Every time when I went back to Paris, I’d like to find back things as it used to be ; while every trip to China, I could never be well prepared enough for the changes it had been made.

I could see the blue sky which I never thought it would achieved in Beijing, I can feel people become more polite than before after the Olympic Games, and this time, sitting outside a cafe under the about 200meters long screen, I laughed so much with my friends by joking: people are queuing everywhere for paying in the shopping centre, for eating in huge restaurants…but where is the world wild crises?

There is still terrible traffic jam although there is the « each car has one day off according to the last number rule » at present, we should change to « pair and impair each day off »? Lots of people will just simply buy the second car to be able to switch every the other day, so it seems that there is not really any solution for the heavy traffic problem in Beijing.

There is something I do appreciate in this trip. I was panicked so much before taking the plane back because I wanted to bring a lamp and a big banquet of artificial flowers with me on the plane. I do not think it will be allowed because I’ve being used to be treated badly in the name of « public security » in French airport, Paris is the worse, of course, I have to take off almost everything I wear… The travel becomes a very unpleasant experience.

So I was extremely nervous, almost sure that they are going to force me to throw those flowers as in each flower exist a long pointed wire…

“Beautiful flowers” that’s finally I’ve got as reaction while passing the security, with smiles.

Ah, I found that I am really not used to have smiles at the security gates in the airports.

Here sharing some nice food with you:-))

Simone Veil finally received a « legion d’Honneur », at the age of 81.

“You are a woman of character, a free woman (…) that I admire so much and for whom I have great affection,” said Sarkozy in the ceremony.

“The day that I die, it is the Holocaust that I think and all my friends with whom we have suffered so much,” said Mrs. Veil.

I always admire her, not only because she had suffered in the camp, but for her courage of fighting after having survived, of still staying an elegant woman at her age.

I do appreciate the lunch I’ve had with her a little bit earlier. It was the beginning of spring time; we had a nice view of garden from the room we were sitting in.

It’s was a small intimate lunch, she was more a lovely elegant lady than a female politician.

In a moment, we talked about the camp, she mentioned very slightly: « for a very long time, I’ve refused wearing dresses with sleeves not long enough… » after more than years, her eyes were still getting wet when she talked about that nightmare…

Then she changed the topics:

« Such a nice whether finally, what a lovely little garden »,

I felt at that moment a big tenderness in her eyes, very pure.

Bernard Kouchner meets Mahmoud Abbas today. As usual, a lunch meeting followed by a press conference. There are much more journalists today than in Elysée yesterday.

Most of the French journalists came not, or at least not only for the subject of “Israel-Palestinian” conflict, but for Bernard Kouchner himself.

Because of the book of Pierre Péan which is going to be published late this week (without being censored, which is something I do appreciate in France. Very few books could be forbidden to be published.)

During their lunch, while waiting for the press conference, we’ve got a message: there will be no question during the press conference!

This is  rare!

At the beginning of the conference, the Minister announced: No question will be allowed to ask about the Palestinian because Mr. Abbas needs to leave in a big hurry for Strasbourg.

The press conference finished after just 2 statements from each part. Then a journalist asked with very high voice: Mr. Ministre, could you please reply a question which is not about the Palestinian subject?

He had insisted several times without even a glance by Kouchner……No embarrassed topic, especially before the guest friend!

I had a conversation with this journalist earlier that morning, by exchanging the different versions of French and Chinese medias concerning the “throw shoes” accident in Cambridge University. French TV’s report stops the moment the offender shouted “dictator”, while the Chinese TV shows the long applauds after the Prime WEN said “This despicable act shall not influence the friendship between Chinese and British people”;But the completed version, and the publics reacts, like the people all around shouted at that guy “ Shame on you!” “Get out!” etc.,we could only see from Youyube.

Then we started to talk about how French journalists nowadays become more and more “polite” and obedient, comparing to British and American journalists.

Then we had the scene I mentioned above, no one continued to insist after.

No question.

No comments.

Here we are! From the 26°C of Cairo, to the -20°C Davos……

I am really torturing my skin.

About 2600 “leaders” , including 41 Gouvernement leaders, and bank presidents from more than 40 countries,  are gathering here for one week, to try to warm up the “after crise world”.

For us, each year in Davos we experience our own crises: fighting for the hotel rooms and getting crazy with the “high speed internet service” extremely slow… 1MBit/sec… We’ve got even faster service during the conflit in south of Libanon in 2006!…

Well, for a small town with only people coming for holidays most of the time, who had expected of having so many “business elites” all at the same time.

But why the WEF communication office does not think about setting up a temporary network service only for this period, even if just for a certain zone. Anyway, we have only 2 main streets here.

My job brought me to lot of cities, European, African, Middle-east… But this time, I discovered such a special and unique city : Jerusalem.

We’ve heard so many times this name, from the Jews, the Christians and the Muslim all over the world ; but only when you see with your own eyes, could finally feel what a magic mixture of all the tensions and harmonies combining into the deep and thin flow.

Many of my friends had received a very special New Year greeting from this Holy City. Here I’d like to give some ideas of your trip there, you have to go there even only once.

Try to find a reasonable price in a luxury hotel, at least for the first night, so that you could ask for a VIP welcome with staff waiting for you at the gate of the plane and bring you by car directly to the exit of the airport, you could avoid all the queuing lines. Enjoy the very pleasant beginning of your trip.

The hotel King David is really one of the first choices, which mixed into the history of Jerusalem. The rooms on the back side of the hotel give you an incomparable view of the old city and Mont Olive, plus the garden backyard, which connects with a big parking leading to one of my favorite « modern Jerusalem »– Yemin Moses, under the windmill.

If you passby, do not forget to say hello to the ”doorcat David” for me, she does normally the night shift on the welcome desk:-)))

There is very few hotels inside the old city. But you really should try the Austrian Hospice… It’s just unbelievable. I postponed my flight just for staying there for one night. You feel like living in a gallery, or a castle, with the best bird-eye view of the city while you are part of it. Especially, it lies right on the famous “ Via Dolorosa”, so you could walk on that street either in the evening, either in early morning when all the shops on that street are still closing… You could really feel something from the heart of this holy old city……

I still dream of Jerusalem…

and I am going back soon.

My New Year greeting to friends for 2009 was really a special one :

« A very special new year greeting from the City of Jerusalem…… »

Though read it so many times from the book, saw thousans of pictures and images about this holly city, but, the moment when I really entered this city of religions and conflits, I did feel a very strong emotion… The heavy history, the unique stone houses in harmony, and all the combats about the belonging of the city……I could not help for keeping tears…

The night in Jerusalem is so quiet, never felt the strange quietness in any other city. A friend of mine who was hesitating so much of coming made this comment :

“Ah, in USA, you could never be quiet with all the noises from the police to remind you that there are wars and terrorists, but here, in the center of all the combats, at the moment of war, I finally found the feeling of peace……”

May all of us find our own peace no matter where you are in this new year of 2009! 

I remembered that before going to Beijing in the end of October, as we were talking so much about the « toxic milky power »,and some other cases of food problems, I said to myself that it must be so terrible for people in China, we even do not have any confidence on the things we eat. So I insisted to eat at home at my arrival.No more than 3 days, I’ve totally forgotten this worrying because every restaurant I went, there were full of people and you just could not refuse this atmosphere which gave you willing of eating immediately J

The same type of story happened in my trip to Isreal this time. The travel agency warned us, some friends were trying stopped me as

According to the news, there were dangers everywhere.

The plane was full.

The night of our arrival,at 2am, we were having diner in a small restaurant on the street, opens 24hours. There are severals in the same street, with people coming and going.

It is my first-ever trip in Isreal. I was really not used to having

 people check bag at every entry :magazins, hotels, offices, everywhere. But you do not feel offensive as they are all doing this in a very coutersy and natural way .

In the morning on the street of Tel Aviv, I took breakfast on the bench as the local people and watched them : young, old, with friends, or accompagned by their dogs, you can never guess from their appearance that there is a war on the boarder of this country with rockets arrives just 20kilometres away from this city…

‘‘We’ve used to daily rokets ’’ ,a lady told me : ‘‘ human bombs ? it

 happens, but we should not give up our life because of some people who do not care about theirs.’’

While waiting for my press card for being able to making report here, I was watching the pictures of the explosions in some big cities by the suicide bombers in the past years…Honestly, when you are really inside this country, living as the people here, I am not that scared any more.

In New Year’s Eve, although it is not really a celebration for people here, the restaurants are fully packed tonight. People make parties everywhere, then go to work as any of the working day tomorrow the January 1st.

It’s always like that, you can only get the real situation and atmosphere while going to the place, instead of judging from far, according to the news you got indirectly.

All the appointments in this city for the 1st Dec. Had been cancelled.

Thanks to GD for sharing this year’s 8th December with me, which is also the anniversary of my first trip to this city many years ago J

I finally made the trip on my way to Alpes right before Christmas !

Paul Bocuse was the inly place I had visited this time as I had only 3hours in-between the tranfer.I was dying – the menu was so good, but sooooo big !

Argued too much these days about « where Sarkozy should meet Dalaï Lama or not ».

I do agree that people has the right to meet anyone they want to meet, it’s a free world.

But, with certan title, there are always « not right things at not right moments », except you just want to do it in some purpose.

And in the politics, there are always some purposes.

These days’ discussions about this topic reminded me a sentences from a French friend :

If you really want to talk about China, go to this country which is just another planet – All you admired could be wrong, and all you hated may also be wrong……

As the N°1 commercial partner of China, I suddenly noticed that

the EU actually had focused too much on the trade with China, insteady of really make efforts to get to know about its history, culture, and especially the mentality of people there.

You do not have to always be her friend, but only, by knowing her, could you get rid of the fearness which is still deeply and widely existed in Europe towards China.

Of course, this also works for the Chinese.

Unfortunately, the media didn’t really help on that. Well, when everything goes well,everybody likes each other, who read the news?!…

The 18th « debutante »ball gathered 23 « blue-blood » young girls from dozens of countries in the world.

They are not any more only the « royal families »,the daughters of movie stars, media group leaders and industrial big bosses etc had became the main contributions.

The lights were focusing on the « parents » this year. Imaging a ball gathering the actual couples of the ex-couple :Demi-Moore ( with her young husband) and Bruce Willis(with his new girlfriend) ; and also Alain Delon hand in hand with the ex Madame Delon and newly ex Madame Afflelou…Who still have time to think about the young dolls ?:))

The leading dance made by Alain Delon and Bruce Willis together ( with their daughters) was quite nice—They are sometimes simply fathers as well.