Paris Miscellaneous (Paris #4)

• There are WAY more black people (i.e. Africans) than you’d think.
• Subway is dirty and more confusing than New York’s...
  

• They make excellent use of lights…and not just the Champs-Elysees, everywhere from storefronts to hotels.
• Nicolas Sarkozy (their prime minister) is short and many of the French make jokes about him, especially in regards to comparisons to Napolean...

• Speaking of which, apparently having a “Napolean-complex” was a phrase that originated outside of France as the people in the Paris office hadn’t heard of it before.
• CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THE HOOPLAH ABOUT THE MONA LISA?! Last time I checked, when someone takes or paints a picture of someone who is looking directly at them (or the lens), no matter WHERE you stand, it will look as if they are staring directly at you. SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?!
• Homeless people speak your language (doesn’t matter which one), and highlight this when asking for change..."Par le vous Francais?","Habla espanol?","Do you speak English?","Spreckenzie Deutsche?"...
  
• For Australians, in order to get a visa in America, all they have to do is come over to America, find a job, leave the U.S., go to the U.S. embassy in Australia, show proof of work and they'll get a visa...it's that simple. It's called the "Iraq Visa" (unofficially), as I believe)its sort of like a favor-for-favor thing in return for Australia's help in the Iraq war. [I know this doesn't have to do with Paris, but I found this out in Paris so that's why its here.]
  
• During lunch, someone told me that Germans, while civil within their (Germany's) country's borders, oftentimes act a fool overseas (specifically, Ibiza). Take it for what you will, but I thought it an interesting observation given how "by the book" I have seen them to be since arriving in Europe.
• And finally...Smoking indoors was banned in France as of January 2, 2008 (who’d have thunk it…in France of all places).

Cheers.