Petite France avec le Petit Prince

A couple of weekends ago I was invited by my friend to venture out of Seoul and into the surrounding Gyeonggi province via Gapyeong (가평). Gapyeong is about an hour out of Seoul, longer if you hit traffic, and there's a few notable things there--the big lake, the face that it's not the busy life of Seoul, the English Training Center/Camp, the private high school, and the french village: Petite France.

They really try to make it seem like a French village. Or at least, what would be appropriate for an idyllic French village. And who else would live in Petite France but le Petit Prince?? He's even brought his friends...

"What does that mean--tame?"
"It means to establish ties."
"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you would tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

"Draw me a sheep!"
When I drew the muzzle for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet? Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower...

"Frightened? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?"
My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constructor digesting an elephant.

Le Petit Prince

But on your tiny planet, my little prince, all you need do is move your chair a few steps. You can see the day end and the twilight falling whenever you like . . .

"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!"

And a little later you added:

"You know--one loves the sunset, when one is so sad . . ."

"Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?"

But the little prince made no reply.

There was a museum dedicated to the author and his works. The top picture is from Wind, Sand, and Stars, another favorite of mine. The two drawings are my favorites in the Le Petite Prince.

I pointed out to the little prince that baobabs were not little bushes, but on the contrary, trees as big as castles...

Gapyeong lake.