what do you miss the most when you leave a place you love?
what are the details, the sensations that stick out most?
les odeurs
baguettes and patisseries out of the oven in the morning
streets laced with the smell of thick, creamy butter
lilacs as they bloom in the spring, lining streets and driveways
fresh peaches arranged in crates at the morning market
waiting to be sprinkled with sugar, arranged in a tarte
les couleurs
yellow mustard flowers and colza in the spring
vineyards in the fall, grape leaves rusted orange and red
sun peeking through indigo stained glass windows
shutters painted vert, jaune, violet
gleaming proudly, arranged in a row
les bruits
toddlers bubbling french phrases
boots echoing on a cobblestoned street
the sncf ring tone, a ticket composted, the metro ring
ambulances, car horns, and the
first-Wednesday-of-the-month
fire station horn that rings eerily in each city
les saveurs
the crunchy croute of a baguette, the inside soft as a cloud
Chablis, Bordeaux, Gaillac, Muscadet, Cote du Rhone
foie gras, escargots, tartiflette, fondu, crepes, croque monsieur
camembert, brie de meaux, roquefort, epoisses, st marcellin
les sensations
letting my mind wander across the french countryside
witnessed from a train window
navigating city streets by bike
groceries and fresh cut flowers in the wooden basket
exploring french cities and villages,
each wrapped neatly around an immense but graceful cathedral
with ten days left in france
I can’t thinking about everything I’m going to miss
the obvious, the not so obvious
the tangible, the intangible
the small details, the immense differences
everything that has made
living in france
a wonderful experience
a challenge
two years passed quicker than I ever imagined
what do you miss when you leave a place?
a +
alli
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