2 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris.    1    So the first thing we did was rent a fantastically expensive sixth-floor apartment the size of a cupboard. It was so tiny that we had to leave our suitcases in the hallway.

The place wasn’t entirely authentic, though. Unlike a normal Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked.     2    Our building even had a tiny lift with a female voice that said, “Ouverture des portes,” in perfect French. That is the only French phrase I mastered, and it’s a shame I don’t have much use for it.

Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone noted in this paper a couple of weeks ago, they eat great food and never gain weight.     3     French strawberries do not taste like cardboard. Instead, they explode in your mouth like little flavor bombs.

    4     On our first morning in Paris, I went around the corner to the food market to pick up some groceries. I bought a handful of perfectly ripe small strawberries and a little sweet melon. My husband and I agreed they were the best fruit we had ever eaten. But they cost $18!

In France, quality of life is much more important than efficiency.

You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always crowded.    5    When do these people work? The French take their 35-hour workweek seriously — so seriously that some labor unions recently struck a deal with a group of companies limiting the number of hours that independent contractors can be on call.

The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

4 . In the Arab world, a souk is a market usually held in an open-air location. Souks are an important part of life in the Middle East.     1    Another attraction of souks is that they offer visitors a great opportunity to feel the local culture.

Most major souks probably started as informal meetings of merchants (商人) in open spaces, which slowly developed into more formal markets.    2    For example, some souks have partial ceilings (天花板) to protect against bad weather, along with narrow streets which do not permit cars.

Everything from glassware to meat can be found at a souk,with merchants coming from nearby areas to sell their products.     3    So visitors can easily find beautiful artworks in all shapes and sizes at a souk, often at very reasonable prices.

    4    By tradition, shoppers at a souk must negotiate (协商) with shopkeepers to reach a price. For large items, customers will have to sit down with the shopkeeper. They will be offered tea and snacks while the price, including storage and delivery costs sometimes, is discussed.

If you happen to be traveling in the Middle East, just pay a visit to a souk. Some regions have famous markets with a long and interesting history, and a souk is a great place to get souvenirs. You can find a local guide for your visit to ensure that you know local cultural rules well.    5    

7 . Speciality Museums in Europe

National Railway Museum, York

Home to locomotives(火车头)and a collection of engineering brilliance, we celebrate the past, present and future of innovation on the railways. Immerse yourself in stories from centuries of railway history and explore a million railway-related objects to know the importance of it during times of war.

Opening hours: Wednesday-Sunday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

FREE ENTRY

Maritime Museum, Jersey

You can’t fail to enjoy the Island’s shipbuilding past with songs and stories of the sea. Full of interacting items experience life aboard ship in a cabin. Lots to open, press, turn and even design a ship by yourself. Then follow the story of Jersey’s seafood, beach and seaside entertainment.

Opening hours: Daily 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Admission: $40 per adult; $25 per child(6-18 years).

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

The Anne Frank House is a museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. As a visitor, you experience this story through an audio tour, quotes, photos, videos, and original items.

Opening hours: Daily 9:00 AM-10:00 PM

Admission: $30 per adult/youth; $25 per child(4-12 years)

Vasa Museum, Stockholm

The Vasa ship capsized and sank on its first voyage in 1628. After 333 years on the seabed the mighty warship was recovered and put into the museum. The story of the king’s beautiful, yet terrifying ship fascinates people of all ages.   

Opening hours: Daily 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

Admission: $38. Free entry for children.

My adventure short story took place in Nepal, where I did the Mohare Danda Trek — which was no easy feat; however, in my opinion, it is truly one of the best hiking trails in the world. The Mohare Danda is one of Nepal’s newest treks, opened in 2010 as an Eco-trek to help support and develop the Parbat and Myagdi districts.

I’ve always enjoyed such kind of hikes as my friends and I conquer one destination after another. As you gaze upon the mountain peaks, interact with locals, and take in the nature that surrounds you, it’s hard not to feel immense gratitude for such adventures. This is particularly true when we reached the top of Mohare Danda at 3,313 meters (10,869feet) and realized just how far we’d come.

It was a stunning hike, though my first day got off to a difficult start as I found myself violently ill. Ascending（爬升）higher and higher，sweat pouring down my face and my backpack threatening to pull me to the ground, I stopped constantly to gasp for breath and throw up quite a bit — until we reached the high altitude tea house where we’d be staying the night. The accommodation was rough, to say the least, which was a small family-run hotel with squat toilets, spiders, and no showers.

While the group went in for tea, I laid on the ground, nearly crying from the physical pain from the challenging hike and discomfort from the sickness. At that moment, I truly didn’t think I could do it. But then I opened my eyes to the beauty that surrounded me— scattered wild flowers all over the mountains, feasting yaks and buffaloes, high-altitude villages and the stunning terrain of the Annapurna Himalayas, which were the type of beauty you truly can’t find anywhere else —and realized that if I gave up now I’d never forgive myself.

The hotel owner was very kind, who brought me warm water and some medicine. He also suggested that I bring some oxygen just in case, and I did so, which turned out to be life-saving.