My Time In France - Asking for Directions

As the title dictates, I traveled to France back in June 2024. I joined a collegiate band for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the parade was in Normandy. Our trip consisted of days in the countryside of France and ended with a few days in Paris since our airplane flew out from there.

While the trip had many bumps and issues, there was us getting to the hotel in Paris. Our hotel was on the outskirts of Paris so the shuttle buses had trouble parking. When they finally could, we unloaded later than we were suppose to. Instead of having dinner, it became a "find what you can" for dinner.

My roommates decided to either stay in or Uber to the inner part of the city for dinner. I was tired yet hungry. So I did not want to Uber into Paris but I did want to find somewhere to eat.

I went walking down the street and found a building that looked like a restaurant. So I walked in and in broken French asked if I could eat here and that I was looking for a restaurant. It came out “Quest-ce que Je parle anglais?” “Non.” (with head shaking no) “Uhh. Je voudrais manager ici?”

Neither one of them spoke English. So the owner shook his head and said they stopped serving food but his friend ushered me outside. He told me of a pizzeria that was down the street to the left that would be open and would serve me. He asked if I understood what he meant and I nodded my head and asked to the left while pointing. He realized I did understand him to a degree and agreed.

I followed down the small road and found the pizzeria near the hotel. You would have missed it if you did not realize it was there. I walked in to look around. This interaction led me to a pizzeria which was a French/Italian combo pizzeria. They spoke French and Italian and when the waiters realized I spoke a little French, they immediately sat me.

My pizza and wine was served and I had a small table near a window. The waiters came to check on me and make sure I was enjoying the food. Even speaking a little English to help me out. I was very appreciative of the interaction that led me here and the pizzeria. It was delicious, filling, and kind.

My pizza and wine from the pizzeria