Au Revoir!

Today was my last day in France. I spend yesterday in Toulouse and day-tripped to Carcassonne today.  Tomorrow I leave on my last trip before returning home to Vancouver.

With all the goodbyes I've said in the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about goodbye vs. au revoir. To me, goodbye can sound so final as it does not imply the possibility of seeing one another again. Conversely, au revoir literally means, "see you again" or "until we see each other again." Au revoir is more optimistic vis-à-vis the prospect of another meeting. In my case, I'm not leaving never to return again. Even after eight months, I still feel there's so much of this beautiful country to see. Au revoir leaves me the possibility of coming back, either on vacation or otherwise.

Au revoir la France!