Paris est maginifique !

Last day in Paris. I can't imagine the day just flew away when I'm here. The weather was gorgeous for the first few days but it was overcast yesterday. I intended to visit the verseille chateau, which is around 45 mins from central Paris, today. But it rained this morning and I'll see if the weather is getting better later today.

I LOVE Paris. It's the most beautiful city I've seen by far. It's just lovely. There's plenty to do here and days here are never boring. Somehow I want to stay here for longer.

Now that I've got used to traveling alone and I pretty much enjoy it! I meet people and it's pretty interesting to talk a bit to each of them.

My host here is a 40-something man, father of a son and two daughters. Adrin, who is his son and is studying in a smaller city close to the border of Germany, is very nice. After spending years there, he confessed that Paris is not a place for him. That morning when we were crossing the street, he told me how different the way of life here in Paris is from his city,

' In Germany when there is green light you dont have to look at the street 'cause cars stop. But here, they dont stop! No discipline! That's a problem!'

I laughed so hard- not only because of the way he said it (I'm not trying to be mean... but just think about his English with strong German accent and he looked SO serious!), but also because it was the first time I heard a French talking much like a German. Haha ... I think something inside his blood has become German(!) after years of schooling in a city close to Germany. LOL.

No discipline !

And he looked rather uptight ... just like a typical German I've met before ... hehe... well, I know I shouldn't stereotype them... *rolls eyes*

My host, Pierre, is an awesome person! We were talking for a while the first night I arrived. Conversing in English, he suddenly asked, ' 你會講國語?' (Do you speak Mandarin?)

I looked at him, startled. My eyes were widely opened.

Then he went on saying, '我會講一點點...(I can speak a bit...)'

I dont remember what he said after that... It actually took me like a few sentences before I came to believe OH YEA HE IS SPEAKING MANDARIN!

Oh ,my gosh a french speaking in Mandarin !!!

Later I found that he had studied Mandarin here for 3years and then he went to Taiwan to study for another year. This morning I asked him if he knows the Chinese characters on his daughter's bag.

'幸運都 (the lucky one),' He answered, pointing out that was simplified Chinese right away.

Wow. Cool. It turned out that he is a french who can speak Mandarin and read both simplified and traditional Chinese. What a French!