Not as it appears

I was bemused when I read an article in the South China Morning Post today about Hong Kong companies using Photoshop to digitally enhance advertising material. It is not only Hong Kong companies who do that. Yesterday I wrote about my paella in Barcelona not being what it looked like in the menu. After Barcelona, I went to Paris. Well, the hotel I stayed in Paris was somewhat of a “surprise”. It certainly was not recently renovated as stated on the website! Well, at least not per my understanding of “recently” anyway. At least, when it says, cozy atmosphere, it was true. The space was so tight we could not even open the mini bar fridge. Great for me as it prevented my children from helping themselves to the refreshments! The room I was allocated was in the top floor. If you are familiar with Parisian hotels, top floor is usually the attic. In my case, I had a room with a sloping ceiling so at one end of the room, the wall was no more than 3 feet high – even a midget would feel short changed.

When it comes to planning a holiday, the internet is a wonderful thing. It is great that one can access a lot of information very quickly. Before I left for my holiday, I had a clear idea of what to expect, or so I thought. I am sure many of you have looked up hotel websites, looked up hotel amenities and viewed photographs of the hotel rooms, restaurants etc. Do they always live up to expectations? From my personal experience, the hotel may end up not as fresh looking, the room smaller than it appears in the photographs (I’ve been told there are special camera lenses for this), the swimming pool is not as inviting and the buffet not as sumptuous. Besides leaving a comment on a travel or hotel booking website, I wonder if there is anything else one can do? The Parisian hotel I stayed in has a page of glowing reviews………….but no facility for me to leave mine. Mmmmh.........


Here is a photograph of the Eiffel Tower taken from a boat on the Seine River last week - totally unenhanced. Isn't it a sight to behold? The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889. It has become one of the most recognisable icons of France. Did you know that at 324 meters (equivalent to about 81 storeys), it is the tallest building in Paris? In fact, upon completion, it was the tallest man made structure in the world. Then in 1930, the Chrysler Building in New York was built. In 1957, an antenna was added at the top of the Eiffel Tower making it now taller than the Chrysler Building again.



Au revoir!