Ce qui me manquera le plus à propos de la France

The last nine days have been wildly eventful, filled with the best that Paris has to offer as I regretfully counted down the days to my inevitable departure. It’s all too much to describe in the time I have left, so for now I’ll leave you with a list of the things I’ll miss most about France.

Things I will miss about France:

• Bread 

• Seriously, boulangeries and the fact that a massive baguette is only like 1€

• Sitting down at a cafe or brasserie and getting served without it being a whole thing

• Speaking of cafes & brasseries: not having to factor in a tip! get it together, America

• Seeing beautiful/incredible/historic things everywhere I turn

• Ordering in French, speaking French in general

• Train rides through the countryside

• Cheap wine from the grocery store that tastes like it cost 4x more

• Not having migraines! Miraculously I have not had a single migraine since I got here, and I would love to know why that was so I can try to replicate it back home

• The Paris metro (when it’s not jam packed)

• Walkable cities in general

And, for the hell of it, here’s some things I won’t miss about France:

• The Paris metro when it’s jam packed

• Showers with no water pressure, longterm heat, or available storage

• Everything outside of Paris closing for a full two hours for lunch (and typically an entire random day of the week on top of that)

• Basic errands being more cumbersome than they should be

• Feeling FOMO anytime I’m not out and about

• Driving in most cities outside of Paris (looking at you, Dijon)

• Beds with no top sheet and only one thin pillow

• Abysmal wifi

But the truth is, all of those things I won’t miss pale in comparison to all the things I will. As I finish packing and prepare to check into my very long flight home, my heart is breaking for how much I’ll miss this incredible country. France had its hooks in me years ago, but this trip has cemented it as my favorite place in the world. I’m already counting down the days until I can return (after a nice long stint at home, that is—my cats and bed are calling to me.)