Well I made it. I flew to Paris without incident and found my hotel after two tries. Apparently there are two hotel Mercure at Charles De Gaul Airport. It was really fun to haul my bags across the airport, on the train, and across several parking lots to one of these hotels only to be told I needed to take a taxi to the other. Even cooler because they share the exact same name and the reservation did not list an address.

In the end it was not a big deal and I was happy to find a quiet room, some room service, and a bed. I was a bit wired from the travel and the goodbyes to Lily so I decided to watch a little French television to unwind. The only thing I could follow was Hitchcock’s, The Birds which in the end was not relaxing. I have noticed every bird I’ve seen in France since the viewing. I swear the crows are staring at me.

On Monday morning I woke and met Matthew and Sophie at the airport. I was overjoyed to see them both. Sophie had handled the crossing like a champ and held her pee until we emerged from the terminal. We had not made a car reservation and we were almost screwed but ended up getting lucky at Eurocar. And by lucky I mean I paid twice what I paid in the U.K. but ended up with a swanky, black, automatic, mid-size FIAT. The gift of driving on the right side of the road would have been enough, but the relief I felt not shifting nearly produced euphoria.

Matthew had slept very little during his flight, so I drove the three and a quarter hours to St. Denis de Gastines while he napped. I was pretty sleepy myself in the warm car after a restless night of sleep so I occasionally bit my lip or scratched my leg to stay alert. I didn’t dare turn the radio on for fear he wouldn’t sleep soundly.

We arrived and met Stella who handed us our keys and showed us into the house. It was a bit stark without its furnishings but remained as warm and light as I remembered. We turned on the power and tested the lights. We turned on the water as well. Matthew and I looked through the house and Sophie excitedly did laps up and down the stairs and around the house.

Matthew loved it as much as I thought he would. The garden was lush and had been lovingly maintained by our generous neighbors. I have fuschia and lavender still in bloom. The grapes have passed and the wisteria just finished its second bloom. The boxwoods have been shaped and trimmed and the grass has returned to green after the rains.

We were exhausted so, after a brief walk through the village, I took Matthew to Le Houx which is the same B&B Tori and I found on our previous trip. It is a beautiful estate about 15 minutes from St. Denis nestled in the countryside. The owners have treated me like family and I am very grateful. The kindness of Mandy and Jeff almost overwhelmed me after feeling like a foreigner these last few days.

They generously invited us to dinner and we were given a proper Sunday lamb roast even though it was Monday night. I almost saw God when I tasted the Yorkshire pudding and the oven roasted potatoes had me quivering. The wine flowed and the conversation and humor kept us awake until we found our way to our beautiful king size bed where we slept thankfully at last.