About 30 years back I was at a conference in Nice. One night we decided to get away from the tourist area and find a local restaurant. We found one down a side street, very authentic-looking with old wooden tables & benches. We were welcomed by a little old lady in long black dress, shawl & headscarf.
As we struggled with the menu (delivered verbally) she said to our surprise that she spoke English, which she did with a flawless accent.
It transpired she was a native of Leicester and in the 1960s used to run the snack bar by the clock tower which I used to frequent when AWOL (sorry, doing private study) from school.