Smart Cars!

There is a real lack of SMART cars in Asian countries... well at least in the countries I've lived in since it was first introduced during the 1995s. Surprisingly, there seems to be a real difference in the size of the cars people prefer in France compared to Thailand and Korea. Here, I should say about 60% of cars are three doors or less, and you will often see the signature 'SMART' style parking all over Lyon... These miniature vehicles are short enough to allow it to be parked 'nose in' whereas a conventionally sized (4-door) or more car would have to parallel park. There are tons of these SMART all over Lyon, where there is practically a War of Parking everyday. Here, a nice car is a car you can park easily... It's a country where taxi drivers drive the Merdeces S-classes, and the rest.... the ordinary Renaults and Citroens.

-1 Floor...???

One of the few things that foreigners fail to adapt to in France is the funny 'floor system.' In Asia, or Thailand and Korea I should say, the ground floor is often labelled 'L' for lobby, or 'G' for ground, but we usually call the 'ground floor'... the 1st floor. However, in France we call it '0' (zero) floor as you can see in the image above (a typical French elevator). Although, this little thing does not seem much, it can cause quite a bit of a problem at times. My first day at the Alliance Francaise didn't quite begin the way I wanted... because of this 'floor system.' I was told my class was on the 3rd floor... and in Thailand or Korea, that would be 2 floors above the ground floor... (1, 2, and then THREE) I ended up on the SECOND FLOOR according to the French system. It was actually supposed to be (0, 1, 2, and THREE).

Another funny thing is when you go below ground... the first floor below basement is called '-1' floor... haha. So you would need to first press the 'negative' (-) button, then 1 if you took the elevator in the picture. Very Logic and simple thinking, but its something very new for an Asian to adapt to. Vraiment bizarre ca....

Zurich to Geneve (Geneva)

On my way back from Vienna to Lyon, I literally had to cross the whole of Switzerland from the East coast to the West...from Zurich all the way to Geneve. By this, i mean travelling from a very German speaking region of Switzerland to a very much French part of la Suisse. The 3 hour train ride was one of a kind... the journey starts off very German as there are lots of passengers travelling from one Zurich to Bern (two German speaking cities). However, from then on, French takes over and you will tend to hear the typical Swiss-French. The language of newspapers change throughout the course of the journey... It is not much of a surprise to see the person opposite you reading a GERMAN newspaper, speaking FRENCH with the person beside him, and ordering his coffee in ENGLISH.

For those who speak French, they will often giggle when the annoucement says that the train will stop at 'Lausanne, Geneve,.... et Geneve a l'aeroport' hahaha...ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. A very good example of Swiss-French... Inside the train you will find that all signs are written in four different language: German, French, English, and Italian. So when you come to Switzerland make sure you take a train from Zurich to Geneve...

Autriche

I decided to spendmy one week holiday (from the 27th October to the 2nd of November) in Austria. I took a train from Lyon, Part-Dieu station and headed off to Salzburg via Mulhouse and Zurich... a journey which took approximately 13 hours. During the week I visited Salzburg, Vienna, and a small village called 'Hallstatts' which is located between Salzburg and Linz...just beside a lake. It is deemed, the most beautiful place on earth, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, therefore I decided to pay a little visit...

Mulhouse to Zurich (via Basel)

Salzburg...

For those of you who watched 'Sound of Music' you will know where this is...

Hallstattersee... amazing...

...I can't believe I went to see an OPERA!!!unbelievable, the most boring crap ever.

Alliance Francaise de Lyon! (Last day for October)

A large proportion of the people who visit my site are Koreans living in Korea. For those of you planning to study abroad, I highly recommend Lyon and if you are looking to study French, visit http://www.aflyon.org/ for more information. Lyon is a real safe city to live in, and the best thing about this place is the calmness. The cost of living is considerably cheaper than Paris, and is located in the center of West Europe. A perfect location for anyone looking to travel and study at the same time. It costs 354 EUROS (460,000원) for 60 hours of 'cours' per month, and the school will help you find a place to stay as well. (either the Alliance Francaise dorm or a French family)

기숙사는: 153-210유로 (200,000 - 275,000원)/month

하숙은: 450유로(590,000원)/month (아침 줍니다)

600유로(785,000원)/month (아침 하고 저녁)

Anyways, just to mark the end of classes for October, a small party was organised by our 'Professeur, PASCALE.'

Me, Paulina, Annouk, Jorge (pronounced Hor-he)

Michiyo..., Me, Wan-Se, Paulina, Jorge

La Classe

A bit of farewell messages in different languages for those leaving this month...

The French Keyboard...

French Keyboard

'Les claviers Francais' - another very debateable subject about these uncomprehendible French people...Believe it or not, French keyboards are very different from the standard english keyboards. Although the same A-Z alphabet is used in these two languages, somehow the French have opted to switch around the A, Z, M, Q, W, and the semicolon button from the standard English keyboards. Why? Pourquoi!!!??? I do NOT know the answer to this question... (Anyone who does can send me an e-mail at : janggyuman@hotmail.com) but I know these keyboards are frustratingly difficult to work with, especially having the A and the Q switched around... Other facts include:

1. You need to hold 'Ctrl' to type in a 'period / . '

2. There is a key called ' Alt Gr ' which can be called 'Ctrl #2' in order to get the '@' , '#' and etc...on your screen.

3. However, the most frustrating bit is that you need to hold 'SHIFT' to enter numbers!!!

English / Korean Keyboard

And just to make you football fans a bit jealous...:

A Champions League Ticket for the OL vs. FCBarcelona match at Stade de Gerland... Tickets went on sale on the 18th of October through the internet ONLY, and there were none left after 24 hours. The tickets got my name on the bottom right... hahahahaha! 'KIM SANG KYU' Thats one hell of a sexy ticket.

Salle de Bains / Toilette

Unlike in many countries (eg. Thailand and South Korea) where there is only one term to denote both 'toilet' and 'bathroom,' the French take their 'bathroom' and 'toilet' business incredibly seriously... In every household in France you will find that the 'TOILET BOWL' is isolated, protected, and looked after in its very own room. You will never... ever find a bathtub and a toilet bowl located in the same room if you live in a country where you must pay absolute attention when using these two words: bathroom... and toilet.

Very politely ask in your very good French 'Ou est le Salle de bains?' if you want to take a shower or a bath .... and 'Ou est la toilette?' ... otherwise...

Note that the French DO wash their hands after taking care of business in their beloved 'toilette.' (although the picture does not seem as if they do) It is always a bit of work to walk across your house from the toilet to the bathroom with those filthy hands...

A Taste of French Football: Lyon vs. AS Monaco

For those of you who don't know 'Olympique Lyonnais,' they are the most successful football team in France having won six consecutive Ligue 1 titles and performing extremely well in the Champions League.

Having bought the cheapest 20 euros ticket for this match, I guess I got what I paid for... finding myself on a behind-the-goal seat scrambled amongst the Lyonnais faithfuls. Just for your information, you will NOT be able to watch the game comfortable on your seats! Watch and Learn!-->

This was my first full on 90minutes football match on foot during a windy 5 degree Celsius afternoon.

European Footballs Traditional Pre-Match Water Sprinkling Ritual for speeding up the game

Juninhos Penalty: 1-0

The Match ends 3-1 in favour of OL!!!

Rhône-Alpes = 69

The first thing you'll notice upon your arrival in Lyon is the huge number of miniature Renaults and Smart cars parked in front of their ancient looking apartments. 50% of the city is covered with parking spaces which must be paid for on the basis of time. However, the most eye-catching bit about French automobile... particularly in Lyon, are the number plates which have the number '69' at the very end... mmmm..... This number denotes the region in which the car originates from... and in this case 69 represents the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Unfortunately, in a couple of months time this French number plate format will be replaced with the new standard European Union vehicle number plate system........Dommage!!!

Une Greve!!!

Democracy: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections (Merriam-Webster)

France is a democratic country....sometimes a bit too democratic. A strike is held almost everday and the word 'greve' in an ordinary French conversation is all too common. This week the public transport sector plans to hold a strike on Thursday, and an announcement is made in a tramway station: 'Saxe Prefecture.' There will be no public transport service whatsoever everywhere in France on Thursday... including the TGV trains! MERDE!

Ratatouille

It really does take some commitment to get this blog going on a daily basis. For those of you who have watched the French movie 'Ratatouille' you might have been wondering what it really is. So heres one for you guys: 'Ratatouille' is a French dish... (not the name of that rat in the movie), which I had for dinner today and is real good with la 'Saucisse de Strasbourg' or rice according to Madame Joele. The baguette on a French dining table is nothing new and cannot be forgotten during any meal. In Korean terms... its the 'French Kimchi.'

Here's one for you football fans: I recently bought a ticket for the match featuring Olympique Lyonnais and AS Monaco this Saturday. (20 EUROS) for the crappiest seat behind the goal.


Tickets for the Champions League match between Olympique Lyonnais vs. FC Barcelona go on sale starting 18th of Octobre. 40 EUROS for the seats behind the goal...

Le Tour de Lyon

Sundays in France are one of the most boring and ridiculous days of the week. Everything is closed including department stores, Carrefour, and even the frequency of public transport decreases on Sundays...incredible. Therefore, the best way to pass a Sundy in France is to have a little Tour of the city. The Fourviere Hill is the most touristic places in Lyon, and is home to the Basilique de Fourviere, the little Eiffel Tower, and the Theatre Romaine de Fourviere.

An exceptional picture of the Cathedral courtesy of Monsieur KIM.

To clarify, the Tour Eiffel you see here is just a fancy replica of the one in Paris. This is actually a radio tower or something on the Fourviere Hill.

Last but not least, the spectacular view of la ville de Lyon. The tallest building here is the Radisson Hotel right in the middle of the picture which is about a 30 floor building . Pretty shocking to see the lack of high-rise buildings in this city.

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