and have different languages ​​and histories, the two regions the author experienced have many similarities.
Both boast beautiful scenery with mountains and seas, are rich in food, and have produced many writers and painters.
However, as it is a village at the end of the earth far from the capitals of Seoul and Paris, it has a famous place of exile and prison.
It has a sad history.
In this book, the author tells the story by comparing the two regions through themes of nature, religion, art, people, food, and history, incorporating his vivid experiences and feelings into words and pictures.


This book is divided into five parts.
Part 1 begins with the red land we first encountered in Haenam and Provence, and tells of the natural landscapes of Haenam's Dosolam and Dalmago Island, and Provence's Mount Sainte-Victoire and the Cassis coastal cliffs. Part 2 introduces temples and cathedrals with long histories in the southern provinces and Provence.
You can see Daeheungsa Temple, Mihwangsa Temple, Baekryeonsa Temple, and Muwisa Temple in Namdo, and the Avignon Papal Palace, Moustiers-Saint-Marie Cathedral, and Saint-Marie-de-La-Mer Cathedral in Provence.


Both regions are home to many outstanding artists, and in Part 3, we can see painters Heo Ryeon and Yun Du-seo, Cézanne and Van Gogh, and writers Yun Seon-do and Kim Yun-sik, Alphonse Daudet and Marcel Pagnol.
Similarities can be found even within the different artistic histories and traditions of the two regions.
Part 4 examines people's personalities and food.
The people of the two regions may look very different on the outside, but they have warm hearts.
You can also compare the local flavors of southern cuisine with Mediterranean cuisine, which you can enjoy first with your eyes.
Part 5 explores the darker side of history, a time of sorrow and suffering intertwined in the southern provinces and Provence, far from the capital.

“De Cafe Americano, double water!”
At the Grillon Café in Aix-en-Provence (or simply 'Aix' for short), I always order like this, holding up the menu to shield my face from the sunlight.
… One day, a waiter came and said, “De Cafe Americano, double water?” and told me what I wanted to order.
Then he lifted the menu and held it to my forehead, smiling.
'No, this waiter remembers me.
I laughed too, saying, 'You know I'm a regular at that cafe?'
Everyone was enjoying the sun with their faces exposed, but I was the only one who had my face covered by the menu.
I can't believe I have a regular cafe in the far south of France.
--- From "Prologue: The Relationship Between Namdo and Aix-en-Provence"

If Haenam is famous for the Yuseonggwan and Daeheungsa Temple's Yeonrigeun, X is famous for its geometrically shaped street trees.
In particular, the geometric shapes of the street trees that have not yet sprouted leaves are quite unique.
Most of them stand in an upside-down S shape facing the sky.
In France, they seem to prune the branches of street trees that are overwintering in this way.
The same goes for the trees on the Rue Mirabeau, the trees on the way to the Carcassonne sports grounds, the trees in the Jourdan Park on the way to school, and the trees at the University of Aix-Marseille.

--- From "Geometrically Shaped Street Trees"

Thinking about Mihwangsa Temple, which is perched on a mountaintop but is said to have originated from the sea, two cathedrals in Provence came to mind.
One is the Basilica of Sainte-Marie de Moustiers, located on top of a rocky mountain, and the other is the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Mer, located on the seashore south of Arles.
Because the names were confusing, the former was called 'St. Marie Cathedral on the Top of the Mountain' and the latter 'St. Marie Cathedral by the Sea'.
The 'Saint Marie Church on the Top of the Mountain' requires climbing over 200 steps, just like Mihwangsa Temple, which requires climbing 108 steps.
On the other hand, the 'Saint Marie Church on the Seaside' has a similar origin to Mihwangsa Temple, which has a legend that it was built by saints who came by boat carrying Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist statues, and stone coffins.

--- From "The Lavender Fields and the Star-studded Village"

When I told Kim Ji-woo of the open tea house Myeongyu-dang in advance that I wanted to visit, he immediately suggested that we have lunch together and have soybean paste stew.
It was truly amazing to receive such hospitality.
When you see strangers or foreigners, you are bound to feel wary, but she shared her space and treated others to food without any hesitation.
They say you can even sleep there if you want.
Isn't this truly a wonderful hospitality?
--- From "A Southerner Enjoying the Life of a Green Potato"

“We need to look at it both anthropologically and sociologically.”
He said that while the people of Exoana and Marseille are similar in that they have bright personalities thanks to the good weather and hot sun, sociologically they are very different.
While Exua is comprised of intellectuals, educators, and bureaucrats from the upper-middle class, the people of Marseille are comprised of many workers, and their inclinations differ according to these class characteristics.
If Exua is individualistic, the people of Marseille are more communal and tend to live by sharing even small things and helping each other.
And while the Exuas are cool and calculating, the Marseille people are more passionate and easily swayed by emotions, and they often fall into conflict, but they still live together in solidarity and harmony.
That was a really interesting observation and seemed to be correct.

--- From "Marseilles people who love the South"