冰岛假期

冰岛假期

Iceland Travel Holiday

by Susan Breslow Sardone

翻译：海月

来到冰岛就仿佛置身于人间仙境，让人飘飘欲仙、流连忘返。在那里，你似乎可以放下所有的烦恼，体验许多之前从未感受过的美好。怎么样，开始想和作者一起来场奇妙的冰岛之旅了吗？

Iceland? Who goes to Iceland on vacation? It turns out the answer is growing numbers of culture and adventure lovers looking for something a bit different, something they’ve never seen before, experiences as unique as they come.

Having recently visited the country for a short time, I have seen the light.(Of course,1)giventhe fact that the summer sun’s up 23.5 hours every day, that light is hard to miss.) 1) given ['gIvən] prep.由于，考虑到

冰岛？谁会去冰岛度假？答案是越来越多的文化和探险爱好者们，他们在寻找与众不同、从未见过的东西，期待来到这里获得独一无二的非凡经历。

我最近在这个国家待过一小段时间，看到了极昼。（由于夏天太阳每天都挂在天上23.5个小时，所以自然很难错过它。）

It certainly helped starting off the journey in Icelandair’s2)Saga(business) Class.I was properly greeted,3)cossettedin acomfortable seat,4)satedwith5)salmon, and delivered safely to Kefavik, a manageable little jewel of an airport with an6)extensivedutyfree shopping7)arcade.FromJFK注1注1：John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 指肯尼迪国际机场。, the fight took less than fve hours.

For the first 20 minutesen route from Keflavik to Reykjavik by cab, the land looks8)barrenbut the9)Nordicsky is10)luminous.There are no trees, just11)lavafelds covered with12)velvetygreen moss.Soon enough I make out a13)pale bluebody of water—the Atlantic, of course—then scattered houses and mountains.As we drive closer to the city, I notice the mountaintops aredotted with snow.词汇积累

2 ) saga ['sɑːgə] n.中世纪北欧传说

3 ) cosset ['kɒsIt] v.宠爱，疼爱

4 ) sate [seIt] v.充分满足，使饱享

5 ) salmon ['sæmən] n.三文鱼

6 ) extensive [Ik'stensIv] a.广阔的

7 ) arcade [ɑː'keId] n.店铺商场

8 ) barren ['bærən] a.荒芜的，贫瘠的

9 ) Nordic ['nɔːdIk] a.北欧的

10) luminous ['luːmInəs] a.发光的，明亮的

11) lava ['lɑːvə] n.熔岩

12 velvety ['velvItI] a.天鹅绒般的，柔软的

13) pale blue 淡蓝色

14) sweltering ['sweltərIŋ] a.闷热的

15) evaporate [I'væpəreIt] v.蒸发

16) dire ['daIər] a.可怕的，恐怖的

17) volcanic eruption 火山爆发

18) geothermal [,dʒiːəu'θəməl] a.地热的

19) adjacent [ə'dʒeIsənt] a.相邻的，邻近的

20) aesthetic [iːs'θetIk] a.审美的

21) imperative [Im'perətIv] a.必要的

22) geyser ['giːzər] n.间歇泉

23) spellbound ['spelbaʊnd] a.着迷的

24) kayak ['kaIæk] n.爱斯基摩人用的皮艇

搭乘冰岛航空商务舱开始这趟旅程显然是有好处的。我受到了周到的款待，坐在舒适的座位上，心满意足地享受着三文鱼，并安全抵达凯夫拉维克机场。机场就像一颗小巧玲珑的宝石，旁边就是宽敞的免税商场。从肯尼迪国际机场飞到这里，只用了不到五个小时。

乘出租车从凯夫拉维克到雷克雅未克途中，前面20分钟的路程满眼都是荒凉的旷野，但这片北欧的天空依然明亮。没有树，只有覆盖着天鹅绒般绿色苔藓的熔岩原。很快，我就看到一片淡蓝色的海水—那当然是大西洋—接着还有山和零星分布的房屋。在去市区的路上，我看到山顶点缀着积雪。

It’s mid-summer...New York is14)sweltering...and I’m seeing snow!(Later I learn that one of many Icelandic legends has to do with this summer snow.They say that if it all15)evaporatesby August, something16)direwill occur.It happened in 1996...and there was a17)volcanic eruptionoutside the city.)

时值盛夏，纽约正是闷热的时候，我却看到了雪！（后来我听说，这里夏天的积雪还与一个冰岛传说有关。据说，如果这些雪在八月之前全部蒸发殆尽，就会有可怕的事情发生。1996年，这个传说成为现实，那一年城外就有火山爆发。）

Anyway, there’s snow up there in July, and the weather’s a comfortable5 5 degrees Fahrenheit.I’m willing to pack a lot into the days, since it stays light for all but half an hour.The first place I visit is a community swimming pool heated entirely by underwater18)geothermal springs.Icelanders frequent these facilities every day of the year, meeting friends, debating politics, and simply luxuriating in the pool and19)adjacent Jacuzzis注2注3：萨克斯百货，美国大型零售商。.No wonder they look so healthy and enjoy such longevity.

After the swim I got to experience two outdoor sculpture gardens accompanied by a learned guide.First was Asmundur Sveinsson’s, whose creations call upon Nordic sagas for inspiration.Historic and heartfelt, his work provides a window into the Icelandic soul.Ainar Jonsson, a contemporary, may have been the more masterful technician, but his work lacks Sveinsson’s warm emotion.Contemplating and comparing the displays with my enlightening guide is an20)aesthetic delight.

Touring outside the city is21)imperative, though.There’s everything from22)geysers to glaciers, to hold one as23)spellbound as a mid-season sale at Saks注3注3：萨克斯百货，美国大型零售商。.Up north, adventurers can go snowmobiling, dogsledding, and experience other chilly adventures in an Arctic Jeep.Elsewhere you can river raft, sea24)kayak, fsh, and whale watch.

总之，这里七月有雪，而气候也是舒适的55华氏度（约13摄氏度）。我愿意把白天的行程排得满满的，因为这里几乎一整天都是白天，而夜晚只有半个小时。我游览的第一个地方是一个完全由地下温泉供热的社区游泳池。冰岛人一年到头频繁光顾这里，在这儿会见朋友、探讨政治或者纯粹享受一下游泳池和它旁边的按摩浴缸。难怪他们看起来都很健康且长寿。

游完泳，我又跟着博学多闻的导游去参观了两个室外雕塑公园。第一个是奥斯门德·斯文松雕塑公园。奥斯门德·斯文松的作品以北欧传奇为灵感来源，其历史性和诚意为游客提供了一扇去了解冰岛灵魂的窗户。另一个是艾纳·琼森雕塑公园。作为当代人的艾纳·琼森也许技艺是更为娴熟，但他的作品缺乏斯文松的温暖情感。和我那循循善诱的导游一起思索并对比着这些展品，很有审美乐趣。

到城外看看也是必不可少的节目。从间歇泉到冰川等各种景观，就像美国萨克斯百货的季中促销那样，足以令人如着魔般流连忘返。冒险家们可以到城北玩雪地摩托和狗拉雪橇，坐着极地吉普车体验其他刺激的探险活动。除此之外，你还可以去玩河道漂流、海上皮划艇、钓鱼和观鲸。

Thingvellir National Park, closer to Reykjavik, is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet andstretch apart.One side holds grassy25)meadowsand26)placidlakes; the other rough lava terrain.A place of great significance to the Icelandic people, the park is also where Europe’s first parliament27)convenedin 930 A.D.Today, it’s a magnifcent place to picnic.

距离雷克雅未克不远的辛格维尔国家公园位于北美和欧亚板块接壤与拉伸分裂的边界处。一边是如茵草地和平静湖泊，另一边是粗犷的熔岩地貌。这个公园对冰岛人意义重大，公元930年的首次欧洲议会就是在这里召开的。今天，这里是一个野餐的好地方。

Hot springs hissing with steaming water, hillsidesplanted with28)blue lupine, and29)puffinperches are among the sights in nature’s30)repertoire.And one of the best ways to experience them is on horseback.The sturdy little Icelandic horses are so gentle, anyone but a31)tenderfootlike me would feel at ease32)canteringacross these magical landscapes.

The Blue Lagoon turns out to be my kind of place, not a spa as Americans know it.In fact, they sell ice cream here, lots of it.The draw is the lagoon’s33)therapeuticwaters, surrounded by black lava fields.The34)opaqueblue-green reservoir of mineral-rich water is heated to about 100 degrees.Since the air’s only about 60 degrees, steam continually rises from the milkywater.

I paddle around,35)peeringthrough the fog at the old folks and kids, the lovers and the lonely, all bobbingin this36)etherealhuman soup.Stress just melts away.

I start to think that perhaps heaven isn’t composed of clouds but of Iceland’s naturally warm,37)buoyant, healing waters.It’s a real possibility.But you ought to visit and decide for yourself.

嘶嘶冒着蒸汽的温泉、长满蓝花羽扇豆的山坡和海鹦栖息地都是这里的自然景观。体验它们的最佳方式之一就是骑马。健壮的冰岛小马是如此温顺，除了像我这样的生手，任何人都能安心地骑着它们在这梦幻般的风景里悠然驰骋。

蓝湖是我钟爱的那种地方，它和美国人所知的水疗中心不同。事实上，这里有冰淇淋卖，大把大把的冰淇淋。这里吸引人的地方在于那被黑色熔岩包围着的、有治疗效果的湖水。富含矿物质、呈不透明蓝绿色的湖水被加热到约100华氏度（约38摄氏度）。由于空气的温度只有约60华氏度（约16摄氏度），所以不断有蒸汽从不透明的湖水中升起。

我四处游动，透过雾气，看着这些男女老少、成双成对或形单影只的人们沉浸在这人间仙境般缥缈的湖水中，压力一下子烟消云散。

我开始觉得，也许天堂不是用云做的，而是用冰岛那自然温暖、生机勃勃而又有治愈性的泉水做的。确实有这种可能。但你应该试着身临其境、自己判断了。

词汇积累

25) meadow ['medəʊ] n.草地

26) placid ['plæsId] a.宁静的，平静的

27) convene [kən'viːn] v.召开

28) blue lupine 蓝花羽扇豆

29) puffn ['pʌfIn] n.海鹦

30) repertoire ['repətwɑːr] n.所有组成部分

31) tenderfoot ['tendəfʊt] n.生手，新手

32) canter ['kæntə] v.慢跑

33) therapeutic [θerə'pjuːtIk] a.治病的

34) opaque [əʊ'peIk] a.不透明的

35) peer [pIər] v.凝视

36) ethereal [I'θIərIəl] a.天上的，像空气的

37) buoyant ['bɔIənt] a.活泼的，快乐的