Marcel

France

My grandfather is the one who inspired me to always do my best, and always remember where I come from.

He started as a bus driver, taking people from his home in Ardèche to the South of France, before opening a flower store with my grandmother in Vals les Bains. Throughout his life, the mountains of Ardeche - where hiked as a young man, where he became the great person I knew - remained in his heart. And this is where he returned to live when he retired. But not to retire!

He bought the ruined house of his grandparents and rebuilt it with his own hands, transforming a pile of stones into a beautiful home where he grew vegetables, took in the peace of the place, and read. He was the model lifelong learner and completely addicted to books and newspapers, in fact any source of information. My grandfather had a great pair of hands, an amazing brain, and a strong character. A man who never forgot his modest background.