The Wandering Foodie

It seemed everything was working against me. The Paris Metro, usually a breeze to ride, was acting a lot like the NYC MTA on this Saturday morning. All the trains were skipping the stop I needed. Finally, I gave up, hopped off and caught an Uber. Finally, once I arrived in the Orange store (think Verizon) things seems to be back on track. But no, apparently my phone was not connecting to any service, Sprint, France or otherwise and the vacation SIM card wouldn’t work. I was very annoyed – here I was in a foreign country, no Sprint store in sight and my cellular service wasn’t working, though WiFi would connect. Minutes later, I dropped into another Uber, frustrated and in a bad mood.

Take a deep breath, I thought, this not why you came to Paris and this is not how you want to close out this trip.

So I did – I looked on the bright side (I can get WiFi, money is fine, I’m safe, etc.) and began chatting up my driver – a friendly, cheery guy who made the ride quite pleasant. Even as the rain started to pour, I found my way into a side street restaurant since my first choice was too crowded and again, wondered if I had made a mistake. The waitress, who seemed a bit curt at first, and the menu and near empty restaurant made me wonder if this would be a bad meal. Turns out she was only a bit frazzled with the restaurant just opening, happily took my order, writing it in down by pencil on the red and white tablecloth and in a word, the duck confit I ordered was delicious. One of the best meals I had in Paris hands down. The woman warmed up to me and again, I began see her as more than just a waiter in a foreign land. She was somebody’s daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mom and I can’t help but think I was treated like family in her establishment.

It is these unexpected, pleasant surprises that I travel for. For the waiter, who after returning to his cafe for the second time in a couple days, was pleased to welcome me back and served me one of the best glasses of red wine I’ve had to date.

It is the girl, perhaps a little younger than me, who, along with her boyfriend, shares my Uber in the wee morning hours post-nightlife (story for another time) and proudly shows off the neighborhoods she grew up in, the parks she played in and encourages me to eschew the tourist areas and see the “real” Paris.

It is the many moments I’ve spent getting lost in Paris streets, wandering, exploring, eating, drinking, (trying to) speak French.

No, the phone issue wasn’t great, but it’s fine and will be resolved. But nevertheless, I enjoyed Paris despite it, despite iffy weather, etc.

I was determined to enjoy the adventure and live in the moment on this trip – I think I succeeded.

I may be back in New York now, but my spirit, mind and heart are already started on the next journey.