Thursday 26 February 2009

My last week in Paris

How has it come about so quickly? I am so sad! I have had such a wonderful six months and am just begining to feel like I have great friends and a real life here - not the life of an expat. And now I have to leave! I have had so much to blog about and have so missed updating this blog but to be honest I was just too busy having fun and milking my last few weeks in this fabulous city.

I don't know where to start, so this will probably come in a few instalments! Please bear with me!

Firstly, this last week has been so touching - everyone has made me feel so special and appreciated. I was invited out for lunch at the wine museum, which was fabulous. My colleagues surprised me on Monday with a goodbye party. Normally when people leave the company orders hors d'oeuves from outside and gets champagne. But for me, as a thank you for all my baking, people made things at home and brought them in! I was so so moved! It was a surprise because my last day was Wednesday (unfortunately I therefore didn't have my camera). I received lots of cool corporate gifts: a lovely backback, swiss knife and stuff and - most exciting of all - aircraft and satellite models! I'm such a geek but I love them!

Of course, I had to do something bakeworthy to thank them all (and an early party is just an excuse for more cake later on). I made batches of biscuits in the following flavours: peanut butter, chocolate, raspberry and almond and nut and wrapped them up in little bags to give to everyone. I have to say that these were really good - I ate too many! I also made this cake, which has the company's corporate logo on it. Instead of the company's name, I wrote 'merci' on it! It was a moist carrot cake and it seemed to go down well even though I couldn't find baking soda in France and the cake didn't rise correctly (hence 3 layers!).

This was very first time decorating a cake and because the frosting was cream cheese, it was really hard going! I'm going to have to improve.










Then my lovely and gallant male officemates suprised me by ordering flowers to be delivered to the office! So so sweet!



We then all went out for a lovely meal in one of my favourite French restaurants.

I love these people. I love Paris, I really do. I'm going to post about the wonderful chocolate shops I've visited, on the patisseries I have eaten, the wondrous shops I've discovered, the views, the monuments... that's all to come. I was sad to leave Paris when I lived here before, and when I left I remember thinking of all those who love and have loved this great city. But what I will miss even more, the thing that differentiates this experience from the last, are the amazing people I have met, the truly great friends I have made.

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Tomorrow I am lucky enough to be going on a pastry course! Please keep reading for some decadent Parisian adventures to come!

4 comments:

Sara said...

Those flowers are gorgeous! And the cake doesn't look too bad either :)

The Adventuresome Road to Where? said...

It sounds like you have had an amazing time in Paris, very inspiring! I can't wait to read more once you return home and absorb it all.

Pearl said...

those flowers are beautiful, as is the cake! goodness - it was your first time decorating? my first time decorating cake would be a cake that very plainly says "i tried."

:)

i've missed your post, beautiful!

Esme said...

Have fun at the pastry course, I want to hear all about it. What will you be doing once you return home?