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When they told me I would be traveling for work to a few countries where we had manufacturing plants, the last thing I thought I would get to do was spend a few days in Paris in between work weeks. I had no plan for it, very little I could comfortably say in French and determination to see as much as I could. I would never have believed all I was able to see and experience if I hadn't done it myself. Those activities ranged from touring the car showrooms along the Champs Elysees to checking out ivory teeth in a skull grinning below the Paris streets to riding the great Ferris wheel over the space needle to see that beautiful triangle with the arc de triumph on view.. My favorite thing to do in a new city is to get just a bit lost- this is how you stumble upon the best kept secrets, whether this is the local shop with absolutely amazing food or a store get sculpture in one of the city's corners. In Paris, having ambled away from Notre Dame, I stumbled upon a French open air market. Organized like a garage sale that has gotten out of hand and taken over, this was a truly unique experience. From the savory to the truly odd, full fox fur coats draped around portions of velveteen theater seats and as a solo traveler I was able to fully blend in as a Parisian. I wandered from stall to stall, looking at each cheerful piece of bric-a-brac as I went along. In one of the more piecemeal locations- tribal type vases sat next to Wedgwood inspired decor I was able to strike up a conversation with a petite elderly woman digging into her lunchtime meal, consisting of a fresh baguette some orange Jam and a type of French biscuit I couldn't identify. A myriad of smells and colors of food from different stalls wafted around the market but I wouldn't have been able to experience the best food I had in Paris without the friendly conversation. She was able to point me towards a hidden bakery where I had the lightes croissant of my life- a confection of butter and air. Successful travel always involves the connections you make and where they may lead you next.