My Francophile Year: The End is Near

We are literally counting down the hours until our departure. The house is looking very empty, the fridge even more so. Every moment is being savored by either a last visit to favorite towns nearby, lounging in the sun at our house and of course, a last visit to the sea yesterday.
The water was the warmest it has been this spring, which made it easy for even temperature sensitive me to float in the ultra-salty Mediterranean one last time. New friends aside, the sea is what I will miss the most.
Good-byes are hard. I have no doubt we will reconnect with most of these new friends, but a year or two may pass before seeing each other again. Thank God for technology that allows us to stay connected virtually.
It is with mixed feeling that this year comes to a close. I am excited to see family and friends, my animals and my home, but my experience here has been a dream. Even though it was hard at times, feelings of isolation, frustration with lack of communication, too much time in close proximity to my children, (and them feeling just as sick of me), our minds are full of memories that we will draw upon for the rest of our lives. Some day, getting lost in Nice will be hysterical, even though I was in tears driving down a minuscule, one-way street going the wrong direction, coming to a barrier, then having to back out a couple of hundred meters while passers-by watched with amusement.
Our flight leaves Sunday. That day will be quite an experience, too, mostly due to the fact that our wild French cat will be travelling with us, too. We considered finding her a new home here, as getting her into a carrier is a feat in itself, let alone a 5,000 mile air journey, but she is our greatest souvenir of all. As the time nears for that day, I remind myself it is but 1 day- and will be yet another part of our experience that we will reminisce about in the future.
Yes, good-byes are hard, both to friends and to this most amazing year.