Today, I finally had a chance to use my advanced international communication skills. As Ollie slept in, Stella Karin and I went out early to get fresh baguettes for breakfast. On the way, we stopped at a local café for coffee and hot chocolate in the back streets of the Latin Quarter. After breakfast of warm pastries and quiche, we set out on an epic journey to explore the Canal St Martin and Belleville in the north of Paris. We had read it was where the Parisian’s lived who could not afford the city. We also heard it contained the city’s Chinatown. After hours of walking through the backstreets of northern Paris, we had no luck finding Chinatown, or a noodle soup. Time to call on those aforementioned communication skills. Tired and hungry, I entered a bakery with Ollie and Stella to “ask” for directions. My English attempts fell on death ears. My French attempts drew giggles from the counter staff. Then my pièce de résistance. Using my hands, I made motions of eating from a bowl with chopsticks. My left hand was the bowl and my right hand held the imaginary chopsticks. As the laughter subsided, the red-faced bakery girl said, “chinois” repeatedly before providing directions in her own sign language. Not surprisingly, we never found Chinastown. But we did have a great adventure and ended up eating fantastic fresh handmade noodles in St Germaine. Later in the day, we went to Galleria Lafayette to take in the rooftop view, which has to be one of the best in the city, and free. It also sold great gelatos with a view of the Opera house.
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