What I didn't mention in my previous comment, @marianne72, traveling to France was far more difficult than traveling to London. I felt cognitively that my brain faced an added challenge in dealing with the language difference. Cognitively, I hadn't expected this challenge.

One small thing that helped me was I had a notebook where I reminded me things to observe. What were the most prominent colors I saw? What shades of those colors did I see? Were people smiling? Did they make eye contact? How could I engage with those around me (a simple nod was often enough)? Were there any unique plants, trees, or wildlife I saw? This helped me get past the hustle and bustle. I also went out of my way to engage with Uber drivers. Sometimes, even a grunt and raising of the hand in frustration at another driver was enough to help build a common bridge. Lastly, taking to engage with others helped me get out of my own head. One outcome was I made a friend from Uganda that I still chat with today.