泰晤士河上的明珠

There are cities, and then there are cities, places whose names resonate around the world, conjuring a dream landscape for the listener. Amongst these without a doubt standing shoulder to shoulder with the best is London. With a population of over seven million people in Greater London alone, and with over 300 languages spoken by its mixed population you will not find a more cosmopolitan city in the whole of Europe. The problem with travelling to such an exceptionally diverse city is that you will never have enough time. You can literally live a lifetime there and still barely scratch the surface. So spending just three and a half days in the capital city of the United Kingdom with my girlfriend Xiaomin would require some serious planning. Unfortunately apart from booking our hotel and getting a 50% discount thanks to the internet, I didn't really do any. You don't want to make this mistake.

无论什么地方都有城市,那些名字在全世界回响的城市,为听者变幻出一个个梦境般的图景。毋庸置疑的是,这其中首当其选的城市就是伦敦。仅仅在大伦敦区,人口就超过了700万,这里还有各种各样的人说着超过300多种语言。在整个欧洲范围内,你无法找到一个比伦敦更具有世界性的城市。在这样一个无与伦比而又丰富多彩的城市游玩,存在的唯一问题就是:你的时间永远不够。你哪怕一辈子呆在那却仍然只是接触到一点皮毛的东西。因此,要和女友晓敏在这个联合王国的首府度过仅仅三天半的时间,确实需要认真计划一番。不幸的是,除了通过网络预订获得以五折的价格入住酒店之外,我没能好好地安排行程。我想你应该不想犯这样的错误吧。

Arriving on a rainy late Friday afternoon our train pulled into the iconic Paddington Station. Fighting through the crowds we made our way via the underground; emerging from Kensington station we made a dash for the hotel arriving a little bedraggled and happily collapsed in our room. Taking the Underground during rush hour in any major city whilst carrying luggage is always a bad idea. The London Underground has the extra joy of having various stations and lines shut temporarily almost everyday for maintenance; so that quick route might not exist. After a brief rest we half-heartedly glanced through the tourist pamphlets liberated from the hotel lobby. Our plans decided for tomorrow, we decamped to a local restaurant for sustenance. Surprisingly, apart from the underground everything proved to be fairly cheap thanks to the recession and with the weak pound we could afford to spend a little more.

在一个下着雨的周五下午,我们的火车抵达标志性的帕丁顿车站。我们努力穿过拥挤的人群穿过地下通道,从肯辛顿站一出来就我们衣衫不整地冲向酒店,开心地倒在房间里。无论在哪个大城市,提着行李在高峰时间坐地铁都不是什么好主意。伦敦的地铁非常乐于每天临时关闭一些站和线路来进行维护,所以一些快捷路线很有可能就不存在了。短暂休息以后,我们随意浏览了摆在大厅的一些旅游册子。第二天的计划安排妥当之后,我们去一家当地餐馆吃了顿好的。让人惊讶的是,由于经济不景气,除了地铁以外,所有东西都非常便宜,加上英镑走低,我们可以负担更多费用。

Rising early we headed off for the British Museum. The first thing we learned was, do not trust maps on the back of pamphlets. A few minutes walk just down the lane turned into a couple of hours of walking and we were still nowhere close to the museum. My constant comments that I knew where I was going hadn't endeared me to Xiaomin. Diving into a newsagent, I returned carrying my newly purchased A-Z of the London streets and after receiving some harsh glares from Xiaomin, humbled, I consulted the map and led the way to Covent Garden instead. The mood swiftly improved though as we strolled around the surrounding lanes watching some amazing street performers plying their trade: Living statues, magicians, comedians, escape artists, musicians and jugglers all competed for your attention n and your money. With feelings of regret we pulled ourselves away and with my navigational skills restored we slowly travelled across London's heart.

我们起了个大早向大英博物馆出发。我们得到的第一个教训就是千万不要相信小册子背后的地图。本来在小巷走几分钟就到的路程我们走了几个小时,然而还是连大英博物馆的影子都看不见。虽然我老是说知道正往什么地方赶,但是晓敏却没有因此而对我钟爱有加。我跑到一个报刊亭,带回一本新买的小册子,这本册子囊括了伦敦以字母A开头到以Z开头的所有街道。晓敏恨恨地看了我一眼,我灰溜溜地看了地图,然后带她转而向科芬园走去。不过,当我们在周围的小巷漫步,看那些让人惊叹的街头艺术家表演:活雕像、魔术师、喜剧演员、会脱身术的艺术家、音乐家以及变戏法的人,他们都在竞相吸引你的眼球和钱包,心情很快就变好了。我们恋恋不舍地离开,此时我的方向感已经恢复,我们缓缓地游经伦敦的心脏。

From a tourist shop in Leicester Square we wandered down the streets savouring the beautiful Georgian architecture of Piccadilly Circus and Regents Street, fully lost in admiration for the skill of the architects' and builders'. Finally arriving at my favourite place in London, a 249 years old toys and sweets store called Hamleys. We shamelessly filled two bags full of sweets before hurrying on to our next goal St.James Park. The park itself is nothing too special but its gates are impressive to say the least with their extravagant display of golden crests and black iron which tower over you. The reason for these over the top gates is due to the house next door, more commonly known as Buckingham Palace. We couldn't see the royal flag flying from the roof, so the queen was not at home but we did get to see the famous guards standing motionless, immune to all distractions. By now the toll of walking so much was starting to show and my backpack was feeling like someone had thrown in some large boulders for fun. I was ready to return to the hotel but my arm was twisted by a certain lady desiring one last stop, and as it was nearby I gave in.

我们从莱斯特广场的一间旅游商店沿着街道走,欣赏着漂亮的乔治王时代风格的建筑——皮卡迪利广场和摄政街,完完全全地沉浸在对设计师以及建筑者们技巧的崇拜之中。最后,我们来到了我在伦敦最喜欢的一个地方——一个拥有249年历史的玩具糖果店——哈姆利斯。在去另一个目的地圣詹姆斯公园之前,我们厚着脸皮把两个袋子都装满了糖果。虽然公园本身并没有什么特别之处,但至少,公园的大门是让人印象深刻的。大门上有奢华的金羽冠,还有高悬在头顶的黑铁。之所以要在大门上悬挂这些东西,都是因为旁边的一所房子——它更为人熟知的名字是白金汉宫。我们没看见皇家旗帜在屋顶飘扬,也就是说女王不在家。但是我们看见了那些对任何事物都不感冒的、纹丝不动地站着的皇家卫士。此时,因为走得太久身体开始抗议了,感觉好像有人往我的背包里扔了一些大石块捉弄我。我准备回酒店,但是却被一位态度坚决的女士挽住了手臂,要求再去最后一个目的地。因为那个地方并不远,我妥协了。

Harrods, perhaps the most famous store in London where the rich shop, lived up to its reputation; security informed me I was not allowed to carry my backpack on my back only in my hand. I think it was to let me blend in amongst the rich without offending them or some such rubbish. Anyway a quick look at the prices, 50 pounds for a simple hair band on sale at half price instantly made me extremely careful not to knock anything over. You break it, you buy it! One accident and you might have to sell your house to raise the money. The sight of the hotel that night nearly brought tears to my eyes as like a crippled old man I eased myself into bed and passed out.

哈洛德百货公司,可能是伦敦最负盛名的百货商店,富人经常光顾此地,它确实名副其实。保安告知我不能把背包背在背上,只能用手提着。我想,我应该要融入到这些有钱人当中去,不能冒冒失失的,虽然这样做的原因简直是胡说八道。不管怎么说,当我看到一个简单的发夹以50英镑的半价出售时,我马上变得格外小心,不要撞倒什么东西。弄坏照价赔偿!稍不小心,你就可能要倾家荡产来凑钱赔偿。那晚,当我看到酒店的那瞬间几乎要喜极而泣了,我就像一个跛脚的老头一样,倒在床上酣然大睡。

The next day dawned and with renewed vigor we once again set our sights on the British Museum, this time finding it without any problems. Paying extra for an audio tour we slowly made our way around each exhibit humbled by the craftsmanship, ingenuity and history contained in the various artefacts. If you can't afford the time or money to travel the world, a visit to the British Museum would probable suffice. No country or civilization seems to have been left out of the collection no matter how obscure. You won't find all the items on display as it's only a tiny fraction that is made available to the public for viewing at any one time. To display all the items in the collection together would take considerable more museums and cost a fortune. We only managed two of the vast floors as our bodies had yet to recover from the marathon the day before and the numerous stairs proved just too much for us. Leaning on each other for support we made it to a little sandwich shop and carrying our food settled down in Russell Square Gardens for an impromptu picnic. Turning to each other we decided that was enough sightseeing for the day and feeling a little guilty caught the tube.

第二天破晓时分,我们带着新的活力再次向大英博物馆进军。这一次,我们不费吹灰之力就找到了。我们多花了些钱租了个随身导览讲解器,然后在每一个展馆前慢慢观赏。我们为各种各样蕴含着工艺、精巧的设计和历史的手工制品所折服。如果你没有足够的金钱和时间去环游世界的话,来一趟大英博物馆或许也已经足够了。不管一个国家或者一种文化有多么不引人注目,你都能在这里的收藏中见到他们的踪迹。并不是所有的文物都会展出,因为只有一小部分是可以在任何时间都向公众开放的。要想把所有的文物展览出来,需要相当多的博物馆和相当大的一笔经费。由于我们刚从前一天的“马拉松”中恢复过来,而且有又得爬很多层楼梯,所以我们只逛了奇宽无比的两层。我们相互搀扶着来到一间小三文治店,然后买了些吃的到罗赛尔广场花园,来了一场即兴的野餐。经过商量,我们决定今天的观光活动就到此为止了,同时也为(这么早)坐地铁回去感到惭愧。

Instead of heading straight back to the Hilton, to assuage our guilt we carried on to Westfield, the largest in-town shopping centre in Europe. A sudden transformation came over Xiaomin, as when confronted with hundreds of shops, all with 50-75% discounts on all goods, she caught her second wind and with a sudden burst of adrenaline and a cheerful wave ,' I'll see you at the entrance in three hours', she was gone. Sadly or more accurately happily I made it a few meters to the nearest cafe and settled down with a hot chocolate and a good book to wait. After three hours had passed, a quick phone call made me realizes that if we were ever going to leave I would have to hunt her down and carry her out. I have to admit the place was impressive and finally with a promise to return the next day, we returned to the hotel a mere four hours later, almost hidden beneath an array of presents for the relatives back home.

我们并没有直接返回希尔顿酒店,而是为了减轻内心的愧疚之情,来到了欧洲最大的购物中心——西田。当面对几百家均打折低至五折到七五折的商店时,晓敏一下子就像变了个人一样,兴奋雀跃得不得了,又掀起了第二轮的购物风潮。“三小时以后我们在入口见吧。”刚说完她人就不见了。带着些许伤心和窃喜,我来到几米开外最近的一家咖啡店坐下,叫了一杯热巧克力,然后看着一本好书,等着晓敏。三个小时过去了,接了一个短暂的电话以后我意识到,如果我再不把晓敏找到并带出去,我们就走不了了。我必须承认这是一个让人难忘的地方,并且答应晓敏第二天再来一次。大约四小时以后,我们回到了酒店,几乎要埋在那一大堆带回去给亲戚们的礼物里边了。

Our final day had arrived. So keeping my promise, we revisited Westfield and then set off for the picturesque sites of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. How stone can be made to look so delicate and detailed is beyond me. All I could do is stare in wonder and try and imagine the monumental task it must have been to build. I did notice a lot more Chinese tourists here than I had seen elsewhere in London taking photos of Big Ben and Xiaomin was no exception. After we returned home I complained to my parents that we had been standing there for what seemed like hours taking photos. I'm happy taking photos, but there is a limit to how many you need of any one thing. Xiaomin was in the middle of denying it when my father pointed out that from the first to the last photo of Big Ben, the clocks' hands had moved over two and a quarter hours. It becomes something of a family joke now not to have her take any of the family photos, as we just don't have enough time.

最后一天来临,为了兑现我的诺言,我们又去了西田购物中心,然后奔往威斯敏斯特教堂、大笨钟以及议会大厦这些美若诗画的景点。我无法想象出来石头竟能看起来被制作得如此精美而细致。我所能做的,就是叹为观止,猜想完成这样的建筑物该是多么雄伟的一项工程。我发现,这里比别处有更多的中国游客,他们在给大笨钟拍照,晓敏也不例外。回到家以后,我向父母抱怨,我们几乎在那站了几个小时就是为了拍照。我喜欢拍照,但是每一样东西该拍的数量是有限的,晓敏正要反驳我时,我父亲指着大笨钟的第一张照片和最后一张照片——照片上指针转过了两小时十五分。现在,这已经成为我们家里的一个笑话,我们不让晓敏给家里人拍照,因为我们没有那么多时间。

We had hoped to go up in the London Eye for that amazing panoramic view of London's cityscape but instead had to settle for standing under it, as it was closed for maintenance. So mildly disappointed we wandered along the banks of the river Thames crossing over the Millennium Bridge before making our way back on the other side. With an eye on the time we decided on a final blitz passing through Trafalgar Square on our way to the National Gallery. The talent of these artists can't help but draw you in, their paintings bringing to life another era. Alas a quick glance at my watch told us that our time was up and if we wanted to catch our train we had better hurry. There were so many things we didn't do or see including major attractions like St.Paul's Cathedral but that's London, there is always more to see. Whether you are there for a specific festival or just catching a quick break, London always has something for everyone. No matter what captivates you, London certainly will.

我们本希望能够登上伦敦眼来欣赏迷人的伦敦市全景,但却不得不因为伦敦眼正在维修当中暂停营业而只能满足于站在它的下面。带着一丝失望,我们在回去之前沿着泰晤士河的沿岸走,从另一边穿过千禧桥。考虑到时间,我们决定在去国家展览馆的途中最后快速游览一下特拉法尔加广场。那些天才艺术家们让你情不自禁就陶醉其中,他们的作品把你带到了另一个年代。但可惜当我看了一眼手表以后,知道时间到了,如果我们想赶上火车,必须动作快点。我们还有很多景点没有看,很多事情没有做,包括主要景点圣保罗大教堂,不过这就是伦敦,你永远都看不够。不管你是去度过一个特别的节日,还是只是稍作休息,伦敦对每个人来说都意味着些什么。不管你感兴趣的是什么,伦敦肯定能够吸引你。

Notes

1. dive into

意为“冲向,钻研、全身心投入”。

例句:He wanted to dive into the heart of the matter.

他想要探究事情的真相。

2. blend in

意为“融入、加入”。

例句:The new office block doesn't blend in with its surroundings.

新的办公大楼与周围的环境很不协调。

3. turn to

意为“转向,求助于”。

例句:We can turn to him for help.

我们可以求助于他。

4. set off

意为“出发,启程”。

例句:He proposed to set off immediately.

他准备马上动身。

Links:

1. Hamleys哈姆利斯

传统的玩具商店很难找到,而伦敦的哈姆利斯(Hamleys)则是其中之一,因为可没有多少玩具店开的比1760年还要早。哈姆利斯,作为一家标志性的旗舰商店,因为其不可思议的魔力,氛围,丰富的商品和令人赞叹的展示窗口而拥有国际声望。当威廉•哈姆利于1760在伦敦开设第一家玩具店时,他把它狭小的霍尔本商店填满了所有他能搜集来的玩具,从布娃娃到锡皮玩具士兵,从铁环到木马,因为他想打造世界上最好的玩具店。哈姆利甚至叫它“诺亚方舟”。到了1837年的时候,哈姆利斯俨然成了伦敦的地标。所以,当现今顶级的哈洛德百货(Harrods)创始人亨利•查尔斯•哈罗德1849年在武士桥刚刚开设了一家小小的杂货铺,养家糊口时,哈姆利斯已经成为了相当成功的玩具百货商场。在1881年,威廉•哈姆利的孙子在伦敦摄政街开设了一家分铺,离皮卡迪里大街不远。两店呼应,并驾齐驱。目前哈姆利斯老铺在伦敦摄政街188-196号,共有七层,堆满了琳琅满目的玩具,这里简直就是孩子们的天堂,不少大人在这里也流连忘返。

2. Harrods哈洛德百货

世界最负盛名的百货公司,贩售奢华的商品,位于伦敦的骑士桥(Knightsbridge)上,“哈洛德”的品牌也用在哈洛德集团的其他子公司,如哈洛德银行、哈洛德房地产公司、哈洛德航空等。哈洛德百货占地4.5英亩,在其他超过330间百货公司中,拥有超过一百万平方尺的楼层地板面积,成为世界最大的百货公司(与纽约梅西百货打平),也是目前英国境内最大的百货公司。

3. the British Museum大英博物馆

大英博物馆,又名不列颠博物馆,成立于1753年,1759年1月15日起正式对公众开放,是世界上历史最悠久、规模最宏伟的综合性博物馆,也是世界上规模最大、最著名的博物馆之一。大英博物馆和纽约的大都会艺术博物馆、巴黎的卢浮宫同列为世界三大博物馆。大英博物馆包括埃及文物馆、希腊罗马文物馆、西亚文物馆、欧洲中世纪文物馆和东方艺术文物馆。其中以埃及文物馆、希腊罗马文物馆和东方艺术文物馆藏品最引人注目,所收藏的古罗马遗迹、古希腊雕像和埃及木乃伊闻名于世。现有建筑为19世纪中叶所建,共有100多个陈列室,面积六七万平方米,共藏有展品400多万件。博物馆正门的两旁,各有8根又粗又高的罗马式圆柱,每根圆柱上端是一个三角顶,上面刻着一幅巨大的浮雕。整个建筑气魄雄伟,蔚为壮观。除了欣赏展品外,游客还可以领略英国人在博物馆设计方面的过人之处。

4. Big Ben大笨钟

大笨钟,是英国国会会议厅附属的钟楼 (Clock Tower) 的大报时钟的昵称。位于威斯敏斯特桥的南面桥头,与英国议会大厦相连,英国议会大厦的北角,钟楼高79米,钟楼四面的圆形钟盘,直径为6.7米,是伦敦的传统地标。坐地铁可以在威斯敏斯特桥站下车。作为伦敦市的标志以及英国的象征,大笨钟巨大而华丽,重13.5吨,四个钟面的面积有两平方米左右。大笨钟从1859年就为伦敦城报时,根据格林尼治时间每隔一小时敲响一次,至今已一个半世纪,尽管这期间大笨钟曾两度裂开而重铸,但现在大笨钟的钟声仍然清晰、动听。