The French summer of 2010 is marked in my memory with a travel to the beautiful and lighted city of Paris.
Paris enchanted me with its Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Notre Dame. The shopping was fantastic and so was the food. But my days there were never planned. I just moved around the streets without a map, discovering new things about the city that 'tourists' can never. I would recommend this method of travelling to anyone who loves a little adventure, because losing yourself in a new city leaves you with so many more opportunities to discover it.
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| Eiffel Tower in Paris |
But the story is not about the things I saw in Paris, instead it is about a memory that will stay with me for a long time.
One early evening I was scouting for a place for dinner. As I walked along the Champs-Élysées I noticed that the summers in France brought in a lot of tourists. The cafes and the shopping places were always brimming with crowds. The city felt vibrant and lighted in every way!
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| The Champs-Élysées Avenue |
While walking along the avenue, I came across a cafe called Cafe George V. They had an indoor seating arrangement which was full, but the tables set along the sidewalk had a couple of empty ones. I peeped around the tables to see whether the food at the tables interested me.
While still in the midst of contemplation, a waiter suddenly walked up to me and asked "How many?" to which I replied "Just one."! And within no time I was there sitting at a table and looking at the menu card.
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| Salmon Fillet at Cafe George V |
I ordered for salmon fillet with herbed lemon sauce and steamed rice and vegetables. By the time the waiter had finished writing my order, he had introduced me to an experience that was fun but at the same time a little embarrassing.
But a little prelude before that -
"Foreigners are always exotic in the countries they visit. But if you are foreigner from the Indian subcontinent, you are sometimes mistaken to be a Mexican when in the US or Spanish when in Europe"
"Nothing to drink with your dinner?"
I reply back with a "Just water!".
"Not even some Sangria. I'm sure you'd had a lot in Spain, try some here."
"Merci but No."
"Well in that case..." and he broke into a dance right in front of my table. I was taken by surprise and looked at him with wide eyes. Everyone from the other tables turned around and started clapping as he continued dancing for a couple of more minutes.
Finally he took a bow, got an applause from everyone and then turned to me and said "Some sangria now?".
A soda is what I really ended up with after all that!
After that evening I never had another experience of meeting anyone so friendly and pleasant while serving me food at a restaurant. But I'll always remember this incident because it is only once in a while where you meet someone who can handle the pressure of buzzing hungry crowds during a peak tourist season with such panache and good humor!
