My hotel provides free internet access, but with only one PC and all the wrong coding, it is very difficult to use it.
Just bought myself a very expensive LV handbag [640 euro, plain crazy]. Not really one that I had originally planned for but was recommended by the shop staff [friendly japanese]. Couldn't decide so took some time and when I returned to the shop the one and only one there was just sold!! Had to go all the way to Au Bon Marche to buy the only one left in Paris. The LV branch on Av Champs-Elysees seemed quite empty. I can think of a number of reasons. But I didn't buy or intend to buy there cos I have always hated the attitude of the staff there.
The Chagall exhibition was very expensive [9 euro] and I didn't really like it. I had thought that I would like it because his paintings look very nice, dreamy and colourful from a distance and I liked the church windows he designed. But on closer look the paintings are filled with flying people, flying goats and flying bulls. Felt dizzy and a headache. Julia Roberts says in Notting Hill, Love is not love without a violin playing goat. I probably liked Chagall because of this.
Hope my flight back home [tomorrow night] will be all right. It is not Air France staff who are having a strike, but the public sector workers, i.e. Air Traffic Controllers. Checked with AF personally today [met with very cold staff], and have been told that the flight would be all right. But I think something might be outside the airline's control. The metro in Paris is running quite allright though.
13.6.03
12.6.03
Paris
Hello. I am killing my time in a cybercafe in Paris. This is the cheapest one [called easyinternetcafe, always the cheapest]. The arrangement of the keys of the keyboard is very weird, making it very difficult to type.
I dont really have any plan today. Probably will go to see a temp exhibition on Chagall in the Grand Palace. Spent half day in Louvre yesterday [again!]. My legs almost came off after I had strolled through the museum from 1600 to 2000 [4 hours!]. I used to focus on the most famous works but recently I chose to stroll through the place and always met something less famous but just as stunning. There is a Da Vinci exposition going on there. I never fancy much about him but saw it anyways [extra charge! should have spent it on the Armani exhibition in Berlin!]. Not impressed as always. As expected, many of the works [cartoons, sketches] came from the QEIIs collection. I really don't understand why people think he was so special. Most of his works are left unfinished. I like Michelangelo way way better.
Paris is VERY expensive. Berlins prices are very reasonable when compared to Paris. And Paris is dirty. And the people as unwelcoming as ever. I don't know if I would buy anything now that Euro is so expensive.
But the museums in Paris are usually works of art in themselves. Berlin is no comprison in this. Pergamon was such a lousy place that I had to leave in 2 hours. But Berlin itself was quite lovely.
Please tell me something about the SARS situation in HK.
I dont really have any plan today. Probably will go to see a temp exhibition on Chagall in the Grand Palace. Spent half day in Louvre yesterday [again!]. My legs almost came off after I had strolled through the museum from 1600 to 2000 [4 hours!]. I used to focus on the most famous works but recently I chose to stroll through the place and always met something less famous but just as stunning. There is a Da Vinci exposition going on there. I never fancy much about him but saw it anyways [extra charge! should have spent it on the Armani exhibition in Berlin!]. Not impressed as always. As expected, many of the works [cartoons, sketches] came from the QEIIs collection. I really don't understand why people think he was so special. Most of his works are left unfinished. I like Michelangelo way way better.
Paris is VERY expensive. Berlins prices are very reasonable when compared to Paris. And Paris is dirty. And the people as unwelcoming as ever. I don't know if I would buy anything now that Euro is so expensive.
But the museums in Paris are usually works of art in themselves. Berlin is no comprison in this. Pergamon was such a lousy place that I had to leave in 2 hours. But Berlin itself was quite lovely.
Please tell me something about the SARS situation in HK.
10.6.03
1st message
Dear friend,
I am sending my first message during this trip. Hard to believe.
The packaged tour was all right. I had little to complain. My own trip in Berlin so far has not been bad either. The only down side has been the weather. It is too hot. Most of the time it is about or above 30 degrees and it is really hard if outdoor. I spent most of my day time in museums (10 museums in 3 days, done almost all the home work you gave me) to hide from the sun, so it has been allright until today. I took a very expensive train ride to Leipzig, walked and then I could not bear the sun. Plus I was not able to call Air France (flying tomorrow, must call to confirm in case of strike). Feeling physically and emotionally unwell, I returned in about three hours, again taking the very expensive ICE train.
This is the worst day of my trip. But then I will be in Paris tomorrow, so who cares.
Eating very little when on my own. Feeling very unwell the first day when I was on my own, only to discover later than I was in fact very hungry, to the point of stomach ache. My best record was to spend less than 8 euros a day. Will tell you how and why later.
Bye now.
I am sending my first message during this trip. Hard to believe.
The packaged tour was all right. I had little to complain. My own trip in Berlin so far has not been bad either. The only down side has been the weather. It is too hot. Most of the time it is about or above 30 degrees and it is really hard if outdoor. I spent most of my day time in museums (10 museums in 3 days, done almost all the home work you gave me) to hide from the sun, so it has been allright until today. I took a very expensive train ride to Leipzig, walked and then I could not bear the sun. Plus I was not able to call Air France (flying tomorrow, must call to confirm in case of strike). Feeling physically and emotionally unwell, I returned in about three hours, again taking the very expensive ICE train.
This is the worst day of my trip. But then I will be in Paris tomorrow, so who cares.
Eating very little when on my own. Feeling very unwell the first day when I was on my own, only to discover later than I was in fact very hungry, to the point of stomach ache. My best record was to spend less than 8 euros a day. Will tell you how and why later.
Bye now.
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