红酒·绿茶 / Red Wine & Green Tea / Vin Rouge et Thé Vert

Went to Anime USA 2007, a Japanese anime/manga fan conference in Arlington, VA. It was a fun experience when you were surrounded by people dressing up like comic characters or cosplaying . There was one girl who worn a nice costume of Lulu from Final Fantasy X. A large exhibition hall called "dealer's room" was the place where people buy some rarely seen Japanese anime, manga, video games, costume and accessories. It was a real treat for American fans but not much exciting for me. Because in a densely populated area like China or Japan, big cities would almost inevitably have a "Japanese anime/manga street". So we are used to things like that and we can go there whenever we want. There was another section for artists to sell their drawings. Some of them were pretty good. Five video rooms played Japanese animations nonstop. You can drop in whichever you like. One room for video game fans. All consoles were represented and many hot new games. It was covered by y...

Initially I planned to stay in Louvre for a whole day but changed the plan to get away with a little more than a half because, as a poor graduate student, I couldn't resist the temptation of a free admission day to Musée d'Orsay . Inside Orsay Originally uploaded by yisu As mentioned in numerous travel books, there is always a long, winding line in front of the museum, which is located not far away from Louvre across the Seine. However, do not be intimidated by the line because it is well worth it. Built from a train station, it had a spacious interior. Big Clock Originally uploaded by yisu With all the elaborated details, the big clock demanded attention. Hallway Originally uploaded by yisu I followed the crowd to go all the way up to the top through hallways like this. Louvre from Orsay Originally uploaded by yisu To my surprise, there was an open patio on the top where you could get some beautiful views of the city. Louvre was great to...

I dedicated my second day in Paris to two great museums, Louvre and Orsay , because they are both free(!) on the first Sunday of each month. (What a resourceful traveller I am!) Louvre Originally uploaded by yisu Let me start my pilgrim to Musée du Louvre with a breathtaking panorama. (Click here if you want the original size since Flickr refused to take it.) Pyramid Originally uploaded by yisu The famous pyramids, designed by the great Chinese American architect I.M. Pei , stood timelessly with Louvre as if they were there from the beginning. Left Detail Originally uploaded by yisu Thousands of statues decorated the exterior of the Palais Royal. Right Detail Originally uploaded by yisu Despite its exquisite decor, the whole building had only two colors, or three if you count the glass as the third. Louis XIV Originally uploaded by yisu An equestrian statue of Louis XIV stood in the right of the square and I had eaten my triangle-sha...

Result of a three-hour photo trip to the Loch Raven Reservoir . Jump to this set on Flickr or start a slide show . Enjoy! Mosaic , originally uploaded by nuance1979 . PS, the collage was made by Mosaic Maker . Nice application.

I took a nap on the train from Antwerpen to Paris and enjoyed the first-class served breakfast. (How could I afford Thalys first class? Two words: summer sale!) Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Originally uploaded by yisu The first thing I did after arriving was to buy a carnet of 10 Métro tickets . (By the way, Paris Métro was *the* best metro system in the world. Tokyo might be a contender but don't even mention New York, please.) It didn't took me much time to find my hostel, Le Village , in the busy Montmartre neighborhood. The best thing about this hostel was that it had a public patio with a beautiful view of the Sacré-Cœur . Sitting on the top of the hill with a panoramic view, the Sacré-Cœur was a popular place to be day and night. Arc de Triomphe Originally uploaded by yisu After I came down from the Sacré-Cœur, a smooth Métro ride took me right in front of the great Arc de Triomphe . Statue on the Left Originally uploaded by yisu There were fou...