#Madeleineproject SEASON 2 (English)

  1. #MadeleineprojectEN started 3 months ago, which looks like forever considering all the things that happened since then
  2. After Paris attacks had this sentence from Madeleine in mind:“It’s comforting to love each other this way especially at this point in time"
  3. This sentence referring to World War II was exactly what I had in mind in 2015. #MadeleineprojectEN
  4. I really wondered what to do with this story, how to stay true, what position I should adopt #MadeleineprojectEN
  5. I decided I’d keep going, hanging on to the precious lifeline Madeleine had left behind for me. #MadeleineprojectEN
  6. So let me tell you about my investigation, about my presence in her absence, over the next couple of days #MadeleineprojectEN
  7. This time the story will neither be limited to the cellar nor to the past. Still let’s take a look at the stuff left in the cellar ...
  8. I somehow feared what would happen when I’d go back down there. Feared I would no longer feel the magic, feared it was just a dream
  9. I even found stuff that flashed out as signs (although the whole story is already full of them...) #MadeleineprojectEN
  10. So, yes, in Madeleine’s cellar, there’s a tin dedicated to baking… madeleines #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/PIlGGttSEM
    So, yes, in Madeleine’s cellar, there’s a tin dedicated to baking… madeleines #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/PIlGGttSEM
  11. There is also Marcel Proust’s “In search of Lost Time” although the mention to madeleines comes in a different novel https://t.co/6KKO0G69Cb
    There is also Marcel Proust’s “In search of Lost Time” although the mention to madeleines comes in a different novel pic.twitter.com/6KKO0G69Cb
  12. These magazines are filled with ads that wouln’t be quite right these days… #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/pNYO5Co0iq
    These magazines are filled with ads that wouln’t be quite right these days… #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/pNYO5Co0iq
  13. I do like this ad for “Razvite”, a cream that helps you shave twice as fast #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/vIrC4vQV4z
    I do like this ad for “Razvite”, a cream that helps you shave twice as fast #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/vIrC4vQV4z
  14. What’s inside? Two small school bags, most probably teacher’s ones #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/PYKKXtd8Zb
    What’s inside? Two small school bags, most probably teacher’s ones #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/PYKKXtd8Zb
  15. And many pictures. You don’t seem quite comfortable on this one… :) #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/s8qoBmES6R
    And many pictures. You don’t seem quite comfortable on this one… :) #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/s8qoBmES6R
  16. A couple of days ago, I had a dream about you. What were your dreams about, Madeleine? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/JNlWGtzHt2
    A couple of days ago, I had a dream about you. What were your dreams about, Madeleine? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/JNlWGtzHt2
  17. You look happy on this picture, dated 1940. Who took it? Who were you smiling to? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/rj5UyIJ4VY
    You look happy on this picture, dated 1940. Who took it? Who were you smiling to? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/rj5UyIJ4VY
  18. And what did it mean to “be happy” for a 25 years old girl in 1940? #MadeleineprojectEN
  19. There are a couple of sleeves like this one, with photo negatives. Should I develop them? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/ByFIz3sBHg
    There are a couple of sleeves like this one, with photo negatives. Should I develop them? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/ByFIz3sBHg
  20. I discover how you were showing which part of the photo you would like to be oversized https://t.co/SSnyv5dSKS
    I discover how you were showing which part of the photo you would like to be oversized pic.twitter.com/SSnyv5dSKS
  21. And in the middle of it all, “Les Ménines” (The Maids of Honour) from Vélasquez #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/oYpEquYJw3
    And in the middle of it all, “Les Ménines” (The Maids of Honour) from Vélasquez #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/oYpEquYJw3
  22. I also found another agenda, with more recipes in one of these school bags #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/Q1BdfUwg4O
  23. In a different suitcase, there were also these little cards strapped together with an old diary rubber band #MadeleineprojectEN
  24. “Textile articles”, “Tobacco card”, memories from my history text books come to life #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/3RarHTqIbZ
    “Textile articles”, “Tobacco card”, memories from my history text books come to life #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/3RarHTqIbZ
  25. Wow ! I’m thrilled to find out it’s your mother’s Raymonde… in 1945, the year women were granted voting rights !! https://t.co/Yx7iRvoNWf
    Wow ! I’m thrilled to find out it’s your mother’s Raymonde… in 1945, the year women were granted voting rights !! pic.twitter.com/Yx7iRvoNWf
  26. I also find a postcard your father wrote you back in 1924, you were 9. It makes me think about my dad’s postcards https://t.co/2rh11gtOS3
    I also find a postcard your father wrote you back in 1924, you were 9. It makes me think about my dad’s postcards pic.twitter.com/2rh11gtOS3
  27. From Martial, your cousin who died in the war, a child’s letter to his “dearest uncle and auntie and cousin” 1932 https://t.co/o8y1PKWp99
    From Martial, your cousin who died in the war, a child’s letter to his “dearest uncle and auntie and cousin” 1932 pic.twitter.com/o8y1PKWp99
  28. And a pair of binoculars, to take away on your trips, or maybe to use at the theater… #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/fEtonUbZ8A
    And a pair of binoculars, to take away on your trips, or maybe to use at the theater… #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/fEtonUbZ8A
  29. More recent, there’s this door retainer, called “rational door retainer”, never installed #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/2C7XL7y1oa
    More recent, there’s this door retainer, called “rational door retainer”, never installed #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/2C7XL7y1oa
  30. I also found these bibs, “Hello Daddy”, and “Be a wise child”, which I could offer to my young nephew pic.twitter.com/WllkT3uqXV
  31. In the box where you keep your painting material, there is this tiny funnel. What is it for ? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/Z17dlKlGSB
    In the box where you keep your painting material, there is this tiny funnel. What is it for ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/Z17dlKlGSB
  32. Baudelaire has a prominent place in there. This extract from “L’Albatros” reminds me I have studied it too https://t.co/Ma0vdGksv8
    Baudelaire has a prominent place in there. This extract from “L’Albatros” reminds me I have studied it too pic.twitter.com/Ma0vdGksv8
  33. There is also “L’invitation au voyage”, a poem from Charles Baudelaire #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/mEpNtSe59K
    There is also “L’invitation au voyage”, a poem from Charles Baudelaire #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/mEpNtSe59K
  34. You have also pasted a press clip with lines form this poem on the next page #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/OeXZrOJU7t
    You have also pasted a press clip with lines form this poem on the next page #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/OeXZrOJU7t
  35. Further down, there’s a paragraph is addressed “to future poets”, which I take it for ourselves #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/9q3EurUE76
    Further down, there’s a paragraph is addressed “to future poets”, which I take it for ourselves #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/9q3EurUE76
  36. I’ve had a look at those “literature notebooks”, between 1933 and 1935 https://t.co/oeQSAFmRw5
    I’ve had a look at those “literature notebooks”, between 1933 and 1935 pic.twitter.com/oeQSAFmRw5
  37. In the box with all the “small things we feel for” there is this 20g weight we feel for.  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/KiUBb30b5I
    In the box with all the “small things we feel for” there is this 20g weight we feel for. #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/KiUBb30b5I
  38. And this hook, to close a wardrobe ? A closet maybe ? But which one ? In which house ? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/tsoo713YuY
    And this hook, to close a wardrobe ? A closet maybe ? But which one ? In which house ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/tsoo713YuY
  39. These small earrings (totally my style, by the way, but will I ever dare to wear them?) #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/TtkdwiRKYt
    These small earrings (totally my style, by the way, but will I ever dare to wear them?) #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/TtkdwiRKYt
  40. I seized this necklace, which broke in my hands, its tiny pink perls crackled down on the concrete floor https://t.co/QisuWHqlpz
    I seized this necklace, which broke in my hands, its tiny pink perls crackled down on the concrete floor pic.twitter.com/QisuWHqlpz
  41. I read this other newspaper, “Matin de Paris” from 1985, during the Rainbow Warrior case #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/6TJ3omWOud
    I read this other newspaper, “Matin de Paris” from 1985, during the Rainbow Warrior case #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/6TJ3omWOud
  42. Steve Jobs was stepping down from Apple (where he came back in 97, according to my friend from the future Wikipedia) https://t.co/6Wcl5h7MZO
    Steve Jobs was stepping down from Apple (where he came back in 97, according to my friend from the future Wikipedia) pic.twitter.com/6Wcl5h7MZO
  43. In a big envelope, you keep wedding invitations and birth announcements #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/a0ROk5V6ZL
    In a big envelope, you keep wedding invitations and birth announcements #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/a0ROk5V6ZL
  44. Coming together with a couple of pictures. In 1953, you’re holding a man’s hand. Who is it ? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/3W4a00JuuP
    Coming together with a couple of pictures. In 1953, you’re holding a man’s hand. Who is it ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/3W4a00JuuP
  45. I actually went down to the basement a couple of times last week to get ready for this new season. #MadeleineprojectEN
  46. There was a bad surprize awaiting : a water leakage, from one of these big pipes accross the grey walls #MadeleineprojectEN
  47. There was this strong musty smell. I found out that mould could also be pretty. #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/EDUiRKGVAu
    There was this strong musty smell. I found out that mould could also be pretty. #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/EDUiRKGVAu
  48. Thankfully, there is very little damage. Only the sheets got wet, luckily preventing the rest from catching water #MadeleineprojectEN
  49. Yes, Madeleine did store a couple of sheets, embroidered with family’s initials #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/zuGmHNo20D
    Yes, Madeleine did store a couple of sheets, embroidered with family’s initials #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/zuGmHNo20D
  50. For a moment, I stared at this wet cardboard, looking quite impressive #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/OqgkZw2fsb
    For a moment, I stared at this wet cardboard, looking quite impressive #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/OqgkZw2fsb
  51. So the plumber came. He didn’t really know that he was entering into Madeleine’s basement #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/kyc5smCmxG
    So the plumber came. He didn’t really know that he was entering into Madeleine’s basement #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/kyc5smCmxG
  52. I first took this leakage as a sign telling me : “stop it now !” , but a neighbour said it rather meant : “ hurry up !” #MadeleineprojectEN
  53. From tomorrow on, I’ll tell you about my meetings with Madeleine’s neighbours. Some neighbours back then are still my neighbours today.
  54. One Sunday, I’m about to meet Marc and Sylvain, Christmas is coming and there’s a star hanging on their door https://t.co/pEyT0vKBMT
    One Sunday, I’m about to meet Marc and Sylvain, Christmas is coming and there’s a star hanging on their door pic.twitter.com/pEyT0vKBMT
  55. We live on the same floor, they used to take care of Madeleine, especially when her other neighbours moved #MadeleineprojectEN
  56. In the course of season 1, I met Marc on my way down to the basement, he told me he “saw her” and had “recognized her” #MadeleineprojectEN
  57. I remember being suspended to his words, although the lift had arrived, anxious to know what he would say next #MadeleineprojectEN
  58. It felt as if she was back to life. They hadn’t know here “before”. Before what ? “Before she was a 90 years old lady”. #MadeleineprojectEN
  59. What memories do you keep from her ? “An old joyful lady”, says Marc “with ideas well in place and a sense of humour” #MadeleineprojectEN
  60. “She enjoyed telling jokes from time to time” says Sylvain, and had “a malicious look” #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject
  61. He remembers a “mischievous lady”, at least who might have been so, until great age caught up with her #MadeleineprojectEN
  62. They describe a “sweet, adorable” lady. I wonder how I would have reacted if they told me she was mean… #MadeleineprojectEN
  63. She was also “very discreet”, and they rarely saw her, but met her at neighbour’s day which she never missed #MadeleineprojectEN
  64. As she never cooked, or no longer wanted to, she always ordered big tarts and quiches at the corner boulangerie #MadeleineprojectEN
  65. Did you go to the boulangerie I’m going to, Madeleine ? #MadeleineprojectEN
  66. Madeleine lived with assistance from the neighbors and from a cleaning lady, who did her shopping and picked up her mail #MadeleineprojectEN
  67. And from her nephew, who took her out for lunch from time to time #MadeleineprojectEN
  68. What was in that mail ? Not many letters, a couple of bills and mostly @ParisMatch, a magazine she really liked #MadeleineprojectEN
  69. Among these, the first steps of a Man on the Moon, a @ParisMatch I actually bought in a flea market not long ago https://t.co/XKoKjafN3d
    Among these, the first steps of a Man on the Moon, a @ParisMatch I actually bought in a flea market not long ago pic.twitter.com/XKoKjafN3d
  70. Year 2000 as foreseen in 1969 : a future being my past, seen from a past being your present...Hum. #MadeleineprojectEN
  71. And in this one, you slided some additional clips about space conquest ! You amaze me.  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/g1FX1F6DD4
    And in this one, you slided some additional clips about space conquest ! You amaze me. #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/g1FX1F6DD4
  72. Oh, and this makes me think about another event that occurred since season 1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYRH4apXDo , did you know him, Madeleine ?
  73. “Towards the end she was a bit deaf. She couldn’t hear the doorbell, so I had to ring the phone in order to bring in her mail”
  74. In the end, “she was a tiny, slightly chubby lady who didn’t move too well” “a porcelain lady” says Marc #MadeleineprojectEN
  75. “Back then she was still going to the hairdresser’s, we could see her, a tiny woman toddling down the street” #MadeleineprojectEN
  76. “She came back with curls, dashing” looking “slightly kitschy” at times, “with her hair died in blond and light brown” #MadeleineprojectEN
  77. They tell me that the hair salon was replaced by a lute maker, a bit further down the street #MadeleineprojectEN
  78. So I went to the lute maker. No, he says, the hairdresser used to be nextdoor #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/tycv4coVlj
    So I went to the lute maker. No, he says, the hairdresser used to be nextdoor #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/tycv4coVlj
  79. The hair salon is no longer there, but the lute maker knows violinists, whose baby-sitter was the hairdresser’s daughter #MadeleineprojectEN
  80. But why would I speak to Madeleine’s hairdresser ? I’m not too sure, I’m pulling as many strings as I can #MadeleineprojectEN
  81. I was finally informed by text message that the hairdresser had no memories of Madeleine... what a shame #MadeleineprojectEN
  82. And what clothes was Madeleine wearing ? “Always dresses, no trousers” “she was really doing her best for a long time” #MadeleineprojectEN
  83. “She paid special attention to her looks” say Marc and Sylvain #MadeleineprojectEN
  84. Madeleine never really told them about her life, but she once mentioned Aix-en-Provence where she lived with her parents during the war
  85. “Once, she offered me some sweets” says Sylvain, because she was touched he sent her a postcard from Polynesia #MadeleineprojectEN
  86. That’s her holiday pictures, by the way. Feel free to send me some digital pictures if you’re around  https://twitter.com/Madeleine_EN/status/662285889880633345 
  87. Madeleine was walking around with a stick “but she never complained”, “until the very end” say the neighbours #MadeleineprojectEN
  88. “This shows that she was still pretty much into life” “and that she thought she didn’t do everything she had planned to” #MadeleineprojectEN
  89. “My only regret is to have met her too late” says Sylvain, describing his timetable : “we were leaving early and came home late”
  90. Marc regrets “not having spent more time talking to her, now that he knows how many chapters he has missed from her life”
  91. For instance, they wonder what she’s been up to during her first retirement years #MadeleineprojectEN
  92. Sylvain recalls she said “do you realize I’ve spent more time retired than at work, that’s something” and then laughed #MadeleineprojectEN
  93. When they rang, “she was alive for someone else than herself” “terrible thing to realize”, being “the only event in someone’s day”
  94. Marc and Sylvain gave me the contact of other neighbours, who used to live in the flat next to mine (to yours) for 15 years
  95. I also asked Marc and Sylvain about that second name on the mailbox #MadeleineprojectEN
  96. They mention a “daughter in law”, but who on earth could she be ??? #MadeleineprojectEN
  97. With all this information, I can picture you very well now, I can even hear the sound of your slippers on my floor #MadeleineprojectEN
  98. When I sip tea on my low table, when I work at my desk, when my flat is a mess, I think about you #MadeleineprojectEN
  99. So, see you later for the meeting with Eveline and Robert, who took most care of Madeleine #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject
  100. There’s something I need to tell you for starters. I really couldn’t wait to do so #MadeleineprojectEN
  101. Yesterday, I went down to the basement a couple of times to take pictures from recipies (following a reader’s request)
  102. When I went down to fetch the “panned minute-pie” recipe, I exactly knew where to search for it #MadeleineprojectEN
  103. It was in a notebook in a school bag in a suitcase on the right-hand side of the left shelf #MadeleineprojectEN
  104. But as I grabbed the notebook, something stuck out almost by itself from the schoolbag #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/8AlyNmsIQ2
    But as I grabbed the notebook, something stuck out almost by itself from the schoolbag #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/8AlyNmsIQ2
  105. And then my heart started to beat faster. Yes, I really did find a movie ! #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/VXmEqhsGkk
    And then my heart started to beat faster. Yes, I really did find a movie ! #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/VXmEqhsGkk
  106. Movie story to be continued… I’ll keep you posted ! Let’s get back to the neighbours now. #MadeleineprojectEN
  107. It’s on a wednesday, my train is leaving at 13:50 from Gare Saint Lazare and the sky is grey #MadeleineprojectEN
  108. I’m going to Robert and Eveline’s, in a city west from Paris. They are the neighbours who took most care of Madeleine #MadeleineprojectEN
  109. I’m early, so I take detours and walk past a dry cleaner. Is this actually where wedding dresses get washed ? https://t.co/tSfFMqz7dU
    I’m early, so I take detours and walk past a dry cleaner. Is this actually where wedding dresses get washed ? pic.twitter.com/tSfFMqz7dU
  110. I’m walking to their place, and I wonder if you too have made this trip #MadeleineprojectEN
  111. I might be a little crazy to think about you so much, considering you never even got to know me #MadeleineprojectEN
  112. Their place : a green velvet couch, like at one of my aunties, and a great view on Paris’ business district #MadeleineprojectEN
  113. “And like me she was found of Michel Laclos”, smiles Robert, handing me one of his crossword’s puzzle https://t.co/dYuQj9MkBt
    “And like me she was found of Michel Laclos”, smiles Robert, handing me one of his crossword’s puzzle pic.twitter.com/dYuQj9MkBt
  114. That’s how I got to know the word “cruciverbalist” (and thus how I used it for the first time)  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cruciverbalist  #MadeleineprojectEN
  115. “She was also doing some recordings, with a small tape recorder, mostly documentaries” #MadeleineprojectEN
  116. Hearing this, I thought Madeleine was making documentaries (like me) for a second, but not quite (I really need to calm down)
  117. Madeleine was actually recording TV with her tape recorder ! Still, I’m glad to know she liked documentaries #MadeleineprojectEN
  118. Eveline remembers Madeleine as someone very open and forward-thinking, especially because one of her biggest regrets was…
  119. “I tried to show her one day, but she finally said “oh that’s too complicated” although she really wanted to know” #MadeleineprojectEN
  120. (Hoping these tiny bits of your life on Twitter eventually fulfil your digital needs)
  121. Robert remembers that day Madeleine told him she needed to sort the stuff in the basement #MadeleineprojectEN
  122. “She reckoned there was lots of rubbish in there”, “oh, what on earth did I keep”, she said #MadeleineprojectEN
  123. Having said that, Robert reckons everyone has these issues. Him, for instance...
  124. … he wishes he had a castle to “keep everything”, his wife’s “absolute nightmare” he smiles, but that’s a different story.
  125. Robert also says that every thursday eve, Madeleine used to “stick a post-it on their door, with her shopping list” #MadeleineprojectEN
  126. Because every friday morning, Robert went to the fish market a couple of streets down their place #MadeleineprojectEN
  127. “Madeleine liked fish very much”, she ordered “crab claws, ray”. Robert always chose for the best, he knew her tastes #MadeleineprojectEN
  128. “Unfortunately she had heart problems, was really quite chubby” and “loved to eat” #MadeleineprojectEN
  129. “But I didn’t buy it that often because it’s a huge fish for one person. I only bought it when they had small ones” #MadeleineprojectEN
  130. I told the story to the fishmonger, he said “yes, Madeleine, this name rings a bell” but I think he said so just to be nice...
  131. “Sometimes, we invited her over for lunch, because she was really lonely” says Eveline #MadeleineprojectEN
  132. “She had a daughter in law, her husband’s daughter” she goes on #MadeleineprojectEN
  133. Wait a minute…. So Madeleine got married, is that right ? Now, listen to a great moment of questionning :  https://soundcloud.com/madeleine-project/madeleineproject-question-mariage 
  134. Although they don’t fully agree, they recall she did mention a “husband” whom they never got to meet #MadeleineprojectEN
  135. “Now, in retrospect, I realize I could have spoken a bit more with her”, notes Robert
  136. When Madeleine came over for lunch, she always brought them a present, “she didn’t like to come empty-handed” #MadeleineprojectEN
  137. And now we’re exploring Eveline and Robert’s flat, searching for Madeleine’s presents #MadeleineprojectEN #MadeleineProject
  138. Then in the library, it took them a long time to find these two books from Madeleine #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/kmilpoGypZ
  139. Thanks to Eveline and Robert, I get a clearer picture on how you arranged your / my flat #MadeleineprojectEN
  140. Right now when I’m typing at my desk, I’m sitting where your TV was #MadeleineprojectEN
  141. They also mention Dutch friends of hers, for whom she gathered good restaurant tips in the district #MadeleineprojectEN
  142. The plants she watered when they were away, the crêpes which Eveline used to bring her in a small plate #MadeleineprojectEN
  143. Her regret “not to have known anything else than teaching” “not to have known other social environments” #MadeleineprojectEN
  144. This photo in her living-room, with two couples having a picnic on the grass #MadeleineprojectEN
  145. After which she’d always “spend one month in Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, @BagnolesOrne a thermal station in the north of France” for summer holiday
  146. In 2011, as she got back from holiday, Eveline and Robert had moved. Of course, they had told her #MadeleineprojectEN
  147. “She relied heavily on us” “because of her heart problems, and because her studio was adjacent to our bedroom, we had a deal”
  148. She once said “If I ever feel bad in the middle of the night, I’ll allow myself to knock on this wall with my stick” #MadeleineprojectEN
  149. And every evening, she would remove her keys from the lock to make sure we could get in the flat #MadeleineprojectEN
  150. Madeleine died a couple of months later, at the beginning of 2012 #MadeleineprojectEN
  151. When I went to Robert and Eveline’s, I hoped they could tell me in which cemetery she rested, so I’d go to her grave #MadeleineprojectEN
  152. They say she was incinerated at Père-Lachaise, but they don’t know where her ashes are kept #MadeleineprojectEN
  153. All of this reminds Robert about his own history, he regrets he didn’t ask his parents more questions, about their childhood
  154. “When we’re young we think they’ll live forever” “I’d write things down like you do!” #MadeleineprojectEN
  155. Thank you Anne-Laure (and all the other) for bringing Madeleine’s recipes back to life <3  https://twitter.com/BazardesReves/status/697496131174035456 
  156. Thank you Pauline C for sending me pictures from StGirons on Facebook where Madeleine had spent her holidays in 1928 pic.twitter.com/55sc1erzF5
  157. She has sent me “a real postcard from the beginning of the century, shot 15 years before Madeleine’s visit” Thx :) https://t.co/64JJbnWb7O
    She has sent me “a real postcard from the beginning of the century, shot 15 years before Madeleine’s visit” Thx :) pic.twitter.com/64JJbnWb7O
  158. I found an envelope “St-Girons, 1928” in the basement, you are 10 y old and there is this bridge #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/mZXJAgA21K
    I found an envelope “St-Girons, 1928” in the basement, you are 10 y old and there is this bridge #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/mZXJAgA21K
  159. But let’s catch up on Madeleine with those who knew her #MadeleineprojectEN
  160. That day, I’m meeting Brigitte, the neighbour from the 3rd floor. I’m used to hearing her son play the piano above my head.
  161. Marc and Sylvain were the ones who introduced Brigitte to the #MadeleineprojectEN, without telling her who this was all about
  162. Brigitte started reading season 1, and “after two or three tweets, I told myself : but that’s our Madeleine !” #MadeleineprojectEN
  163. “The atmosphere, it is totally her” “as if she was guiding us, as if there was a common thread” #MadeleineprojectEN
  164. “It feels as if she had left a testimony, about her whole life” #MadeleineprojectEN
  165. “It brings her back to life, and gives her all the gratitude she deserved” “she was a really good person” “everyone loved her”
  166. “She was really, really attentive to others, always always”, always, says Brigitte #MadeleineprojectEN
  167. “As she moved in, my children were young, she didn’t know me, but she immediately offered to babysit them” #MadeleineprojectEN
  168. It didn’t happen in the end, but she was always catching up with their news, “once, she offered them a dictionary” https://t.co/ToH9mFBhJ8
    It didn’t happen in the end, but she was always catching up with their news, “once, she offered them a dictionary” pic.twitter.com/ToH9mFBhJ8
  169. There is also a two-volume dictionary in the basement, both with different years though #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/XJG09tZL96
    There is also a two-volume dictionary in the basement, both with different years though #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/XJG09tZL96
  170. Let’s jump to letter “E” for instance, E like Europe, 100 years ago #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/vJoxT4YZvJ
    Let’s jump to letter “E” for instance, E like Europe, 100 years ago #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/vJoxT4YZvJ
  171. There is no release date on this dictionary, but thanks to one sentence in the credits, we can date it from 1907 or 1908
  172. This dictionary basically features the state of the world at the time you were born #MadeleineprojectEN
  173. “She liked transmitting knowledge & often referred to her job as a schoolteacher, which she loved” Brigitte carries on” #MadeleineprojectEN
  174. Several people suggested she might have worked in the district, I’m trying to find out where exactly. #MadeleineprojectEN
  175. In Paris, but not in the posh districts, probably north, north-west” why do you think That ? “the way she spoke about it”
  176. She “wasn’t prudish, but close to the people and listening closely” “I do picture her in a working-class district” definitely a good lady!”
  177. “She really loved children, I think it’s a major regret for her not to have had any” #MadeleineprojectEN
  178. In the basement I find a card “from a schoolboy  who likes you very much” to his teacher Madeleine #Madeleineproject https://t.co/731hop9GZF
    In the basement I find a card “from a schoolboy who likes you very much” to his teacher Madeleine #Madeleineproject pic.twitter.com/731hop9GZF
  179. I don’t get what is on this sheet. Are you counting all the letters ? Why ?  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/gARZ2nZytG
    I don’t get what is on this sheet. Are you counting all the letters ? Why ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/gARZ2nZytG
  180. “She loved to laugh, to have fun, she wasn’t taking anything seriously, she was an extremely positive person” #MadeleineprojectEN
  181. “Physically speaking, she was quite a tiny lady, shorter than I am”, says 1m57 Brigitte to 1m60 me. #MadeleineprojectEN
  182. “Chubby, really”, She had trouble walking around, her legs were swollen #MadeleineprojectEN
  183. But she did go shopping, apparently in the supermarket I go to #MadeleineprojectEN
  184. Brigitte recalls that “yes, she did have a husband, probably a teacher too” #MadeleineprojectEN
  185. “For Christmas or New Year’s eve, which I knew she’d spend on her own, I brought her some homemade appetizers” #MadeleineprojectEN
  186. On May 1st I brought her a bit of Lily, we did have a good relationship, it was tender, it was really tender” #MadeleineprojectEN
  187. Loneliness? “I don’t think she suffered too much from it, she was reading a lot” “When she didn’t read, she watched stuff on TV”
  188. “Don’t worry, I’m never bored”, did Madeleine use to say #MadeleineprojectEN
  189. “She had plenty of interests, and she was opened to the world” “ she always had nice and great stories to tell” #MadeleineprojectEN
  190. “She talked about travelling quite a lot”, “she loved to read travelling books” or watch related documentaries on TV #MadeleineprojectEN
  191. (Sometimes I get lost, I fell like my neighbours aren’t talking about her anymore…) #MadeleineprojectEN
  192. “In her last years, she would go one month full board to Normandy, she enjoyed it” #MadeleineprojectEN
  193. “She met new people, played cards, she was looking forward to going back there year after year” says Brigitte #MadeleineprojectEN
  194. This is Bagnoles-de-l’Orne @BagnolesOrne which Eveline & Robert mentione, I found a postcard in the basement https://t.co/sVYOg0SrdU
    This is Bagnoles-de-l’Orne @BagnolesOrne which Eveline & Robert mentione, I found a postcard in the basement pic.twitter.com/sVYOg0SrdU
  195. “She even thought about moving there full time for a moment, because she loved it so much”
  196. “She could take strolls along the see, she enjoyed that” #MadeleineprojectEN
  197. “To make sure it was us, when she could still hear well, we had to ring the bell three times, and she’d open the door!” #MadeleineprojectEN
  198. So, let me confess, after everything I have learnt from my neighbours, I don’t watch old ladies the way I used to #MadeleineprojectEN
  199. And when I go to flee-markets, I think about the lives behind each thing, it all looks tremendous #MadeleineprojectEN
  200. I needed those meetings with the neighbours, these encouters enabled me to sigh, internally #MadeleineprojectEN
  201. Every meeting I booked, every door I stood behind, I feared to meet someone teeling me to stop the #MadeleineprojectEN
  202. But considering their emotions, their enthusiasm - them, who did actually to know her - made me want to keep going #MadeleineprojectEN
  203. I still had to meet the nephew, I’ll tell you about this right now... #MadeleineprojectEN
  204. It took me a while until I dared to call the nephew, after season 1 #MadeleineprojectEN
  205. Finally, one day, I picked up the phone and called at his place. Her wife always picks up, dogs bark in the background #MadeleineprojectEN
  206. I get to speak to him. He has heard nothing about it. But he likes the idea #MadeleineprojectEN
  207. I ask him what he thinks about social networks. He says he’s “against”, which makes me laugh #MadeleineprojectEN
  208. “All these people spreading their lives all over the place, and then complain because of CCTV in the streets” #MadeleineprojectEN
  209. After reading season 1, he admits “it is poetic”, “I event learnt some new stuff” #MadeleineprojectEN
  210. I get there with a series of very specific questions. Naturally, he answers them all. It is easy for him #MadeleineprojectEN
  211. “No, Madeleine never had any children”, so I played this role, somehow” he explains #MadeleineprojectEN
  212. No, Madeleine was never married. For a couple of years she has lived with a teacher though : Bernard. #MadeleineprojectEN
  213. I kind of guessed that, it is this Bernard, to whom I found a couple of mentions in the basement. #MadeleineprojectEN
  214. In one of them he has even cut off a side of the postcard because it didn’t get in the envelope, which made me laugh https://t.co/SuJA8MIYyh
    In one of them he has even cut off a side of the postcard because it didn’t get in the envelope, which made me laugh pic.twitter.com/SuJA8MIYyh
  215. From time to time, he adds small plants to his letters, because he knew you liked them #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/jW1RzZ4ccW
    From time to time, he adds small plants to his letters, because he knew you liked them #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/jW1RzZ4ccW
  216. His letters are full of everyday stories, which I wouldn’t know how to write down today #MadeleineprojectEN
  217. And there is a complicated story with his daughter, it looked quite serious #MadeleineprojectEN
  218. I read some “don’t cry for too long”, some “grieving is useless”, it sounds grey, sad, cold, like the concrete walls around me
  219. His nephew remembers a “stunning” lady, “more than a godmother to me” #MadeleineprojectEN
  220. They were extremely close, he had spent “all his young years” with her “ her parents were great people too” #MadeleineprojectEN
  221. Madeleine’s mother was the tenant of a shop, a haberdashery in Bourges #MadeleineprojectEN
  222. So I look at this bag I found in the basement with a different look now #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/R216CFlStP
    So I look at this bag I found in the basement with a different look now #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/R216CFlStP
  223. The nephew carries on : Madeleine’s father was a technical education teacher #MadeleineprojectEN
  224. And all these technical drawings which I find in your dad’s notebook #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/Ss1RQhzP6n
    And all these technical drawings which I find in your dad’s notebook #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/Ss1RQhzP6n
  225. Madeleine arrived in Paris as a child, she has always lived in this district, my district #MadeleineprojectEN
  226. She did spend her summers in Normandy, by herself, she was a “very, very independent woman” says the nephew #MadeleineprojectEN
  227. What did she like? “Everything”. “She read a lot”, “she was interested in everything, even at the end of her life” #MadeleineprojectEN
  228. Madeleine used to tell him : “my major regret is that I won’t live long enough to know everything I want to know” #MadeleineprojectEN
  229. “She was into multiple things, even modern stuff, I wouldn’t say she was a geek, but…” #MadeleineprojectEN
  230. She also had a “huge memory”, says the nephew, she remembered everything she read #MadeleineprojectEN
  231. “She had a bad temper, though” he adds “she wouldn’t admit to be contradicted, but the worst thing was, she was often right”
  232. Her bed was indeed where mine was, but the other way round ! Funny, I also wanted to try this for a while… #MadeleineprojectEN
  233. Rue Championnet, in the 18th district, says the nephew, “that’s where she spent all her career” #MadeleineprojectEN
  234. And I told myself that the noise of children in the playground had probably not changed too much #MadeleineprojectEN #Madeleineproject
  235. What is there in Monceaux-lès-Meaux, that is important to you, as mentioned so many times in that basement ? pic.twitter.com/9nQk9QuLL6
  236. Madeleine’s parents’ country house, the godson draws a sketch to help me find the house #MadeleineprojectEN
  237. (TRANSLATION NOTE : I may have made a mistake by translating filleul/godson by nephew. The correct meaning is "godson", please apologize)
  238. A bit further down the sketch, he draws a rectangle : that’s Madeleine’s father’s orchard, where he’d grow apples for cider
  239. The godson also remembers Madeleine’s mother’s dishes, in Montceaux “even today, some smells bring me back there”...
  240. And that’s the three of you in front of the house in Montceaux, in 1947…  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/f956RpW732
    And that’s the three of you in front of the house in Montceaux, in 1947… #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/f956RpW732
  241. Montceaux, I had plans to go there anyways, because this place is part of Loulou’s history… #MadeleineprojectEN
  242. Loulou, I have looked for him again and again in your pictures #MadeleineprojectEN
  243. Dates could fit, but you never write who’s on the picture unfortunately #MadeleineprojectEN
  244. There are also pictures of you two, as well. But is this really him ? How could I know ? #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/sBUlQRCWDI
    There are also pictures of you two, as well. But is this really him ? How could I know ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/sBUlQRCWDI
  245. Passion for four-leaf clovers, I see it in this small paper, folded and stuck, I can see through what’s in there https://t.co/lVBp5yw7gy
    Passion for four-leaf clovers, I see it in this small paper, folded and stuck, I can see through what’s in there pic.twitter.com/lVBp5yw7gy
  246. Inside, as always, a small useless treasure, which I barely touch to avoid damage  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/zv9xI48VUF
    Inside, as always, a small useless treasure, which I barely touch to avoid damage #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/zv9xI48VUF
  247. And I put it all back in place, cautiously. As if one day, you’d come back to get it… #MadeleineprojectEN
  248. The godson remembers Madeleine’s good friends from The Netherlands, they were “penfriends” to her and her parents #MadeleineprojectEN
  249. Which tells me these people are dead now, but they had five children. The basement is full of them, too #MadeleineprojectEN
  250. And on this picture, aren’t you wearing a traditional dress from The Netherlands ?  #MadeleineprojectEN https://t.co/G6PA7MPgVI
    And on this picture, aren’t you wearing a traditional dress from The Netherlands ? #MadeleineprojectEN pic.twitter.com/G6PA7MPgVI
  251. Madeleine died in hospital, “not a peaceful death, unfortunately” #MadeleineprojectEN
  252. According to her will, she was incinerated, and her ashes were scattered in Bourges #MadeleineprojectEN
  253. Although I’m worried, there is nothing, no plaque “she was a very misbeliever person, you know” “like many teachers” #MadeleineprojectEN
  254. For me, it sounds like she’s disappearing a second time, I have nowhere to go to see her one last time #MadeleineprojectEN
  255. I wanted to raise the magic out of this basement, using my journalist’s tools, interviewing those who were still alive #MadeleineprojectEN
  256. And I go back to unsolved, repeated questions, those who made me dream so much. I made good progress on some of them #MadeleineprojectEN
  257. What did you find beautiful? Where did your imagination stroll? What were your dreams about? How did your voice sound? #MadeleineprojectEN
  258. What were your desires, your joys, your angers, your beliefs? How did your inner landscape look like? #MadeleineprojectEN
  259. That’s where season 2 ends. If you want to know what happens next, go to madeleineproject.fr
  260. As an ending word, I’m very glad to tell you that the first two seasons will be published in a book #MadeleineprojectEN