Au Revoir Yssingeaux...Bon Jour Paris!!

Time for graduation and moving on...how did it happen so quickly? As most of you know, I've been through more than a few graduations in my life, so I was actually a little blasé about this one...wasn't sure exactly what to expect...but I assumed it would be a simple little gathering where our chefs shook our hands and said "Bonne Chance". Well, let me tell you, I was wrong... these Frenchies really went all out...our graduation ceremony from Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Patisserie was quite a major ceremony, and, as I should have known, quite stylish! 

We started the day by queuing up to receive our "real chef hats" - our tocques - the tall hats - now we knew we had made it.  We then marched into the ceremony room - one of our classrooms that had been transformed with a stage, flowers and a very large banner congratulating all three of the classes that would be getting their diplomas.  We were greeted by all of the school staff, our chef instructors, several family members and friends (my husband among them) and several "visiting VIP chefs".  There was quite a bit of French pomp and circumstance - speeches by each of the chefs, speeches by a representative of each of the three graduating classes (lucky me - I was nominated by my class to give ours!), presentation of the diplomas to each student along with awards for special recognition and achievement - of course, all of it accompanied by much cheering and multiple-cheek-kissing! 

 

A great day - quite a fun way to celebrate our culinary accomplishments and to say Au Revoir and Bonne Chance to all of my classmates! My two months in Yssingeaux at ENSP has been a great experience - I've met lots of interesting people from all over the world, had great chef instructors who cared about me, and got to learn about (and sample) French pastry - it was all good! 

Graduation was on Friday and I didn't start my stagiere in Paris until the next Wednesday, so Guy and I had a few days to goof off and enjoy France before heading to the big city.  We spent a day in the nearby small town of Le Puy en Velay...wondering through the market ...

 ...and climbing the hills to visit the cathedral and get a view.

We then headed to the big city of Lyon for a few days, where we hit all of the hot spots....

---strolling along the Rhone River....

---riding a funicular up to the top of the hills to visit the cathedral and the Roman ruins, all the while enjoying the view....

 

---wandering the streets and doing some shopping and people-watching...

 

 

---and spending several hours enjoying the sun and blue sky at the local city park, which, surprisingly, had a pretty good zoo.

 

 

A very special treat was our 20th anniversary dinner at Paul Bocuse's restaurant, Auberge du Pont de Collonges.  It was an amazing evening - a lovely restaurant, unbelievable service, delicious and beautiful food -- and even a quick stop at our table and "bon appetit" wishes from the legend himself, Chef Paul Bocuse.

 

Finally, on Monday, we headed to Paris to get me settled into my apartment and get me ready for my stagiere.  We had a few days to enjoy the city before I started work, so we hit all of our favorites...

...of course, the Eiffel Tower..

...and Notre Dame - stunning by day and by night...

 

 

...it wouldn't be a visit to Paris without spending time at the Luxembourg Gardens, enjoying the beautiful scenery and watching the kids sail their rented sailboats...

 

 

 

...we had to fortify ourselves with plenty of good food and drink, like this stop at Angelina for hot chocolate and a selection from their pastry case...

 



 

...making sure we had plenty of energy for strolling the streets and shopping  - one of our favorite ways to spend time in Paris.

 



 

 

 

And, all too quickly, our days in Paris had flown by -- it was time for me to start my stagiere and time for Guy to head home.  It had been a wonderful respite - a great break between school and starting my stagiere in Paris, and, of course, a great way to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. 

 

As I said a tearful good-bye to Guy I found myself filled with quite a mix of emotions - proud to have made it through my classes at ENSP, nervous about starting my stagiere, thrilled my husband had been able to come over and share my graduation, and sad to see him leave! Whew! what a time I'm having - what an incredible journey - mon voyage culinaire!