My last day in France

When I planned my trip to visit France, Baptiste told me that there would be a family celebration in honor of his mom's birthday.  Nadine is the youngest of 12, and her mom lives in Digoin as well.  In fact, after we visited Paray-le-Monial we stopped by to pay her a visit.  She is a beautiful lady, and I could see where Nadine got her loving personality.

The party was scheduled for the afternoon and Papi was bringing treats.  Papi and Mami arrived early bearing amazing pastries.

This beauty was the star of the show--Baba Rhum, but there were many other delicious desserts to be had.  This was actually a blast from my past.

We had these beautiful caramel topped cream puffs as part of our wedding croque en bouche.  The Rhum Baba and cream puffs disappeared in no time flat.  There were also macarons and other cookies. 

The guest list included many of Nadine's siblings, some cousins, and a few friends.  Most people brought flowers, but there were many remembrances of the day.

It was a lovely party and it was over all too soon.  As dusk descended, Baptiste and I had to depart for the train station.  We said our goodbyes with kisses all around, and then off we went.

Once at the station, Baptiste met up with friends who were also returning to the university in Dijon.  The train was pretty crowded, but we made it to Dijon without difficulty.  I said goodbye to Baptiste at the Dijon train station and headed to my hotel a mere block away, the Kyriad (it's reasonable, clean and safe--I recommend it) .

My daughter's lovely friend, Emily, had just arrived in Dijon to begin a graduate program in wine studies, and she agreed to meet with me.  She arrived in the lobby of my hotel and we had a glass of wine and a wonderful conversation.  We made an early night of it, but still managed to talk in depth.  I felt I made a friend.

I boarded the train first thing next morning, and before I knew it, I was back in London.  It was the perfect weekend and I can't wait to return.