Poor Mr Paula?

I notice this mechanism that works every single time.

Send Mr Paula away, on a vacation (ok, I never send him away, he asks and I allow him to leave). A few weeks later (2 are fine, 3 work even better) he comes back and I confront him with a new fait accompli.

I remember him returning back home after a 3 week vacation*, which was quite pricey and I greeted him like this "I have a brilliant idea: Lets travel to Japan! I've checked the flights, Austrian flies non-stop to Tokyo!"

I remember his "not so happy" reaction back then, having just spent a huge part of his all-year-vacation-time and a lot of money. So I learned from the past and already sent him an email in order to get attunded. The mail reads like this:

"Hi! Sicily was great. Already busy making plans for our next trip. btw, learning a new language might come in handy".

Mr Paula is clever. He knows me. His answer read like this:
"Russia?"

Gerhard's website AndersReisen is very inspirational.

In case you wonder when we are going to pack our suitcases, lets become familiar with Paula's travel-routines. The first step is mastering the language to an beginners/intermediate level, so I can ask for the way under any circumstance. I remember us rushing down the steps to catch a train and asking someone who got on the train in Japanese if this was the train to Yudanaka. This really helps!! (Especialy when the person you ask is Japanese and undestands Japanese ;))

Sometimes you end up in a region, a place where people speak no foreign languages. It takes off lots of stress to know their language a bit.
Yes, I learn languages for a simple 3-4 week long vacation. And yes, it's absolutely worth it!

I've always imagined Russian to be an elegant complement in my language-bouquet (German, English, French and a bit of Japanese).
Plus I will finally be able to understand those sales people in the Hermes boutique in Vienna, who greet customers in Russian. *gg*

In case you are wondering why Mr Paula goes on vacations without me: Ever joined scuba divers while you for yourself are no diver? Well, they don't dive, but their passion is similar to those of scuba divers and so are the dinner-talks. Passionate, circing around one single passion which is absolutely not mine.

* ok, I did let him take off his shoes and sit down on the sofa before starting