On our way to Juan-les-Pins and Nice on the French Rivera, we made a lunchtime stop in the stunning port of Cassis.

One of those gorgeous places where pictures barely do it justice, Will and I enjoyed some of the treasures of the sea including fresh calamari and mussels along with a spritz at La Poissonnerie Laurent.

One of the ongoing jokes of the trip was my very unconvincing French greeting. Roughly 90 percent of the time I said Bonjour! to a salesperson, a server, the person working the counter at the local coffee shop, he or she would quickly reply Hello!

I tried my very best to not dress like a tourist—never wore t-shirts with my favorite sports team or running shoes in a restaurant—but I didn’t fool anyone. Not one bit. Including our waiter who looked less than impressed with my attempt.

Other than the unexpectedly scrumptious blackberry sorbet—I’m not usually a sorbet lover—that accompanied my lemon tart for dessert, the best part of the meal was sharing fresh mussels with Will  and dunking the crusty bread into the delicious broth.

When the waiter stopped by our table to inquire about drink refills, I told him the mussels were incredible. He replied “I know!”

I had to admire his confidence. Definitely one of those lunches you won’t forget any time soon for a myriad of reasons.